As we head towards the first unveiling of the College Football Playoff official rankings, let’s take a look at what teams are actually still in play to make the CFP. Obviously some of these teams will have much tougher roads than others! 

First, to cover this weekend’s results: 

Navy’s loss to North Texas dealt a major blow to their hopes. They still have to face Notre Dame, and navigating the American Conference is no easy task.

Ohio State pulled away from Penn State in the second half to cruise and maintain their No. 1 overall spot.

Vanderbilt’s magic finally ran out in Austin. The Commodores fell behind early and couldn’t recover. Meanwhile, Texas continues to build momentum week by week and now looks primed to make a legitimate CFP push.

SMU outlasted Miami (FL) 26–20. That result wipes away any margin for error for the Hurricanes one more loss, and they’re done. The ACC simply isn’t getting a three-loss playoff team.

Duke made history, beating Clemson at Death Valley for the first time since 1980. The controversial finish will dominate headlines, but the gutsy call to go for two in the final minute deserves just as much attention.

Baylor and Illinois took care of business against inferior opponents.

Houston fell to West Virginia in Texas – this was just such a deflating loss after finally gaining some national respect.

Arizona State, even without its starting quarterback, took down Iowa State in Ames.

Georgia survived its annual rivalry game with Florida. The Gators looked much improved, but the Bulldogs once again found a way to win.

Indiana, Texas Tech, and Notre Dame all handled inferior opponents comfortably.

Minnesota—with a little help from the officials, perhaps—took down Michigan State. Head coach Smith’s seat in East Lansing might be warming up.

Louisville beat Virginia Tech by 12 in Blacksburg. 

Virginia continued its trend of close games but managed to get it done once again.

Michigan narrowly avoided disaster, edging Purdue in a tight one despite playing without Haynes.

NC State took down Georgia Tech and Haynes King, a result that dealt a major blow to the ACC’s already slim playoff hopes.

Oklahoma went into Knoxville and beat Tennessee. Don’t be surprised if the Sooners are firmly inside the CFP picture—or right on the edge—come Tuesday. The Vols, meanwhile, likely don’t have the résumé to climb back into contention.

USC walked into a blacked-out Nebraska stadium and left with a win. Despite Matt Rhule’s recent extension, the Cornhuskers still haven’t notched a ranked victory. The Trojans stay alive in the playoff hunt.

Florida State steamrolled Wake Forest to continue their rollercoaster season, and Ole Miss rolled past South Carolina, keeping its playoff hopes alive.

Arizona annihilated Colorado 52–17 in what’s been a nightmare year for Deion Sanders and company.

Kentucky beat Auburn, and it’s fair to wonder how much longer Hugh Freeze will last at this rate.

Utah absolutely stomped Cincinnati in the late night game, really dampening UC’s hopes for a playoff birth. Utah, meanwhile has jumped right into contention!

Playoff Elimination Tracker:

We’ll break this down by conference for the Power 4, plus a combined Group of 5 section.

Playoff Frontrunner – Teams that are essentially in unless something goes completely off the rails.
Bubble – The core group defining the playoff race right now; one loss or one big win could swing everything.
So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance – Technically still alive, but only with significant chaos ahead.For Power 4 teams, anyone with two losses or fewer will be included. Beyond that, only select three-loss teams with a plausible path (usually SEC programs) will stay on the list—because, realistically, no one else is getting serious consideration at that point.

Conference	SEC	Big Ten	ACC	Big 12	G5	IND
Playoff Frontrunner	Texas A&M Alabama Georgia Ole Miss	Indiana Ohio State Oregon	Virginia	BYU	Memphis
Bubble	Oklahoma Texas Vanderbilt	Michigan USC	Georgia Tech Louisville Miami (FL)	Texas Tech Utah Cincinnati	Navy North Texas South Florida	Notre Dame
So you’re telling me there’s a chance:	Missouri	Iowa Washington	Pittsburgh	Houston	JMU

Diving into this chart, it’s clear that there are still a lot more teams with a real shot to make it than we will see. For this week, I believe that 4 SEC teams belong, 3 Big Ten Teams, 1 ACC Team, 2 Big 12 teams, 1 independent, and the 1 G5 team. Adding those up, you’re sitting at 12 teams and a really solid balance between conferences. The SEC/Big Ten are always going to dominate the number of spots, but I believe this year, the ACC and Big 12 will capture a solid amount of bids. in

Drop your thoughts on what the College Football Playoff Rankings will be on Tuesday in the comments below!

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