Texas Tech, Tennessee and Ole Miss entered Saturday ranked inside the AP Top 12. By the end of the weekend, none had a spot in Sports Illustrated’s projected College Football Playoff field.
Bryan Fischer’s updated projection leaves all three out after another Saturday of upsets. Alabama and Florida occupy the final two projected at-large spots.
Cincinnati beat Texas Tech 37–24, South Carolina edged Tennessee 27–24, and Texas held off Ole Miss 34–27.
BYU also suffered its first loss, falling 39–31 in double overtime at UCF. Utah survived, rallying past Houston 21–13 to remain unbeaten.
Projected College Football Playoff Field After Week 8
Fischer has Miami atop the bracket, followed by Georgia, Ohio State and UCLA. Those four teams would receive first-round byes.
| Seed | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Miami |
| 2 | Georgia |
| 3 | Ohio State |
| 4 | UCLA |
| 5 | Indiana |
| 6 | Kentucky |
| 7 | BYU |
| 8 | Notre Dame |
| 9 | Utah |
| 10 | Alabama |
| 11 | Florida |
| 12 | Boise State |
The projected first round sends Boise State to Indiana, Florida to Kentucky, Alabama to BYU and Utah to Notre Dame.
Analysts Disagree on the Final Spots
CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford also excludes Texas Tech, Tennessee and Ole Miss, but selects Texas and LSU over Alabama and Florida.
The disagreement underscores how unsettled the SEC race remains heading into November.
Florida gets an immediate chance to strengthen its case against Georgia next Saturday. Fischer projects both teams to make the field, with the Bulldogs earning a bye and the Gators traveling for a first-round game.
BYU, meanwhile, retains a projected home playoff game despite the loss at UCF. The Cougars dropped their unbeaten record but held onto a place in Fischer’s bracket.
Texas Tech, Tennessee and Ole Miss face a different task. All three remain in the race, but another damaging Saturday has left them chasing a spot rather than protecting one.
Image credit: College Football Playoff logo via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain; background changed to white.
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