Five SEC Teams Projected in CFP Bracket After Texas Tops Tennessee — SkimNews
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- CFP Selection Committee added a new conference-strength metric that gives the SEC and Big Ten — which entered the weekend with 17 combined teams inside the AP poll — greater influence in the at-large conversation.
- SEC is now projected to place five teams in the 12-team CFP bracket after a Week 4 slate featuring four ranked matchups and three previously unbeaten teams losing.
- Texas upended No. 14 Tennessee after earlier toppling then-No. 1 Ohio State, and still must play Florida, Mississippi State, Missouri, LSU, Texas A&M and Ole Miss in a gauntlet remaining slate.
- LSU coach Lane Kiffin kept the Tigers' playoff hopes alive with a win over Texas A&M Saturday night, but said Texas 'playing seven top-25 teams left' while 'a Big 12 school doesn't play one ranked team the rest of the year' highlights an inequity created by the SEC's nine-game conference schedule.
- Florida debuted in the CFP conversation after moving into the top 15 by beating fourth-ranked Ole Miss, with the Gators now positioned ahead of LSU in the pecking order and projected as LSU's Gator Bowl opponent.
- BYU is the lone Big 12 team in this week's CFP projection, slotted as the No. 8 seed facing (9) Alabama in the first round after Texas Tech's continued passing-game worries knocked the Red Raiders out of contention.
- Penn State tumbled out of the CFP bracket into the ReliaQuest Bowl against Missouri after a stunning home loss to Wisconsin, who scored two touchdowns in the final 3:31 to rally at Happy Valley.
Why it matters: With the new CFP metric rewarding AP-poll depth, the SEC is now projected to place a record five teams in the bracket while the Big 12 shrinks to BYU alone as a one-bid league. Penn State's tumble from the bracket into the ReliaQuest Bowl after a home loss to Wisconsin shows how fast any top-10 upset reshuffles the at-large math in a 12-team field.
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