CFB Playoff Picture, Standings and Bracket Predictions After Week 9 of 2025-26 Season

The Alabama Crimson Tide survived a close call at the end of a brutal October schedule to stay in the hunt for a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.

Alabama used a fourth-quarter comeback to stave off the upset bid from the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Elsewhere in the SEC, the Vanderbilt Commodores kept on trucking toward a playoff bid with a home win over the Missouri Tigers.

No upsets occurred inside the top 10, but a notable shift occurred inside the Group of Five, as the Memphis Tigers knocked off the 18th-ranked South Florida Bulls.

Memphis, USF and a few other teams in The American are now part of a hotly-contest battle for one CFB playoff position.

Alabama Survives Upset Bid From South Carolina

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Alabama was on the ropes for most of its road trip to South Carolina.

The Crimson Tide were down by eight points in the fourth quarter, but they used two touchdowns to come from behind and hold on to their spot in the top four.

The two fourth-quarter scores, both run in by Germie Bernard, happened in the final two minutes and 30 seconds of the contest.

The come-from-behind win was a strong cap to a busy stretch in which the Tide knocked off four straight Top 25 opponents prior to the trip to Columbia.

Alabama finally get a breather next week, but it still has two more tests left against the LSU Tigers and Oklahoma Sooners.

However, those games may not look as frightening by kickoff if LSU and Oklahoma trend in the wrong direction.

With four ranked wins in tow, and potentially more, Alabama sits in tremendous shape to contend for one of the four first-round byes.

Vanderbilt Keeps Up Momentum For CFB Playoff Spot

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Vanderbilt's push for a playoff spot continued on Saturday with a home win over Missouri.

Diego Pavia and Co. are now 7-1 with a 3-1 record against Top 25 foes.

The reality of Vandy making the playoff is now real with a manageable November schedule in front of it.

Next week's trip to face the Texas Longhorns looks far less threatening than it did a month ago. Vandy then hosts the Auburn Tigers and Kentucky Wildcats before it finishes on the road against the Tennessee Volunteers.

If Vandy heads into the Tennessee game with one loss, there's a good chance it will be locked into an at-large berth no matter what happens in Knoxville.

Memphis Throws Group of Five Race Into Chaos

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Memphis threw the Group of Five playoff berth race into chaos with a win over South Florida.

USF was the G5 darling for its wins over the Boise State Broncos and Florida Gators, but the loss to Memphis brings it back to its competition, mostly from inside The American.

USF, Memphis, the Tulane Green Wave, North Texas Mean Green and Navy Midshipmen all have six or seven victories.

Tulane could be the favorite to earn the G5 berth once the polls come out on Sunday because it was the only one of itself, Memphis and Navy to receive votes in the AP poll last week.

Memphis will earn votes in the new poll, but its loss last week to the UAB Blazers is a stain on its resume.

The American race will be settled on the field in November. Memphis plays Navy and Tulane, USF faces Navy, as does North Texas.

The only other true competitor to the American teams right now is the James Madison Dukes, who sits at 6-1 in the Sun Belt.