What the College Football Playoff field would look like after Week 9

After another round of shake-ups this weekend in College Football, we grow closer to week 10 and the first round of College Football Playoff Rankings. Please note that the rankings will be 25 teams deep, while these rankings will only be 12 deep until the week of the first full College Football Playoff Rankings. 

It’s worthwhile to keep in mind that, per the CFP website, the major determining factors used in deciding the field's makeup are as follows: 

- Strength of Schedule

- Head-to-head results (for example, Texas being the 3rd ranked team last year and Alabama being the 4th) 

- Comparative outcomes against common opponents

- “Other relevant factors such as unavailability of key players and coaches that may have affected a team’s performance during the season or likely will affect its postseason performance.” (for example, Jordan Travis tore his ACL late last year, which derailed Florida State's season)

Firstly, the notable teams on the outside: Alabama (SEC, 6-2), Notre Dame (indep., 7-1), Indiana (B1G, 8-0), and Army (AAC, 7-0). 

Games in bold are against other teams on this list. 

No. 12: Boise State (MWC, 6-1), 15th in the AP Poll

Junior Running Back Ashton Jeanty and the Broncos solidified their hold atop the Mountain West after knocking off UNLV 29-24 on the road Friday Night. Jeanty had an off night by his standards, with only 128 yards and a TD. However, sophomore Quarterback Maddux Madsen picked up the slack with 209 yards and a TD in the air, along with a rushing TD. Looking forward, Boise State must avoid any upsets to remain in possession of the 5th conference champ spot. The Broncos are back in action on Friday at home against San Diego State.

Remaining Schedule: v. San Diego State, 11/1; v. Nevada, 11/9; @ San Jose State, 11/16; @ Wyoming; 11/23; v. Oregon State, 11/29. 

No. 11: Iowa State (Big 12, 7-0), 11th in the AP Poll

The Cyclones stay in the at-large field after falling from the conference champ tier as they are on a bye week. The Cyclones’ chances of remaining undefeated fall on the shoulders of their final regular season game against no. 17 Kansas State in Ames. 

Remaining Schedule: v. Texas Tech, 11/2; @ Kansas, 11/9; v. Cincinnati, 11/16; @ Utah, 11/23; v. (17) Kansas State, 11/30. 

No. 10: Texas A&M (SEC, 7-1), 10th in the AP Poll

If taken at face value, the Aggies are 2-1 against top-10 teams, however, Missouri has shown very little to prove they are legit among the abundance of skill in the SEC. Despite this slight knock on their resume, they have won seven straight and looked like a new team in the second half of their win against no. 8 LSU 38-23. A quarterback change from Connor Weigman for Freshman Marcel Reed in the 3rd quarter turned the tide, sparking a 31-6 run. Their defense was on fire, limiting the Tigers to 24 rushing yards and reeling in 3 interceptions. The Aggies cap off their season with a home game against Texas which has all the possibilities to be a playoff elimination game for both squads.  

Remaining Schedule: @ South Carolina, 11/2; BYE, 11/9; v. New Mexico State, 11/16; @  Auburn, 11/23; v. (6) Texas, 11/30. 

No. 9: Tennessee (SEC, 6-1), 7th in the AP Poll

Still riding the high of their comeback at home against Alabama last week, the Volunteers were off this weekend and every week they are haunted more and more by their road loss at Arkansas as the one-loss-in-conference crowd inflates in the SEC. Every Vol has their eyes glued to their trip to Athens in a few weeks as make or break for their season, that game could be the difference between a home playoff game and the Citrus Bowl. 

Remaining Schedule: v. Kentucky, 11/2; v. Mississippi State, 11/9; @ (2) Georgia, 11/16; v. UTEP, 11/23; v. Vanderbilt, 11/30. 

No. 8: Penn State (B1G, 7-0), 3rd in the AP Poll

As of writing this article, there is no news on whether or not Junior QB Drew Allar will play this weekend at home against no. 4 Ohio State, in what will be a pivotal game for the Nittany Lions’ season. A win would put them in a great position to make the B1G Conference Championship and deal a heavy blow to Ohio State’s chances of making the CFP, while a loss would put them toward the bottom of the at-large dogpile and leave their fate up to teams similarly ranked. In their win over Wisconsin 28-13 on Saturday, Allar left injured in the first half, the game was closed out by sophomore Beau Pribula. The heavyweight bout starts at 12 ET. 

Remaining Schedule: v. (4) Ohio State, 11/2; v. Washington, 11/9; @ Purdue, 11/16; @ Minnesota, 11/23; v. Maryland, 11/30. 

No. 7: Miami (ACC, 8-0), 5th in the AP Poll

Miami finally posts a convincing conference win against in-state rival Florida State 36-14. This score might be a letdown for ACC fans who had this date circled on their calendars back in January when both teams were swimming in preseason hype. Senior QB Cam Ward had a strong performance with 208 yards in the air and a receiving TD but the star of the show was Junior RB Damien Martinez who posted 169 yards from scrimmage and 2 TDs. Barring a monumental collapse, Miami is in the driver’s seat in the ACC and awaits a matchup with either Clemson or SMU. 

Remaining Schedule: v. Duke, 11/2; @ Georgia Tech, 11/9; BYE, 11/16; v. Wake Forest, 11/23; @ Syracuse, 11/30.

No. 6: Texas (SEC, 7-1), 6th in the AP Poll

It would not be out of the realm of possibility that this weekend’s win 27-24 over Vanderbilt on the road is the Longhorns’ best win of the season. Junior QB Quinn Ewers threw for 288 yards, 3 TDs, and 2 Interceptions in his duel with breakout star Diego Pavia. Sophomore Wide Receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. had the best game of his season with 6 receptions, 97 yards, and 2 TDs. After suffering a season-changing, blowout loss at home against Georgia, the Longhorns must refocus ahead of a long November slate, full of trap games and opportunities to overlook their opponent. 

Remaining Schedule: BYE, 11/2; v. Florida, 11/9; @ Arkansas, 11/16; v. Kentucky, 11/23; v. (10) Texas A&M, 11/30. 

No. 5: Ohio State (B1G, 6-1), 4th in the AP Poll

The Buckeye’s run game came out flat against Nebraska this weekend in a slim 21-17 win. Held to only 64 yards, no individual rusher had more than 30 yards gained. However, senior QB Will Howard threw for 221 yards, 3 TDs, and an interception on an efficient 13/16 passing. The Buckeyes do not have long to linger on this close call however, they have a make-or-break game again in Happy Valley against no. 3 Penn State. A loss there could deal a fatal blow to their playoff chances and put them all but eliminated from the B1G Championship Game. Ohio State’s regular season will not be a walk in the park after their second top-5 clash of the season, the Buckeyes still have to face undefeated Indiana and bitter rivals Michigan. 

Remaining Schedule: @ (3) Penn State, 11/2; v. Purdue, 11/9; @ Northwestern, 11/16; v. (13) Indiana, 11/23; v. Michigan, 11/30. 

No. 4: BYU (Big 12, 8-0), 9th in the AP Poll

Life is good in Provo as the Cougars cruised to their eighth win of the season over UCF.  Junior QB Jake Retzlaff shined with 228 yards and 2 passing TDs with another on the ground. BYU sits atop the Big 12 at a perfect 5-0 with few major games remaining, with a trip to Arizona State being the biggest test. Retzlaff and the Cougars hold the inside lane to the conference championship.

Remaining Schedule: BYE, 11/2; @ Utah, 11/9; v. Kansas, 11/16; @ Arizona State; 11/23; v. Houston, 11/30. 

No. 3: Clemson (ACC, 6-1), 11th in the AP Poll

The Tigers might have lost week 1 against Georgia in a pseudo-Neutral Site matchup, but since that game, they have looked like the Clemson teams of old, embarrassing opponents and putting 40 points in 6 games, so that’s how they have retained this spot over Miami. Clemson does not have a spot in the ACC Championship locked up, nor does anyone with three teams who could easily go undefeated in conference play, causing some classic college football chaos in early December. 

Remaining Schedule: v. Louisville, 11/2; @ Virginia Tech, 11/9; @ (18) Pitt, 11/16; v. the Citadel, 11/23; v. South Carolina, 11/30. 

No. 2: Georgia (SEC, 6-1), 2nd in the AP Poll

The Bulldogs were off this week, still basking in the glory of handing Texas their first loss as a member of the SEC. Georgia still has a steep schedule remaining with a trip to Oxford and a top-10 match-up with Tennessee on the near horizon. However, their SEC standing will be locked in earlier than most so, barring any upset losses, they will be scoreboard-watching to see if they can reach their fourth consecutive SEC Championship Game. 

Remaining Schedule: v. Florida, 11/2; @ (19) Ole Miss, 11/9; v. (7) Tennessee, 11/16; v. UMass, 11/23; v. Georgia Tech, 11/29. 

No. 1: Oregon (B1G, 8-0), 1st in the AP Poll

The Ducks came out fast and strong against Illinois and put any hopes of an upset to bed with two touchdowns in the first 7 minutes of the game and it never got any closer. Senior QB Dillon Gabriel is looking more and more comfortable as head of the Duck offense as he threw for 291 yards, 3 TDs, and rushed for another TD. The Heisman hopeful led his offense to 5 TDs in 6 first-half possessions. The Ducks now have to travel east once more to one of the most hostile environments in all of College Football, Michigan Stadium.

Remaining Schedule: @ Michigan, 11/2; v. Maryland, 11/9; @ Wisconsin, 11/16; BYE, 11/23; v. Washington, 11/30.

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