College Football Playoff Bracket Projections and Predictions after Week 6

Although the last weekend of September set a high bar of drama, Week 6 managed to surpass it with a string of impactful results.

During the early window, Cincinnati took out unbeaten Iowa State. Penn State shockingly lost at UCLA, and Texas fell to Florida in the afternoon.

Throw in wins by Alabama and Miami in Top 25 matchups, and College Football Playoff projections again look much different.

The projections for the CFP are based on the latest B/R Top 25, which both recent results have shaped and upcoming games will change.

Key Results in Week 6

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Ty Simpson

Alabama 30, Vanderbilt 14

Last season, top-ranked Alabama went to Vanderbilt and lost to the traditional SEC bottom-feeder. Thanks to quarterback Diego Pavia, though, Vandy has tossed aside the label. He had guided the Commodores to a 5-0 start this season, and they jumped out to a 14-7 lead in Tuscaloosa. But the Crimson Tide battled back, scoring 23 unanswered points and closing out a valuable SEC win.

UCLA 42, Penn State 37
Florida 29, Texas 21

We'll explore the impact of these results a bit more later. However, the simple takeaway is the upsets sent a shockwave through the sport, dropping two perceived championship threats to the fringe of the CFP discussion.

Miami 28, Florida State 22

Florida State fought hard in the fourth quarter to trim a 28-3 deficit, but Miami controlled this rivalry for a solid 45 minutes on the road. Carson Beck tossed four touchdowns, two apiece to CJ Daniels and star freshman Malachi Toney. The victory has locked in Miami as the clear ACC favorite.

B/R's Top 25 After Week 6

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CJ Daniels

1. Ohio State
2. Oregon
3. Miami
4. Texas A&M
5. Oklahoma
6. Alabama
7. Texas Tech
8. Ole Miss
9. Georgia
10. Indiana
11. Tennessee
12. LSU
13. Missouri
14. Georgia Tech
15. Michigan
16. Virginia
17. Illinois
18. Arizona State
19. Iowa State
20. BYU
21. Utah
22. Vanderbilt
23. South Florida
24. Memphis
25. Cincinnati

Post-Week 6 CFP Picture

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Marcel Reed

Bracket Format

Automatic bids: The highest-ranked team within five conferences. (Ultimately, the league champion will receive an auto-bid.)

1. Ohio State (No. 1, Big Ten)
2. Miami (No. 3, ACC)
3. Texas A&M (No. 4, SEC)
4. Texas Tech (No. 7, Big 12)
5. South Florida (No. 23, American)

At-large bids: The next seven highest-ranked teams in the country.

1. Oregon (No. 2)
2. Oklahoma (No. 5)
3. Alabama (No. 6)
4. Ole Miss (No. 8)
5. Georgia (No. 9)
6. Indiana (No. 10)
7. Tennessee (No. 11)

Rankings are based on latest B/R Top 25.

Bad Week for Big Brands

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The preseason AP poll featured Texas as the No. 1 team in the country with Penn State immediately behind the Longhorns.

Both teams already have two losses.

The worst result on Saturday belonged to Penn State, an enormous favorite over UCLA, which entered the Big Ten contest as a winless team. Nico Iamaleava totaled five touchdowns in a stunning 42-37 victory for the Bruins.

Penn State, now 3-2, travels to Ohio State in a couple weeks with its CFP life at stake. After the most inexcusable loss of James Franklin's tenure, the program's all-in season is quickly in danger of becoming a failure.

Texas, meanwhile, dropped to an identical 3-2 in ugly fashion.

Behind a shaky offensive line, Arch Manning tossed two picks in a 29-21 loss at Florida. The normally elite defense ceded a season-worst 457 yards, and a blocked punt resulted in a safety, too. It was an all-around terrible performance.

In only six weeks, Penn State and Texas have plummeted from championship front-runners to being unlikely CFP participants.

Impact Games in Week 7

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American: South Florida at North Texas

Be careful not to overlook this matchup on Friday. During the CFP era, the American traditionally has produced the highest-ranked Group of Five team. South Florida just demolished Charlotte to hit 4-1, and North Texas is 5-0. The winner will take an important step toward emerging from a tight race.

Big Ten: Ohio State at Illinois
Big Ten: Indiana at Oregon

We're about to see a couple of major Big Ten narratives emerge. Either top-ranked Ohio State will continue its reign atop the league, or Illinois will recover from its embarrassing loss to Indiana. Then, either Indiana will announce itself as a true contender or Oregon will solidify its reputation as a front-runner.

Big 12: Arizona State at Utah

BYU and Texas Tech arguably have impressed the most in the Big 12, but Arizona State—the reigning champ—is off to a 2-0 start in conference play. Utah's earlier loss to Texas Tech surely makes the Utes a bit desperate for a win here.

SEC: Alabama at Missouri
SEC: Oklahoma at Texas
SEC: Florida at Texas A&M

On a weekend loaded with notable SEC matchups, there's no shortage of featured games. Alabama heads to undefeated Missouri, the Red River Rivalry is ready for its 121st edition, and a reinvigorated Florida side travels to unbeaten Texas A&M. The conference standings will be shaken in significant ways on Saturday.