Chandler Morris and Virginia are alone in first place in the ACC standings after a win at California on Saturday. Ezra Shaw / Getty Images

*Welcome to my College Football Playoff projections, which will be published weekly through the end of the season, updated and adjusted after each Saturday’s results. Also check out the projected field according to Austin Mock’s model, which will differ from my opinion-based selections. *

One week after a stale and chalky bracket, we get a shakeup as a prelude to the real College Football Playoff rankings, which come out Tuesday.

Miami, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech and Tulane all lost this week and vacated this week’s CFP projections. The Commodores and Yellow Jackets have a chance to work their way back, but the Hurricanes are in real trouble. They need help to reach the ACC Championship Game, with losses to Louisville and now SMU, and it’s difficult to project them earning a spot unless they win the ACC title.

As for this week’s bracket, nothing changed for seeds one through seven. Texas Tech bumped up to No. 8 and a home game, while BYU and Notre Dame make the field as at-large squads. Virginia replaces Georgia Tech as the ACC champ, while Memphis moves in for Tulane as the final conference champ.

Plenty of teams are on the cusp of an at-large bid, especially with BYU and Texas Tech facing off this week. Iowa hosts Oregon in a game that could determine the Big Ten’s third CFP squad. Texas and Oklahoma are idle after posting strong wins Saturday against Vanderbilt and Tennessee, respectively. Louisville’s only loss came in overtime against Virginia, and the Cardinals might be the ACC’s best team.

A great hypothetical CFP matchup: Indiana vs. the Ole Miss-Notre Dame winner in the Cotton Bowl. If the Hoosiers face the Irish, it’s a rematch of last year’s CFP first-round game at South Bend. If it’s Ole Miss, it pits Indiana against the coach (Lane Kiffin) who chirped the loudest on social media last December when the Hoosiers lost to Notre Dame.

Five upcoming games with CFP significance: Tulane at Memphis, 9 p.m. ET Friday (ESPN); BYU at Texas Tech, noon (ABC); Texas A&M at Missouri, 3:30 p.m. (ABC); Oregon at Iowa, 3:30 p.m. (CBS); LSU at Alabama, 7:30 p.m. (ABC).

Nov 2, 2025

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Scott Dochterman is a staff writer for The Athletic covering national college football and the Big Ten. He previously covered Iowa athletics for the Cedar Rapids Gazette and Land of 10.