Four top-10 teams were defeated in Week 8, significantly altering the College Football Playoff forecast.
Texas Tech and Mississippi dropped out of the projected 12-team field after their losses.
Oklahoma and Brigham Young are now forecasted to make the playoff.
Evaluating the College Football Playoff picture is a bit like trying to navigate quicksand. The harder you try to make sense of it, the worse it gets. Such were the results of Week 8 when we saw four teams in the top 10 fall and major changes to which contenders are forecasted to make the 12-team field.
Three of the aforementioned quartet that lost were in the playoff last week. All of them saw their positions diminished with Texas Tech and Mississippi dropping out and Miami losing its first-round bye that seemed like with the Hurricanes appearing to be the class of the ACC.
Moving in this week are Oklahoma and Brigham Young. The Sooners face a rough five-game finish against teams ranked in the top 20 of the US LBM Coaches Poll. But with three of those games at home and losses piling up among contenders, it’s possible 9-3 might be enough given they already have a non-conference win against Michigan.
The Cougars, meanwhile, are projected to win the Big 12 after their defeat of rival Utah. They’re not flashy but they’ve found a winning formula with freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier making plays on the ground and through the air to support a stingy defense.
The weekend ahead again features difficult changes for many of the CFP teams. So check back next week when things should again change.
Notes: Legacy Pac-12 teams will fill the Pac-12 spots. Some conferences may not fulfill their bowl allotment. Asterisks