Friday’s College Football Results Shake Up Playoff Picture

As the college football season winds down, teams not in their conference championship games have one last shot to impress the College Football Playoff (CFP) selection committee. We’re looking at the latest results and what they mean for the playoff picture, with a special eye on Ole Miss, Indiana, Georgia Tech, and Texas A&M.

Rivalry games, wild upsets, and big moments—it’s all shaping the postseason in unpredictable ways. Let’s try to make sense of it, even if the landscape keeps shifting under our feet.

The Final Push for the Playoff

For *Ole Miss*, their regular season is over, so this week’s CFP ranking is basically their final audition. Meanwhile, *Miami* still hopes for one more win to strengthen its case.

The Egg Bowl on Friday set the tone. Ole Miss not only kept their playoff hopes alive but also stayed in the SEC race.

Rivalry Week Shake-ups

No. 16 *Texas* pulled off a shocker, beating No. 3 *Texas A&M*. The Aggies are likely dropping to the four-to-six range, maybe even behind *Georgia*.

Georgia’s got the edge with better wins, including a solid victory over Texas, and their only loss is to No. 10 *Alabama*. Plus, they’ve locked up a spot in the SEC title game, which doesn’t hurt.

Texas A&M now joins the one-loss club with No. 5 *Texas Tech*, No. 6 *Oregon*, and No. 7 *Ole Miss*. The debate on who deserves the highest seed just got messier.

The Aggies’ strength of record and schedule might save them from a big drop, maybe just flipping spots with Georgia. But the committee’s also eyeing Texas Tech’s and Oregon’s recent surges on both sides of the ball.

Indiana’s Big Ten Triumph

*Indiana* clinched a spot in the Big Ten championship by knocking off rival *Purdue*. That win all but secures a CFP bid and keeps their shot at a first-round bye alive.

The Hoosiers have been hanging around the No. 2 spot in the rankings. If *Ohio State* stumbles against *Michigan*, Indiana might even grab the top seed.

Potential Outcomes for Indiana

If Indiana loses the title game, the committee’s going to weigh who beat them and how close it was. Playing a ranked opponent in the conference championship still helps their strength of record.

Even as a runner-up, Indiana could hang on to a top-four seed and a first-round bye. Nothing’s guaranteed, but their résumé is strong.

Georgia’s Consistency and Georgia Tech’s Slim Chances

*Georgia* kept rolling, beating *Georgia Tech* and cementing themselves as the top one-loss team. The Bulldogs’ balance on offense and defense hasn’t gone unnoticed by the committee.

Their first-round bye looks safe—unless they somehow end up as a two-loss SEC runner-up. That would definitely muddy things.

*Georgia Tech*? Their playoff hopes are, well, hanging by a thread. Even with a 9-3 record, the Yellow Jackets would need a miracle run of ACC results to have a shot.

They entered the weekend with a 1.5% chance, and, honestly, that’s probably generous. The path is almost nonexistent.

Ole Miss and the Lane Kiffin Factor

With a win over *Mississippi State*, *Ole Miss* probably locked up a playoff spot and looks set to host a first-round game. If *Alabama* loses to *Auburn*, Ole Miss gets into the SEC championship, but even without that, their one-loss record should be enough.

But there’s a twist: coach *Lane Kiffin*’s status is up in the air. If they go into the playoff with an interim coach, the CFP committee might actually factor that in.

According to protocol, the committee does consider missing key players and coaches. It’s a wild card that could affect seeding.

Utah’s Outside Shot

No. 13 *Utah* added a win over 5-7 *Kansas*, but the path to the playoff is still pretty steep. They just got leapfrogged by No. 12 *Miami* in the latest rankings.

Utah’s best hope is as an at-large team, but to get into the top 10, they need a bunch of teams ahead of them to lose. It’s not impossible, just… unlikely.

Scenarios for Utah

If *Oklahoma*, *Alabama*, and Miami lose, it’s going to be tough for any of them to hang onto a top 12 spot with three losses. Utah would need at least two of those teams to drop their games to have a real shot at cracking the top 10.

That’s a must for CFP seeding. The No. 11 and No. 12 teams get bumped out during the seeding process, making room for the fourth- and fifth-highest ranked conference champs. It’s a little harsh, but those are the rules.

As these last games play out, the CFP picture is still shifting. Some teams are just barely hanging on, hoping for the right dominoes to fall.

If you want more details or the latest updates, check out ESPN.