Hello, and welcome to my weekly College Football Playoff bracket. I’ll be updating every week based on new results. They are based solely on my opinions and likely will differ from Austin Mock’s much smarter, scientifically based projections. Also, be sure to check out David Ubben’s Bubble Watch every Monday.
Come Tuesday night, these mock brackets will no longer be pure guesswork. We’ll get a better sense of how the committee views these teams.
As of now, my guess is they’ll view the ACC and Big 12 as one-bid leagues. Clemson getting blown out at home by Louisville did not help the ACC’s cause. SMU may have a better shot if it reaches the conference title game, but I’m not going there yet. And Iowa State losing at home to Texas Tech means the Cyclones may have to win the conference to make it.
GO DEEPER
Mandel’s Final Thoughts: Amid great change, Penn State losing to Ohio State stays the same
The team whose ranking I’m most curious to see is Indiana’s, given its light schedule. But the Hoosiers have been so dominant that it would be tough to leave out an 11-1 team (that doesn’t reach its conference title game) with its only loss on the road to Ohio State.
I may have overreacted to Texas A&M going off for one quarter against LSU. The Aggies came back to earth at South Carolina. I’m back to thinking Texas wins that showdown.
Finally, some folks may be indignant to see Penn State still safely in here, but if the Nittany Lions win out, they’re 11-1 and the Ohio State loss will have barely affected them.
(Photo: Craig Strobeck / Imagn Images)
