Expanded College Football Playoff: where Ohio State sits after Week 5
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Week 5 results created a massive jumble in the college football rankings and changed the playoff picture heading into Week 6.
As Ohio State was taking care of Michigan State, multiple top-10 teams lost to create a new projected 12-team field for the College Football Playoff.
Funniest moments from Ohio State’s press conference ahead of game vs. Iowa
NBC4 is providing a look at a projected 12-team playoff bracket every week this season before the first rankings are revealed on Nov. 5. Here is how the playoff bracket looks based on the Associated Press rankings and what changes we could see by next week.
Projected playoff bracket
Before we go over all the changes, it is important to note Ohio State has maintained its No. 2 projected seed in this week’s playoff field. It is the only team not to budge in our bracket this season.
Although the Buckeyes’ spot seems solid, its game Oct. 12 at Oregon on NBC4 will be the first game that could shuffle its projected seeding. Another aspect affecting the Buckeyes is their supposed quarterfinal opponent.
In this new field, OSU would face Georgia or Missouri in a Rose Bowl quarterfinal game. The Bulldogs fell from the fifth to the seventh seed after a 41-34 loss to Alabama. Because of the victory, the Crimson Tide is the new No. 1 seed ahead of No. 2 Texas, which dropped to the fifth seed.
Ryan Day previews Ohio State’s Big Ten game against Iowa
The other two most noticeable changes are Iowa State sitting as the four-seed and the return of Michigan, replacing Mississippi. The Cyclones, despite being ranked No. 16 in the latest AP rankings, are now the presumed Big 12 winner and fourth-best conference champion thanks to Utah’s loss to Arizona.
Michigan is back in the mix as it has bounced back from a loss to Texas with wins over USC and Minnesota. The Wolverines face Washington on Saturday night on NBC4 in a rematch of last season’s national championship game.
Week 6 games that affect playoff picture
Michigan State vs. No. 6 Oregon: This game for Buckeyes fans will be used to gauge how good Oregon is before the two meet in Week 7. If the Ducks can put up bigger numbers over the Spartans than the Buckeyes did, that could create a top-five matchup next week.
No. 9 Missouri vs. Texas A&M: Although Week 6 has not one game between ranked teams, Missouri’s at Texas A&M is the closest thing. The Tigers will be on upset alert at Kyle Field, one of the toughest environments in college football. Missouri could join Ole Miss on the outside of the projected 12-team field with a loss.
No. 15 Clemson vs. Florida State: Miami has kept the top ACC spot all season since Florida State’s terrible start, but don’t count out Clemson, the most successful ACC program in the playoff era. Since the Tigers’ loss to Georgia, they have steamrolled their way to a 3-1 record by a combined score of 165-69. A win over the Seminoles makes Clemson at least an at-large team.
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