CFP Bubble Watch: The 12 teams currently in and the four on the cusp

With 1 double-overtime nonaccomplishment to Oregon connected Saturday, Penn State dropped retired of the latest College Football Playoff projection, landing successful the dreaded No. 12 spot, wherever it would beryllium replaced by the 4th and 5th league champions.

The Nittany Lions are present officially connected the bubble -- and nether unit to triumph astatine Ohio State connected Nov. 1.

Below you'll find 1 squad successful the spotlight for each of the Power 4 leagues and different identified arsenic an enigma. We've besides tiered schools into 4 groups. Teams with Would beryllium in presumption are featured successful this week's apical 12 projection, a snapshot of what the enactment committee's ranking would look similar if it were released today. A squad with Work to do is passing the oculus trial (for the astir part) and has a accidental astatine winning its conference, which means a guaranteed spot successful the playoff. And a squad that Would beryllium out is playing successful the shadows of the playoff -- for now.

This week, we added a 4th category: On the cusp. These are the existent bubble teams and the archetypal ones extracurricular the bracket.

The 13-member enactment committee doesn't ever hold with the Allstate Playoff Predictor, truthful the pursuing categories are based connected humanities cognition of the group's tendencies positive what each squad has done to date.

Reminder: This volition alteration week-to-week arsenic each squad builds -- oregon busts -- its résumé.

Jump to a conference:
ACC | Big 12 | Big Ten
SEC | Independent | Group of 5
Bracket

SEC

Spotlight: LSU. The Tigers dropped retired of the apical 12 projection pursuing their nonaccomplishment to Ole Miss due to the fact that they didn't look similar a playoff team: 2-of-11 connected 3rd downs, 59 rushing yards, 7 penalties and 1 turnover. The LSU defence allowed 13 explosive plays, its astir successful a azygous crippled since the 2024 play opener against USC. Offensively, LSU managed conscionable 3 explosive plays -- its fewest successful a crippled since 2018. Still, it was a adjacent nonaccomplishment connected the road, and LSU has plentifulness of chances to get backmost into the race. Unless it continues to play similar that. According to ESPN Analytics, LSU's chances of reaching the SEC rubric crippled dropped to 2.9%, the 10th-best accidental successful the league. If the Tigers are not successful the league title game, they could inactive gain an at-large bid, but they person the No. 12 toughest remaining schedule. That includes trips to ranked opponents Vandy, Alabama and Oklahoma.

The enigma: Vanderbilt. The cognition of Vanderbilt is dilatory changing -- from an world schoolhouse with a shot team, to an world schoolhouse with a spoiler team, to ... hey, tin these guys bushed Bama again?! The Commodores are 5-0 for the 2nd clip successful 80 years. Vandy bushed the Tide 40-35 past twelvemonth successful Nashville. This year, the Commodores person scored astatine slightest 55 points successful each of their past 2 games, and they've scored astatine slightest 30 successful each 5 wins, their longest single-season streak since joining the SEC successful 1948. A batch of Vandy's occurrence stems from the grit and property of its quarterback, Diego Pavia, who accounted for six touchdowns against Utah State past week. This is wherever Vandy's existent trial begins, though, arsenic the Commodores person the No. 2 toughest remaining docket successful the country, according to ESPN Analytics. They'll look 4 consecutive ranked opponents, starting with Bama. ESPN's FPI gi...