Surprise team slides into automatic bye territory in latest College Football Playoff rankings

Eleven of the 12 teams from last week’s College Football Playoff rankings are still safe.

However, a loss from a conference leader shook things up with the bracket.

In case you still need a refresher, five automatic bids will go to conference winners, with the top four seeds going to the conference leaders in order of their CFP ranking with a bye.

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Running back Ashton Jeanty of the Boise State Broncos celebrates a touchdown during first half action against the UCF Knights at Albertsons Stadium Sept. 9, 2023, in Boise, Idaho. (Loren Orr/Getty Images)

The other seven bids go to at-large teams based on their place in the rankings. A team’s playoff seeding may not be the same as its committee ranking due to the bracket system.

With that, here is the current playoff seeding:

Automatic bids

1. Oregon — Big Ten leader (11-0, 8-0)

2. Texas — SEC leader (8-1, 4-1); ranked third

3. Miami — ACC leader (9-1, 5-1); ranked eighth

4. Boise State — Mountain West leader (9-1. 6-0); ranked 12th

12. BYU — Big 12 leader (9-1, 6-1); ranked 14th

The Boise State Broncos, led by Heisman contender Ashton Jeanty’s 1,893 rushing yards, are now ranked ahead of Big 12 leader BYU (No. 14) in the CFP polls, giving them the No. 4 seed. But because BYU still leads its conference despite not being ranked in the top 12, it has a playoff spot.

Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty slips a tackle by UCLA Bruins linebacker Darius Muasau (53) during the first quarter of the Starco Brands LA Bowl at SoFi Stadium. (Robert Hanashiro/USA Today Sports)

At-large bids

5. Ohio State (9-1, 6-1); ranked second

6. Penn State (9-1, 6-1); ranked fourth

7. Indiana (10-0, 7-0); ranked fifth

8. Notre Dame (9-1); ranked sixth

9. Alabama (8-2, 4-2); ranked seventh

10. Ole Miss (8-2, 4-2); ranked ninth

11. Georgia (8-2, 6-2); ranked 10th

This all means that, despite being the 11th-ranked team in the country, Tennessee is on the outside looking in, along with No. 13 SMU.

Colorado is ranked 16th in the country, but it controls its own destiny to a College Football Playoff appearance. Just about everyone else needs a lot of help. 

A Colorado win over Kansas and a BYU loss to No 21 Arizona State would give the Buffaloes the Big 12 lead, which would put them in automatic bid territory. It would be up to the committee to name the Buffaloes a No. 4 seed, but they would still need to win the Big 12 title game to ensure a spot.

Head coach Deion Sanders of the Colorado Buffaloes walks across the field before a game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Jones AT&T Stadium Nov. 9, 2024, in Lubbock, Texas.  (John E. Moore III/Getty Images)

Oregon has been the top seed in all three playoff projections. It is the only team in the country whose playoff seed matches its CFP ranking.

A Miami loss to Wake Forest, matched with an SMU win over Virginia, would almost certainly cost the Canes an automatic bye for the time being, but it could also knock them out of the bracket entirely.

Oregon is off this week, so it will hold onto the No. 1 seed, even if the undefeated Hoosiers take down the Buckeyes in Columbus.