College Football Playoff Bracket Week 10 Live Projections: New No. 1 in the Rankings

Update at 10:30 p.m. ET Saturday

The prime-time slate offered up the juiciest matchups of a day full of them, but what transpired in reality was not quite the dramatic back-and-forth set of affairs we were all hoping for. Still, that doesn’t mean those results weren’t impactful as the CFP bracket looked much different by the time the late, late games kicked off than it did when the day began.

Perhaps the most interesting decision the committee faces when it meets again is what to do at No. 1, how high it wants to place Notre Dame after its big win and how to order the slate of two-loss SEC teams. Given how impressive Georgia looked in locking down Mississippi, the Bulldogs have a good case to remain a spot ahead of undefeated Utah.

The next area of interest remains in the SEC, where Tennessee beat Alabama and Kentucky, but lost to Texas that was already ahead of the Vols. There’s a case to be made that it should be Longhorns, Vols and then the Tide, but the impressive outing in Baton Rouge by the latter may keep them far enough ahead of the others (with UCLA and Notre Dame as a buffer) where that head-to-head may not come into play. There’s also a question if the Wildcats’ thin résumé, which took a hit even beyond their loss at Neyland Stadium, is still enough to keep them in the field over Texas Tech, Wake Forest or even Iowa.

Update at 8 p.m. ET Saturday

It might be time to acknowledge that the selection committee was ahead on some teams on Tuesday despite assembling a set of rankings that many questioned at the time. They certainly look good ranking Alabama so high after the Crimson Tide thumped LSU to secure a favorable path to the CFP and seemed to look quite prescient in questioning Ohio State’s defense.

The real movement, however, will come when the prime-time slate concludes and we truly understand what the playoff picture begins to look like.

Update at 4 p.m. ET Saturday

An absolutely massive day chock full of CFP-caliber matchups did not disappoint in the early TV window as Utah prevailed in the Holy War to knock BYU from the bracket, fellow undefeated UCLA won on the road to keep pace and Texas survived and advanced another weekend by sneaking past Missouri.

The most notable change to the bracket early on will be the Cougars dropping out in favor of an awaiting Ohio State squad with their loss, but it remains possible Kalani Sitake’s squad moves back into the playoff conversation by the end of the night. That will be largely dependent on results throughout the rest of the day.

Update at noon ET Saturday

Here. We. Go.

If the chase for the national title didn’t feel real, it became that way on Tuesday night as we got our first set of rankings from the College Football Playoff selection committee. While there were plenty of quibbles at how highly the group ranked some teams (cough, Alabama, cough)it was certainly eye-opening for every program to see how it stood. As if that weren’t enough, it came just a few days before the biggest weekend of the season. The slate is loaded with Top 25 matchups on Saturday that will help shape the CFP, from a Catholics-vs.-Convicts redux in South Bend to a potential elimination game between Alabama and LSU down in the bayou to the biggest Holy War the state of Utah has ever seen taking place at brunch. Soak it up and enjoy because the playoff picture is bound to change every few hours given what’s on tap.

With all that in mind, here’s how the bracket looks going into Week 10 before it’s set to shift significantly throughout a busy Saturday in the sport.

Live Week 10 College Football Playoff Bracket

Georgia
Utah
Miami
Alabama
Indiana
Our Lady
UCLA
Texas
Tennessee
BYU
Kentucky
Boise State

First Round

No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Indiana
No. 11 Kentucky at No. 6 Notre Dame
No. 10 BYU at No. 7 UCLA
No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Texas

Quarterfinals

Fiesta Bowl: No. 4 Alabama vs. winner of No. 12 Boise State vs. No. 5 Indiana
Cotton Bowl: No. 3 Miami vs. winner of No. 11 Kentucky vs. No. 6 Notre Dame
Rose Bowl: No. 2 Utah vs. winner of No. 10 BYU vs. No. 7 UCLA
Peach Bowl: No. 1 Georgia vs. winner of No. 9 Tennessee vs. No. 8 Texas

No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Indiana

The Broncos had no issue taking care of Colorado State with backup QB Max Cutforth (317 yards, five TDs) once again filling in for injured starter Maddux Madsen. They remain in pole position for the Group of 6 bid and should move up in the CFP rankings before they play original Pac-12 team Oregon State in a game that could determine who will host the conference title game. Indiana’s Curt Cignetti sure was a little ornery about the SEC after the CFP rankings were released and seems to be conveying the thoughts of some Big Ten fans. Maybe that’s a sign of confidence as the Hoosiers rest up on their bye week ahead of a massive game against a feisty USC next Saturday.

No. 11 Kentucky at No. 6 Notre Dame

The Wildcats came off their bye week and had a harsh reality handed to them in Knoxville as they took their second loss of the season in blowout fashion. With LSU also losing on Saturday, the Kentucky résumé looks even thinner and puts the Cats right on the cut line against Wake Forest and the one-loss Big 12 teams. It was a magical night for the Irish, however, as they exorcised some demons by thumping Miami in a measure of revenge for keeping them out of the playoff last season. At this point, the Irish can win out and will be assured of a favorable home game at the very worst in the CFP—if not a quarterfinal bye if they’re 11–1 on Selection Sunday.

No. 10 BYU at No. 7 UCLA

The Bruins inched closer to a CFP bid, shaking off the body clocks and resulting slow start in the Big Noon game at Minnesota to move to 9–0. If Ty Dieffenbach is going to throw for 300-plus yards on eight completions again, perhaps this undefeated squad will finally get its due with the committee instead of being placed behind a pair of two-loss teams like they were on Tuesday. Turnovers killed the Cougars, as they now no longer control their fate in the Big 12 race and will have to hope the committee still values their overall résumé that includes that massive nonconference win over Notre Dame to remain in the field.

No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Texas

Massive win for Steve Sarkisian and Arch Manning to quiet some of the doubterseven if prevailing at Missouri was not without some controversy. That all but sets up another must-win road game at LSU next Saturday as the Longhorns remain in the thick of the CFP chase. The same holds true for the Vols, who own two of the most impressive wins in the country (vs. Kentucky and Alabama) and could set up a battle for UT with playoff stakes attached to it next month.

Fiesta Bowl: No. 4 Alabama

The first playoff team? It sure feels like the Crimson Tide clinched a spot in the field already thanks to that dominant win over LSU in Death Valley. Not only does that add to a résumé that the committee already lovesit may be all Kalen DeBoer & Co. need with Vanderbilt and Auburn the only remaining FBS opponents left before the SEC title game.

Cotton Bowl: No. 3 Miami

Well, life without Malachi Toney sure looked a lot different than life with the star receiver. The Hurricanes still look like the class of the ACC and remain on track to make the CFP, but their margin for error narrowed if they pick up an additional loss before the conference title game.

Rose Bowl: No. 2 Utah

There were plenty of questions swirling around Morgan Scalley ahead of his first season as head coach. After beating BYU and having a defense that seems capable of playing well against anybody in the country, safe to say those concerns are nonexistent. If the Utes get past Arizona next week, they may be the first program to actually secure a playoff bid given how dominant in all three phases they’ve been this season.

Peach Bowl: No. 1 Georgia

The Bulldogs were rolling over Ole Miss in the first half and Kirby Smart was still yelling at his team as if they were down two scores and showboating. That’s probably a sign of respect for Trinidad Chambliss being on the other sideline as much as it’s a reflection of the standard the head coach has for a team that may be No. 1 on either Sunday (polls) or Tuesday (CFP).

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