Pat Forde: College Football Playoff Projected Bracket After Week 1

Each week, the Forde-Yard Dash ranks the 12 teams that should be in the College Football Playoff. As always, when the season starts anew, only the results at hand will be considered. Preseason predictions are now out the window. Games against lesser competition are given less weight—if your team blew out an FCS opponent or someone from the lower reaches of FBS, it won’t be ranked here. The 12 teams here have all played a noteworthy opponent.

College Football Playoff Projections After Week 1

1. LSU (beat Clemson, 51–10)
2. Miami (beat Stanford, 45–6)
3. Notre Dame (beat Wisconsin, 41–13)
4. Virginia (beat NC State, 34–8)
5. Mississippi (beat Louisville, 41–38)
6. UCLA (beat California, 45–24)
7. Oregon (beat Boise State, 34–27)
8. Louisville (lost to Mississippi, 41–38)
9. North Carolina (beat TCU, 15–10)
10. Colorado (beat Georgia Tech, 14–13)
11. Boise State (lost to Oregon, 34–27)
12. Tulsa (beat Oklahoma State, 24–10)

(Also considered: Auburn.)

First Round

• No. 12 Tulsa at No. 5 Mississippi
• No. 11 Boise State at No. 6 UCLA
• No. 10 Colorado at No. 7 Oregon
• No. 9 North Carolina at No. 8 Louisville

Quarterfinals

• Peach Bowl: No. 4 Virginia vs. Tulsa-Mississippi winner
• Fiesta Bowl: No. 3 Notre Dame vs. Boise State–UCLA winner
• Rose Bowl: No. 2 Miami vs. Colorado-Oregon winner
• Cotton Bowl: No. 1 LSU vs. North Carolina–Louisville winner

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MORE COLLEGE FOOTBALL FROM SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

• College Football Playoff Eliminator: Which Teams Are Out or Alive for a Berth After Week 1
• Projecting the AP Top 25 After College Football’s Week 1: LSU Rises, Michigan Falls
• Forde-Yard Dash: Michigan’s Bail Mary Exposes College Football’s Credibility Crisis
• College Football Message Board: Heat Check on Michigan’s Kyle Whittingham, Clemson and Rutgers