CFB Playoff Picture, Standings and Bracket Predictions After Week 8 of 2025-26 Season

Another week, another top-five shakeup in college football.

The Miami Hurricanes and Ole Miss Rebels fell over the last 24 hours in the latest crazy turns of the 2025 campaign.

Ole Miss fell on the road to the Georgia Bulldogs in Saturday's most meaningful game to the top 10.

Georgia's win will likely launch it back into the top five, and while Ole Miss will drop, it is still firmly in the College Football Playoff mix.

Miami fell on Friday night to the Louisville Cardinals, a result that broke open the CFB Playoff possibilities across the ACC.

The Texas Tech Red Raiders were added to the list of top-10 teams to lose in Week 8 by the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Just like Miami's loss did to the ACC, Texas Tech's defeat sprung the door wide open for the competition in the Big 12.

Every top-10 defeat adds to the playoff hope of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Last season's runner-up now resides in a fantastic position to win out and qualify for the 12-team field.

Georgia Takes Down Ole Miss

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Georgia re-inserted itself into the top-five conversation with its home triumph over Ole Miss.

The Bulldogs put up 510 total yards in the 43-35 victory in which they outscored the Rebels 17-0 in the fourth quarter.

Georgia is now 6-1 and likely headed back to the topffive, but probably behind the Alabama Crimson Tide, who beat the Bulldogs on September 27.

Kirby Smart's team is now in good shape to pile up the victories and contend for one of the four first-round byes.

The Bulldogs' toughest SEC test remaining is against the Texas Longhorns at home. They also face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at a neutral site on Thanksgiving weekend.

There's a possibility the Bulldogs finish at 11-1 and not make the SEC Championship Game depending on what happens with Alabama and the Texas A&M Aggies.

As for Ole Miss, it needs to rebound on the road next week against the Oklahoma Sooners to re-affirm its spot in the top 12.

The Rebels don't have any ranked opponents on their schedule after next week's trip to Norman.

Miami's Loss Opens Up ACC Title Race

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Miami's defeat on Friday night opened up the ACC title race.

The Hurricanes fell short at home against the Louisville Cardinals, a result that will likely force a tumble to the back end of the top 10.

Before Friday, Miami was the clear favorite to win the ACC, but after the loss, there's some doubt creeping in about the Hurricanes.

Three teams, including the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, are still undefeated in ACC play.

Miami's trip to face the SMU Mustangs in two weeks is vital for the ACC Championship Game and CFB Playoff hopes of both programs.

The Hurricanes have five other games against unranked foes that can boost their record, but the game against SMU is the key one to watch in terms of where they stand in the ACC moving forward.

Texas Tech Suffers First Defeat, Opens Up Potential For Big 12 Chaos

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Texas Tech entered Saturday as the clear front-runner to win the Big 12.

Now, the Red Raiders reside in a cluster of teams in the Big 12 standings.

Texas Tech was knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten by Arizona State, last year's playoff representative from the Big 12.

The loss will drop the Red Raiders from the top 10 and opens the door for BYU to be the highest-ranked Big 12 team come Sunday. BYU picked up a huge rivalry win over the Utah Utes on Saturday night.

BYU and the Cincinnati Bearcats are the only undefeated teams left in Big 12 play, while Texas Tech, Houston and Arizona State all have one loss in league action.

Most of the playoff drama in the Big 12 will be figured out over the next six weeks, beginning with the Houston-Arizona State clash in Tempe next Saturday. Cincinnati goes to Utah on November 1 and then hosts BYU on November 22, while BYU goes to Texas Tech on November 8

Notre Dame Keeps Winning, Moving Back Into Playoff Picture

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Notre Dame's win over the USC Trojans was the latest springboard for the Irish to get back into the playoff conversation.

Marcus Freeman's team is on a five-game winning streak and it doesn't have a ranked foe left on its schedule.

Notre Dame's losses aged pretty well. Texas A&M is a bonafide top-five team, and although Miami lost on Friday, the Hurricanes will still be in the playoff conversation.

A 10-2 Notre Dame team with defeats to two potential playoff teams will absolutely get into the field.

As we witnessed in Week 8, the upsets aren't over either, and with every dropped game from a top-12 team, Notre Dame not just gets into the playoff, but improves its potential seeding.