Week 10 college football playoff bracket: Top four seeds, first-round matchups, bubble teams

The main advantage of a 12-team college football playoff is that more teams will be involved in the pursuit of the college football playoff, which in turn protects the sanctity of the regular season.

We’re going to find out how it works by November. The rules for participation in the student football playoffs have changed. Last year, there were 13 Power 5 teams with one or fewer losses heading into Week 10. Two losses never made the four-team playoff.

How much more engagement will there be for Week 10 this year? Take automatic Group 5 seeding off the board because we know there will only be one team. That leaves 24 Power 4 schools – a number that rises to 25 if Notre Dame is included – vying for the other 11 spots. That means almost twice as many teams are involved in this pursuit, assuming teams that lost three regular season games are eliminated.

Here’s a conference-by-conference look at those teams still searching for these rules:

Power 4 teams with two losses or less

CONF.	NO LOSSES	ONE LOSS	TWO DOORS
ACC	Miami (8-0), Pitt (7-0)	SMU (7-1), Clemson (6-1)	Syracuse (5-2), Duke (6-2)
Big Ten	Oregon (8-0), Indiana (8-0), Pennsylvania (6-1)	Ohio State (6-1)	Illinois (6-2)
Big 12	BYU (8-0), Iowa State (7-0)	Kansas State (7-1)	Arizona State (5-2), Colorado or Cincinnati (6-2)
SEC		Texas A&M (7-1), Texas (7-1), Georgia (6-1), Tennessee (6-1)	LSU (6-2), Alabama (6-2), Ole Miss (6-2), Missouri (6-2)
Independent		Notre Dame (7-1)

November is going to be fun, isn’t it?

Sporting News has weekly coverage of the 12-team college football playoff, first-round matchups, first-round games and bubble teams. Here’s what it looks like at week 10:

Moved: Notre Dame, Texas A&M

Dropped out: LSU, Iowa State

Projected first round of college football playoffs

No. 1 Oregon (8-0, Big Ten Champion)

The Ducks outscored Illinois 38-9 and outscored the two opponents 73-9 after being ranked No. 1. Oregon outgained the Illini 363-89 in the first half and 527-293 for the game. Dillon Gabriel (18-of-26, 291 yards, 3 TDs, INT) added a rushing TD and is back in the Heisman Trophy race. Oregon can take control of the Big Ten championship race with a win at Michigan in Week 10.

No. 2 Georgia (6-1, SEC Champion)

Georgia remains our projected SEC champion despite having a one-loss mix in the conference. It’s time to prove it for Carson Beck, who is tied for seventh in the Heisman rankings but has eight TDs and eight interceptions in five SEC games. The defense and running game showed against Texas in Week 8, and that momentum should be carried over into this week’s matchup against Florida.

#3 Miami (8-0, ACC Champion)

The Hurricanes had no drama in their 36-14 victory in the in-state rivalry game against Florida State. Cam Ward (22 of 35, 208 yards) caught a TD pass that could come in handy during his Heisman campaign in November. Damien Martinez (15-148, 2 TDs) led a rushing attack that had 230 yards and a shutout for Miami. Duke — and former Miami coach Manny Diaz — is next.

No. 4 BYU (8-0, Big 12 Champion)

Why BYU? The Cougars have an easier road than Iowa State in the Big 12 — and they’ve been road tested at UCF. In the first half against the Knights, BYU mounted a serious offense and took a 17-0 lead. Jake Retzlaff (16-of-24, 228 yards, 2 TDs) got run support from LJ Martin (15-101, TDs). The Cougars forced two turnovers and picked up a huge road win in Big 12 play. BYU now has a bye week to prepare for a new rivalry game in Utah, the first matchup between the schools in the Big 12.

Predicted matches of the first round of the college football playoffs

Here’s a look at Sporting News’ first-round college football playoff matchups heading into Week 10 of the college football season:

No. 12 Boise State (6-1, Mountain West champion) and No. 5 Penn State (7-0, Big Ten overall)

The Broncos remain the top-ranked team, with Army remaining the only unbeaten team in Group 5. Boise State has a better way — not to mention a Heisman Trophy candidate in Ashton Gianti, who scored the game-winning TD in a 29-24 win against UNLV. The Nittany Lions beat the Badgers 28-13, but starting quarterback Drew Allar missed the second half with a knee injury. A top-five matchup with Ohio State is coming up, and a win is needed to stay in the Big Ten championship hunt. Penn State is allowing 15.2 points per game in Big Ten play.

No. 11 Texas A&M (7-1, SEC overall) at No. 6 Ohio State (6-1, Big Ten overall)

The Aggies move into our playoff picture. Texas A&M is the only undefeated team left in the SEC conference, but a loss to non-conference Notre Dame makes them the fourth team. Backup quarterback Marcell Reid rushed for three TDs in the second half of a 38-23 win against LSU, and the Aggies rushed for 242 yards. Ohio State held on in a 21-17 win against Nebraska, but the Buckeyes have some questions about their offensive line heading into the matchup against Penn State. Will Howard (13-of-16, 221 yards, 3 TDs, INT) gets a second to lead a landmark road win for Ohio State and return to the Big Ten Championship.

No. 10 Notre Dame (7-1, Independent Overall) at No. 7 Texas (7-1, SEC Overall)

How interesting will this first round matchup be? Texas survived a nasty bid by No. 25 Vanderbilt with a 27-24 victory. Quinn Ewers (27-of-37, 288 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs) picked up a few fumbles, but the Longhorns had 10 penalties for 107 yards. The bye week comes at the right time. Notre Dame pounded Navy 51-14 with 265 rushing yards and a defense that capitalized on six turnovers. A loss to Northern Illinois will be a talking point, but it’s not enough to keep the Irish down right now.

No. 9 Tennessee (6-1, SEC overall) at No. 8 Clemson (6-1, ACC overall)

The Vols and Tiger remain in the same matchup. Both teams had bye weeks to prepare for November, and this matchup has a few twists and turns. Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik has 20 TDs and two interceptions since the season-opening loss to Georgia. Dylan Sampson leads the Vols with 838 yards and 17 TDs. Tennessee will also try to face Georgia in a few weeks. Clemson plays Louisville in Week 10. Tennessee plays Kentucky.

Predicted college football playoff bubble teams

Iowa State (7-0, Big 12)

All the Cyclones did was have a bye week. What went wrong? Texas A&M’s filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will make it more difficult for the Big 12 to receive a second bid. Iowa State ranks second among Power 4 schools in plus-9 turnover margin and leads the Big 12 in scoring defense (14.4 ppg). Three of the last five games are at home, starting with Texas Tech in Week 10.

Indiana (8-0, Big Ten)

The Hoosiers cruised to a 31-17 win against Washington, which was huge considering defensive end Kurtis Rourke (thumb) missed the game. Backup quarterback Tyven Jackson (11-of-19, 124 yards, TD, INT) handled a high-powered offense against the Huskies, and Indiana is on the fringes as a potential No. 4 team in the Big Ten under first-year coach Kurt Cignetti. Is the Week 10 trip to Michigan State a potential trap game before a season-defining home stretch between Michigan and Ohio State?

BENDER: Can Indiana jump to the top of the Big Ten race?

Pitt (7-0, ACC)

The Panthers had five interceptions, including three pick-sixes, in a 41-3 rout of Syracuse. Safety Rasheem Biles led that defensive effort with 12 tackles, a sack and one of those TD interceptions. Pitt’s November schedule is tough, starting with a Week 10 trip to SMU. However, Pat Narduzzi remains in charge an impressive ACC success story.

Kansas State (7-1, Big 12)

Kansas State survived the Sunflower Showdown with a 29-27 victory where Chris Tennant kicked a 51-yard field goal with 1:27 left against the Jayhawks. Avery Johnson (19-of-34, 253 yards, 2 TDs) hasn’t thrown an interception in two games, and the Wildcats have added 226 rushing yards. Kansas State gets Iowa State in the regular season finale and could get a chance to right their wrong against BYU. A trip to Houston is the first step.

Alabama (6-2, SEC)

Look who’s back in the mix? The Crimson Tide bullied Missouri in a 34-0 loss. Alabama posted 271 rushing yards on 7.3 yards per carry with four players who had at least 40 rushing yards. Jalen Milroe (16 of 26, 215 yards) added 50 yards and a TD and the defense limited Missouri to 3 of 13 on third down. Alabama sits atop a two-game losing streak and still has a win over Georgia in its back pocket.