Hello, and welcome to my weekly College Football Playoff bracket. I’ll be updating every week based on new results. They are based solely on my opinions and likely will differ from Austin Mock’s much smarter, scientifically based projections. Also, be sure to check out David Ubben’s Bubble Watch every Monday.
The knee-jerk reaction to Oregon beating Ohio State 32-31 would be to elevate the Ducks to a top-four seed. Instead, I’m choosing not to overreact to the Buckeyes losing by one point on the road in a hostile atmosphere. They remain my projected Big Ten champ, albeit dropping from the No. 1 seed to the No. 2 seed.
GO DEEPER
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I’m making Texas my projected SEC champ for the first time because, frankly, I’m losing confidence in Georgia. Obviously we’ll get some clarity when these two teams meet this weekend. LSU, which stunned Ole Miss in overtime, joins my field for the first time, but the Tigers’ trip to Texas A&M could become a swing game for both teams. I knocked Tennessee out.
As always, it’s anyone’s guess who wins the Big 12, but I’ve got Iowa State in a coin flip over BYU. I considered giving the Cougars the last at-large berth, but I suspect we’ll see a 9-3 LSU or Texas A&M get in over a 10-3 Big 12 runner-up.
(Photo of Quinn Ewers: Sam Hodde / Getty Images)