College Football Playoff Projections and Committee Rankings

[jbcarol]

ESPN's college football experts offer their predictions for the 2015 season's College Football Playoff semifinalists, finalists and champion.

[jbcarol]

Bruce Feldman ‏@BruceFeldmanCFB 1h1 hour ago

Latest CFB title odds: #OhioState 5/2 after opening at 6/1 in JAN; #Bama & #TCU 7/1; #Baylor & #ND 12/1: #Auburn 14/1; #MichSt 18/1 (Bovada)

[jbcarol]

Brett McMurphy ‏@McMurphyESPN 22m22 minutes ago

After 1st two days of season only 2 conferences are still unbeaten: MWC (6-0) & Big 12 (3-0)

Michael Silva ‏@BurqueRudeBoy 13m13 minutes ago

@McMurphyESPN within those 6 MWC wins are 2 against the Pac 12!  #takethatpower5

[jbcarol]

Booger ‏@SECbooger 45m45 minutes ago

congrats to Northwestern  and shout out to those who had Stanford as a CFP team  and also  shout out to the PAC 12   rough start

[jbcarol]

Adam Rittenberg ‏@ESPNRittenberg 8h8 hours ago Grapevine, TX

Love this from @CFBHeather on the overreactions and appropriate reactions for each Power 5 league after Week 1:  http://es.pn/1UAhLj0

Overreaction: The SEC is king again! All of that talk about the SEC losing a step? Pssh. Alabama, Auburn and Texas A&M each had statement wins over Power 5 opponents, including two ranked teams. Florida had offense again...

Appropriate reaction: ...Wait till they start playing each other instead of Tennessee-Martin.

Up next: LSU at Mississippi State. This Saturday. Now we're talkin'...

[jbcarol]

Bruce Feldman ‏@BruceFeldmanCFB 10h10 hours ago

SOURCE: Torn ACL ends season for #UCLA star D-lineman Eddie Vanderdoes: http://foxs.pt/1QjpiSz

[jbcarol]

 BuckeyeXtra.com ‏@BuckeyeXtra 5h5 hours ago

#Buckeyes 42, #Hokies 24: @brdispatch's game story http://buckeyextra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2015/09/07/0907-osu-vatech-game/0907-osu-vatech-game-story.html ...

Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer said last week that he would tell the quarterbacks who'd start on Saturday.

"Nah, he didn't tell us," Jones said.

"We both went out in the (sideline) huddle for the first play," he said. "I started to take a couple of steps toward the sideline and (Meyer) was like, 'No, you're in.' You all found out when I found out."

Jones finished 9 of 18 for 186 yards and two touchdowns with one interception before yielding to Barrett with 11 minutes left.

"Cardale finished the season as the starter, and I kind of started thinking that for him not to take the first snap, he had to get beat out," Meyer said. "He wasn't beat out. But it was very close."

[jbcarol]

Brett McMurphy ‏@McMurphyESPN 24m24 minutes ago

Ohio State odds to win title drop to 8-5, Alabama moves ahead of TCU as second favorite at 7-1 via @LVSuperBook

[jbcarol]

David Ubben
‏@davidubben David Ubben retweeted Carlos A. Mendez
Really bad news for TCU at one of its thinnest positions

Carlos A. MendezVerified account
‏@calexmendez
Patterson says LB Sammy Douglas 'is done for the year. And McFarland is close.'

[jbcarol]

Bowl projections: Notre Dame in Playoff, split on Auburn, Alabama

College Football Playoff semifinals
College Football Playoff at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic

AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Thurs., Dec. 31, 4 or 8 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: Alabama vs. Notre Dame

College Football Playoff at the Capital One Orange Bowl

Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Thurs., Dec. 31, 4 or 8 p.m. (ESPN)

McMurphy: Michigan State vs. Auburn


College Football Playoff National Championship

University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Mon., Jan. 11, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: Ohio State vs. Alabama
McMurphy: TCU vs. Auburn

[jbcarol]

Brett McMurphy ‏@McMurphyESPN 17h17 hours ago

Cotton Bowl announces all reserved & club seats already sold out for this year's @CFBPlayoff semifinal

[jbcarol]

Brett McMurphy ‏@McMurphyESPN  4h4 hours ago
In @ESPN weekly poll, FBS coaches say ACC most likely Power 5 league to miss @CFBPlayoff this year http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/115028/coaches-poll-says-acc-most-likely-conference-to-miss-college-football-playoff ...

Would know.

[jbcarol]

Mark SchlabachVerified account
‏@Mark_Schlabach
Auburn playoff pick



11:46 AM - 12 Sep 2015

[jbcarol]

ESPN CollegeFootball ‏@ESPNCFB  1h1 hour ago
JUST IN: Notre Dame QB Malik Zaire is out for the season with a broken ankle. DeShone Kizer will take his place.

[jbcarol]

Ralph D. Russo ‏@ralphDrussoAP 4h4 hours ago

Playoff pulse: Auburn, Notre Dame escape; B1G win for Spartans.  http://collegefootball.ap.org/article/auburn-notre-dame-escape-b1g-win-spartans ...

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ESPN Stats & Info ‏@ESPNStatsInfo 8h8 hours ago

With loss to @MSU_Football, Oregon fell to 1-26 all-time in true road games against AP Top-5 opponents. Lone win: 2011 at No. 3 Stanford.

[jbcarol]

Eliminator Week 2: Bad news for Arkansas, Louisville and others

Sure, it might have been a bad weekend for the SEC, but it was an even worse weekend for a few other conferences in terms of the Eliminator, which will narrow the FBS field from 127 teams for the four spots available in the College Football Playoff.

After the second week of action, 27 more teams have been eliminated, including four from the MAC(tion) ... Four teams from the Power 5  leagues -- Arkansas (SEC), Louisville (ACC), Maryland (Big Ten) and Virginia (ACC) -- were eliminated after losses this past weekend.

[jbcarol]

Chris Low ‏@ClowESPN 3h3 hours ago

Clemson has to get past Louisville on the road, but I like how the Tigers' schedule sets up with key games at home. My playoff sleeper.

[jbcarol]

Bowl projections: Looking ahead after Weak Too

College Football Playoff semifinals
College Football Playoff at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic

AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Thurs., Dec. 31, 4 or 8 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: Alabama vs. USC
McMurphy: TCU vs. USC
College Football Playoff at the Capital One Orange Bowl

Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Thurs., Dec. 31, 4 or 8 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: Ohio State vs. Baylor
McMurphy: Michigan State vs. Auburn
College Football Playoff National Championship

University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Mon., Jan. 11, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: Ohio State vs. Alabama
McMurphy: TCU vs. Auburn

[jbcarol]

CBS Bowl projections: Auburn out of playoff after LSU loss, Alabama still in

Cotton Bowl    Dec. 31    Arlington, Tex.    Semifinal    TCU vs. Alabama

Orange Bowl    Dec. 31    Miami, Fla.    Semifinal    Ohio State vs. Clemson

[jbcarol]

Sharon Katz@skatz23

After USC's loss, the Pac-12 is now the most likely Power 5 conference to have a champion with 2 or more losses.

[jbcarol]

Ryan Osborne
‏@RyanOsborneFWST

#TCU football player Mike Tuaua is accused of kicking and punching another student in face and body while trying to steal Keystone Light.

[jbcarol]

Ross Dellenger ‏@DellengerAdv 21h21 hours ago

#LSU has soared up the Bovada odds to win the College Football Playoff, moving from 20-1 to 12-1 (7th-best odds for any team).

[jbcarol]

Brett McMurphy ‏@McMurphyESPN 20h20 hours ago

Patterson-Briles feud isn't official until they refer to each other as "That Team Down South" & "That Team Up North"

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Stewart MandelVerified account
‏@slmandel
The No. 3 team in the country will have one last shot on fourth and goal. Turn over to FOX.

Daniel Paulling ‏@DanielPaulling  10m10 minutes ago
Daniel Paulling retweeted Stewart Mandel
I didn't know that about Ole Miss. #justkidding

[jbcarol]

Jerry Palm ‏@jppalmCBS Sep 27

Bowl projections: TCU barely hangs in there, Pac-12 South statement games http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/jerry-palm/25318466/bowl-projections-tcu-hangs-on-pac-12-south-statement-wins ...

[jbcarol]

Brett McMurphy ‏@McMurphyESPN Sep 28

.@LVSuperBook title odds: OhSt 7-4 Bay/MSU 8-1 Ga/LSU/Miss/TCU 10-1 ND 15-1 Ala 18-1 A&M/USC 20-1 Clem/OU 25-1 FSU/UCLA 30-1 Stan/Utah 40-1

[jbcarol]

CBS Sports CFB ‏@CBSSportsCFB 2h2 hours ago

.@jppalmCBS's Bowl Projections have Ole Miss, Wisconsin out of the New Year's Six. Who's in? http://cbsprt.co/1M3BLdy 

Cotton Bowl    Dec. 31    Arlington, Tex.    Semifinal    TCU vs. Alabama
Orange Bowl    Dec. 31    Miami, Fla.    Semifinal    Ohio State vs. Clemson

[jbcarol]

Brett McMurphy ‏@McMurphyESPN 3h3 hours ago

Title odds @LVSuperBook OSU 2-1 Bay 6-1 LSU 8-1 MSU 10-1 TCU 12-1 Ala/A&M 15-1 Ga/Miss/USC/Utah 20-1 Clem/FSU/Mich/OU 25-1 ND/OkSt/Stan 30-1

Florida is 50-1

[jbcarol]

Mark Schlabach ‏@Mark_Schlabach 22h22 hours ago

This week's Eliminator http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/13811550/mississippi-state-bulldogs-4-teams-week-5 ...

Week 5 was relatively quiet for The Eliminator, which is narrowing the 127-team field (Charlotte is ineligible as a transitional member) to four for the College Football Playoff. Only four teams -- Arizona, Minnesota, Mississippi State and Texas Tech -- were eliminated this week.

So far, we have eliminated 83 teams from consideration, leaving 44 in the mix for the four playoff spots with two months to go in the regular season.

[jbcarol]

Chris Low ‏@ClowESPN Oct 6 Grapevine, TX

Wheels down in Dallas and looking forward to participating in the College Football Playoff mock selection exercise with my ESPN colleagues.

Having gone through the playoff selection process, I can tell you that strength of schedule was often times the deciding factor when close.




Dennis Dodd Verified account
‏@dennisdoddcbs

Here's our top 25 at mock selection. Note top 4

[jbcarol]

Chris Low ‏@ClowESPN 3h3 hours ago

In the current format, I don't ever see a scenario where a one-loss SEC or Pac-12 champ doesn't get in. With two losses, it could get dicey.

Stewart Mandel ‏@slmandel 2h2 hours ago

USC is stuck in the same place under Sark it was when it fired Kiffin. Another coaching change is inevitable. http://foxs.pt/1P2j4J5

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Mark Schlabach ‏@Mark_Schlabach  9h9 hours ago
This week's GameDay Final: Florida and Michigan are way ahead of schedule http://es.pn/1jn1TVd

Next four in contention

Ohio State

LSU

Florida

Bama

[jbcarol]

This week's bowl projections from @McMurphyESPN and  @Mark_Schlabach

College Football Playoff National Championship

University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Mon., Jan. 11, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: Alabama vs. Baylor
McMurphy: Baylor vs. Clemson

[jbcarol]

Barrett SalleeVerified account
‏@BarrettSallee
SEC playoff doomsday scenario: Ole Miss loses to a good Memphis team, wins out, is 11-2 (7-1 SEC) following SECCG win.

[jbcarol]

Chuck Dunlap ‏@SEC_Chuck 1h1 hour ago

LSU and Alabama building resumes. Both have 3 Top 25 wins already, as half of LSU's schedule and 4 of 7 games for 'Bama were vs Top 25

[jbcarol]

 Kirk Herbstreit ‏@KirkHerbstreit 4h4 hours ago

First, relax..deep breath..it will work itself out. Exhale.... My top 4.
1-Baylor
2-Ohio St
3-Bama
4-LSU
Next 2
Clemson
TCU
@CollegeGameDay

[jbcarol]

Mark Schlabach bowl projections:

College Football Playoff National Championship

University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Mon., Jan. 11, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: Alabama vs. Ohio State

[jbcarol]

Vegas Top 10

Nick Saban's bunch was left for dead after losing to Ole Miss, yet now their schedule appears ripe for building a playoff worthy resume...

Alabama, Ohio State, Baylor, Stanford, and Clemson are the five legitimate playoff contenders that will be favored in every single one of their remaining regular season games. While being favored guarantees nothing in the topsy turvy world of college football, it does imply a power profile consistent with potential inclusion in the playoff.

Here's a look at a quartet of potential college football playoff matchups with hypothetical lines provided by the team at BookMaker.

Ohio St (-5.5) vs. Utah
Baylor (-8) vs. LSU
TCU (-7) vs. Michigan St
Alabama (-8.5) vs. Clemson

[jbcarol]

 Chris Low ‏@ClowESPN 23h23 hours ago Connecticut, USA

Love the scenarios. Here's one: Baylor, Clemson, Ohio State and Utah go unbeaten, and Irish and Bama win out. Who's in?

[jbcarol]

Jerry Palm ‏@jppalmCBS 2h2 hours ago

This week's bowl projections - FSU out of NY6 http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/jerry-palm/25352787/bowl-projections-pac-12-cfp-bid-in-danger-fsu-out-irish-in-new-years-six ...

Cotton Bowl   Dec. 31   Arlington, Tex.   Semifinal   (2) TCU vs. (3) Alabama

Sugar Bowl   Jan. 1   New Orleans, La.   Big 12 vs. SEC   Baylor vs. LSU

[jbcarol]

Jerry Palm ‏@jppalmCBS Oct 30

Pat Haden stepping down from the CFP committee.  He will not be replaced this season.

[jbcarol]

Chris Low ‏@ClowESPN 7h7 hours ago Farragut, TN

First CFP rankings will be released Tuesday night. My top 4 to this point: 1. Clemson, 2. LSU, 3. Baylor, 4. Ohio State.

Remember when they said a playoff in college football would water down the regular season and kill the week-to-week suspense?

Heather Dinich Verified account
‏@CFBHeather

As of right now, the ONLY two teams in the country I think have truly earned a top four spot on Tuesday are @LSUfball and @ClemsonFB

[jbcarol]

College Football Playoff (Projection)

Cotton Bowl   Dec. 31   Arlington, Tex.   Semifinal   (2) TCU vs. (3) Alabama

Selection Committee Bowl Games (Projection)

Sugar Bowl   Jan. 1   New Orleans, La.   Big 12 vs. SEC   Baylor vs. LSU

[jbcarol]

Brett McMurphy ‏@McMurphyESPN 3h3 hours ago

.@LVSuperBook title odds: OhSt 9-5 Bay 5-1 Ala/Clem 6-1 Stan 8-1 LSU/MichSt 10-1 TCU 12-1 ND 15-1 OU/Ok St 20-1 Iowa 30-1 UF/FSU/Mich 80-1

[jbcarol]

CFBPlayoff ‏@CFBPlayoff  2h2 hours ago
View full #CFP25 rankings: http://bit.ly/1SmyA1g 

[jbcarol]

 Bruce Feldman ‏@BruceFeldmanCFB 13h13 hours ago

Strong message from the Committee: If you don't schedule anyone in your non-conference, you probably can't afford a loss.

Folks bashing #Bama's schedule... Scheduling & beating 7-2 Wisconsin by 18 pts carries a lot more weight than just some mid-major.

CFP Chair Jeff Long said Baylor & TCU are the most difficult to evaluate right now because of their strength of schedule. (or lack of it)

[jbcarol]

Brett McMurphy ‏@McMurphyESPN 50m50 minutes ago

.@LVSuperBook disagrees w/@CFBPlayoff rankings. Projected lines: No. 4 Alabama -3 vs. No. 1 Clemson, No. 3 Ohio State -5.5 vs. No. 2 LSU


GoalieLax ‏@GoalieLax 48m48 minutes ago

GoalieLax Retweeted Brett McMurphy

Alabama -8 vs. tOSU last year.

[jbcarol]

Stewart Mandel ‏@slmandel 15h15 hours ago

Every week last year a new buzz phrase entered the lexicon. This week's was clearly "wins over teams with above .500 records."

[jbcarol]

Chuck Dunlap
‏@SEC_Chuck

Computers have two from the SEC in the Top Four: http://usat.ly/1MtsOpl  via @usatoday