The College Football Playoff rankings are roughly 24 hours away, but the latest AP top 25 poll gives us a glimpse into how things will possibly get shaken up on Tuesday night. Ole Miss, BYU and Ohio State blew the race wide open with losses in Week 10. While the AP poll differed substantially from the first CFP rankings, here’s a look at what the projected Playoff bracket could look like based on how voters moved things around following another wild weekend.
Projected bracket ahead of second CFP rankings
First round byes
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Utah Utes
- Indiana Hoosiers
- Alabama Crimson Tide
First round matchups
- No. 12 Boise State Broncos at No. 5 Texas Longhorns
- No. 11 Kentucky Wildcats at No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- No. 10 Texas Tech Red Raiders at No. 7 Miami Hurricanes
- No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers at No. 8 UCLA Bruins
First four teams out
- No. 13 Wake Forest Demon Deacons
- No. 14 BYU Cougars
- No. 15 USC Trojans
- No. 16 Houston Cougars
How Week 10 changed the projected College Football Playoff bracket
Kentucky, BYU, Miami losses reshuffle top 10
I was torn on where to place Notre Dame after their win over Miami. It was an impressive performance, but does it warrant moving up five spots, as the AP poll has them at No. 3? The challenge was ranking them ahead of Miami, which means the Can slide after their first loss of the season. Kentucky dropped all the way out of the top 10 after getting blasted by Tennessee, and BYU is now one of the first teams out of the Playoff. Dropping six spots was harsh for them, but at the same time, that Notre Dame win can’t do all the work; they still have to win, and the UCF loss will really weigh them down.
Tennessee returns to College Football Playoff bracket for first time since 2024
Tennessee dismantled Kentucky on Saturday and now their resume is nearly bulletproof with wins over Alabama and the Wildcats. The Vols just might get an even bigger bump considering how dominant they were on Saturday. LSU is probably their toughest remaining opponent, and if they’re as good as they look, they should have no problem getting a win over Lane Kiffin's squad at home. Tennessee still has an outside chance to get the SEC title game, but as of now, they won’t need it to get into the CFP with two losses.Â
Ohio State out of the picture after third loss of the season
Yeah, safe to say Ohio State won’t be going back to the College Football Playoff this year. The Buckeyes lost big at home to Oregon, and with that loss, saw just about all of their goals go up in smoke. Ryan Day has a major quarterback problem, and beyond that, this team just simply doesn’t look good right now. The defense allowed Oregon to do whatever it wanted. Ohio State still has the Michigan game to play for, but other than that, their season spiraled after it lost Julian Sayin.
USC, Wake Forest knocking on the door of the CFP
With Ole Miss, BYU, Ohio State and LSU all losing, USC and Wake Forest should move within arm's reach of the CFP. Wake has been getting the short end of the stick for weeks now; while their schedule isn’t exactly a gauntlet, it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be getting more love — and it helps that their only loss was competitive to Miami. The Demon Deacons have a shot to not just get to the ACC title game, but now getting to the CFP as well.
USC is one of the biggest winners of the week without even playing on Saturday. They’ll now face an Indiana team that could be without starting QB Josh Hoover, and they have all the control over their CFP fate. I predict the Trojans will not only crack the top 20 in Tuesday's rankings but end up being one of the first teams out, giving them a legitimate chance to sneak into the CFP. Ohio State's collapse hurts them in that the win over the Buckeyes now doesn’t look as good, but it also eliminates another team in their way.Â
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