SEC Projects Five CFP Teams After Texas, Florida Surge — SkimNews
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- CFP Selection Committee added a new metric evaluating conference strength that the source says gives the SEC and Big Ten — which entered the weekend with 17 combined AP poll teams — greater influence in at-large selections.
- SEC now projects five teams in the 12-team CFP bracket after Week 4's slate produced four ranked matchups and three previously unbeaten teams falling.
- Texas surged to No. 1 after beating No. 14 Tennessee on Saturday, having already topped then-No. 1 Ohio State earlier in the season, and still faces seven ranked opponents including Florida, LSU, and Texas A&M.
- Florida debuted in bracket projections and moved into the top 15 after beating No. 4 Ole Miss; the source notes LSU coach Lane Kiffin argued the SEC's nine-game conference schedule inflates the odds of multi-loss finishes even among contenders.
- Big 12 was downgraded to a one-bid league in the CFP projections, with BYU as the lone representative after the author expressed doubts about Texas Tech's passing-game consistency.
- Penn State fell out of the CFP bracket projection after losing at home to Wisconsin, which scored two touchdowns in the final 3:31 to seal the upset.
Why it matters: The new conference-strength metric formalizes a structural SEC and Big Ten edge in the 12-team format, demoting the Big 12 to a projected one-bid league with BYU as its lone survivor. With Texas still facing seven ranked opponents and the SEC potentially claiming five of the 12 spots, the playoff bracket could shift dramatically in either direction over the next two months.
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