College Football Playoff Bracket Projections and Predictions after Week 8

The ever-changing College Football Playoff race underwent a host of changes during an entertaining Week 8 slate.

The current field has a lone newcomer compared to last weekend after Tennessee's loss opened the door for BYU to come soaring in, but the bracket has a much different feel as the last Saturday of October nears.

Miami and Texas Tech both tumbled to the fringe of the CFP chase following their losses. Alabama has jumped into a first-round bye, and Georgia Tech has flipped from traveling in the quarterfinals to potentially hosting.

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 8

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Gunner Stockton

Louisville 24, Miami 21

Miami had dominated the line of scrimmage in five previous games, but Louisville flipped the script in a major way. Factor in four Carson Beck interceptions—including a late, back-breaking turnover with Miami in field-goal range—and the 'Canes tumbled from the ranks of the unbeatens.

Georgia 43, Ole Miss 35
Alabama 37, Tennessee 20

Georgia collected 510 offensive yards, and the defense woke up during the fourth quarter to outlast Ole Miss in a high-scoring affair. Alabama beat rival Tennessee thanks to a steady performance on offense, plus a safety and long interception return for a touchdown on defense. Both UGA and Bama are firmly trending toward a trip to the Playoff in 2025.

Arizona State 26, Texas Tech 22
BYU 24, Utah 21

You know what the Big 12 hates? Clarity. Texas Tech—which played without QB Behren Morton—recovered from a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter, only to give up a last-minute touchdown in a loss. BYU then clipped Utah behind a pair of key takeaways, winning the Holy War for the third time in a row.

B/R's Top 25 After Week 8

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LJ Martin

B/R Top 25

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

Post-Week 8 CFP Picture

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Fernando Mendoza

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. Texas A&M (No. 3, SEC)
3. Georgia Tech (No. 7, ACC)
4. BYU (No. 9, Big 12)
5. South Florida (No. 18, American)

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

1. Indiana (No. 2)
2. Alabama (No. 4)
3. Georgia (No. 5)
4. Oregon (No. 6)
5. Ole Miss (No. 8)
6. Miami (No. 10)
7. Texas Tech (No. 11)

Rankings are based on latest B/R Top 25.

New Leaders in ACC, Big 12

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Haynes King

At this point of the season, any team in the "automatic qualifier" section is more a placeholder than anything. It's possible Ohio State wins the Big Ten, for example, but nobody has clinched a place in a conference championship.

Simultaneously, the highest-ranked team in each league is there for a reason. In short, they are still undefeated.

Ohio State has stayed atop the Big Ten all season so far, and Texas A&M has held the SEC's unofficial crown for several weeks. Now, losses by Miami and Texas Tech have launched Georgia Tech and BYU into AQ slots.

So, the big question: Will either, or both, hang on?

Georgia Tech is particularly interesting because its ACC slate—home to Syracuse, at NC State, at Boston College, home to Pitt—is very favorable.

BYU's remaining schedule is much tougher, given it includes trips to Iowa State, Texas Tech and Cincinnati.

Especially over the last few weekends, chaos has reigned. Nobody is safe. But this certainly is an advantageous position for Georgia Tech and BYU.

Impact Games in Week 9

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Byrum Brown

American: South Florida at Memphis

Unfortunately, an injury to Memphis quarterback Brendon Lewis has dulled the shine on this matchup. This could have been a sizzling USF squad against an unbeaten Memphis team. Instead, it's a showdown of one-loss programs in the American. Still a very consequential game, nevertheless.

Big 12: BYU at Iowa State
Big 12: Houston at Arizona State

BYU carries its undefeated record into a clash at Iowa State, which ripped off five straight wins to open the campaign before dropping the last two. Both of those setbacks were Big 12 games, so ISU cannot afford another loss—and, really, neither can Houston or ASU, which both have a conference setback.

SEC: Ole Miss at Oklahoma
SEC: Missouri at Vanderbilt
SEC: Texas A&M at LSU

Oh, important weekend in the SEC? Nothing new. All four programs in the first two matchups have one conference loss, so those two losing teams will be clinging to fading hopes of SEC contention. The prime-time clash is a chance for Texas A&M to pad its unblemished record, while LSU desperately needs to spring an upset in order to stay within shouting distance of the CFP race.