Week 7 has some monster matchups on the slate that could go a long way toward clearing up the College Football Playoff picture. Throughout Saturday’s slate, Sports Illustrated will give an updated look at the playoff seeding and matchups. Here’s everything you need to know about the current CFP race:
Update at 11 p.m. ET Friday:
After Tulane struggled a bit with East Carolina on Thursday night and USF scored in bunches on Friday night against previously undefeated North Texas, it’s time to move the Bulls slightly ahead of the Green Wave when it comes to the American’s pecking order for the Group of 5 bid. The two won’t face each other during the regular season so there’s certainly an interesting play-in scenario developing for the American conference title game if each can continue to run the table.
College Football Playoff LIVE Bracket Week 7
- Miami
- Ohio State
- Oregon
- Oklahoma
- Texas A&M
- Alabama
- Texas Tech
- Ole Miss
- Indiana
- Georgia
- Michigan
- South Florida
First Round
- No. 12 USF at No. 5 Texas A&M
- No. 11 Michigan at No. 6 Alabama
- No. 10 Georgia at No. 7 Texas Tech
- No. 9 Indiana at No. 8 Ole Miss
Quarterfinals
- Sugar Bowl: No. 4 Oklahoma vs. winner of No. 12 USF at No. 5 Texas A&M
- Cotton Bowl: No. 3 Oregon vs. winner of No. 11 Michigan at No. 6 Alabama
- Rose Bowl: No. 2 Ohio State vs. winner of No. 10 Georgia at No. 7 Texas Tech
- Orange Bowl: No. 1 Miami vs. winner of No. 9 Indiana at No. 8 Ole Miss
No. 12 USF at No. 5 Texas A&M
Any time you get teams from Florida and Texas meeting up, you can have a pretty fun game and this one would feature two of the best dual-threat quarterbacks around in Marcel Reed and Byrum Brown.
No. 11 Michigan at No. 6 Alabama
Would a third postseason meeting between these teams in as many years be exciting? Yes, especially with a rubber match in Tuscaloosa, Ala., between a pair of coaches that desperately need the legitimacy that would come from a win in a first round meeting like this.
No. 10 Georgia at No. 7 Texas Tech
There’s a bit of an old-school vs. new-school vibe to this potential matchup in Lubbock, from the established Bulldogs and their title-winning head coach to the Red Raiders trying to bust through the norms and break into the national title conversation. The picture of Uga trying to eat a tortilla alone would be worth it.
No. 9 Indiana at No. 8 Ole Miss
Is there any better matchup of talkative head coaches than Lane Kiffin vs. Curt Cignetti? There’s lots of talent on hand with the Hoosiers and the Rebels but something says the coaching war of words will overshadow any potential matchups on the field.
Sugar Bowl: No. 4 Oklahoma
John Mateer looks like he will try to play in Red River against Texas and if the Sooners can triumph in Dallas against their rivals, that daunting stretch of SEC play could be enough to give them the wins needed for a quarterfinal bye.
Cotton Bowl: No. 3 Oregon
If you had told a Ducks fan last December that they might have a better shot at the national title in 2025 than 2024, would they have believed you? That’s a credit to Dan Lanning & Co. that it’s a true statement.
Rose Bowl: No. 2 Ohio State
We’re at the point on the calendar where Ohio State fans, and maybe the team itself, will need to start inventing grievances in order to find the proper motivation to beat up on the rest of the Big Ten. It won’t end up mattering if they want to keep playing like a repeat on the field is possible though.
Orange Bowl: No. 1 Miami
The Hurricanes are off this week and you kind of wonder if they’re going to be out of sight and out of mind until the ACC title game in terms of the national picture given the opponents they have left in the regular season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as College Football Playoff Bracket Week 7 Live Projections: USF Gets Edge in Group of 5.
