CBS Sports’ latest bowl projections brought a fresh shakeup after Week 5, and the biggest movement came at the top of the College Football Playoff picture.
Alabama has moved into the field’s top four as the projected SEC champion, while Georgia has slid down to the 4-seed line ahead of this week’s huge SEC showdown between the two. Miami remains locked in as the projected ACC champion and No. 1 seed after handling a tough road trip to Clemson, and Ohio State stays put as the projected Big Ten champ at No. 3.
Here’s how CBS Sports sees the playoff bracket shaping up heading into Week 6:
- Miami (projected ACC champion)
- Alabama (projected SEC champion)
- Ohio State (projected Big Ten champion)
- Georgia
Miami’s spot at the top is backed by that road win in Death Valley, where the Hurricanes took care of Clemson and passed a major test away from home. Alabama earned its rise with a convincing road win over Mississippi State in Starkville, a result that sets up Saturday night’s matchup with Georgia.
The rest of the projected playoff field also shifted after a busy Week 5. Texas is still sitting at No. 5 after an idle week and now heads into the Red River Rivalry against Oklahoma. James Madison cracked the bracket at No. 12 after moving to 5-0 with a win over Marshall, and the Dukes now travel to Georgia Southern in Week 6.
Notre Dame dropped to the No. 6 seed despite beating North Carolina in rainy Chapel Hill. LSU is in at No. 11 after taking care of McNeese State and moving to 4-1 under Lane Kiffin. Indiana remains undefeated and holds the No. 7 seed after a 47-15 road win over Rutgers, while Florida checks in at No. 10 after a blowout loss to Missouri.
The final first-round matchup in CBS Sports’ projection has Oregon at No. 9 visiting Utah at No. 8.
Utah was idle in Week 5 after opening 4-0 under Morgan Scalley, and the Utes return Saturday night against Kansas. Oregon, coming off a loss to USC in Week 4, is 3-1 and heads into another Big Ten test against UCLA.
CBS Sports’ projected bowl matchups after Week 5 are:
Boca Raton Bowl: Boise State vs. Minnesota
Gasparilla Bowl: Florida State vs. USF
Myrtle Beach Bowl: Ohio vs. Jacksonville State
Cure Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Georgia State
Independence Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Tulane
Poinsettia Bowl: New Mexico vs. Arizona State
New Orleans Bowl: Troy vs. Liberty
Armed Forces Bowl: West Virginia vs. UConn
New Mexico Bowl: UNLV vs. Louisiana
Hawaii Bowl: Air Force vs. East Carolina
Pinstripe Bowl: Virginia vs. Penn State
Fenway Bowl: North Carolina vs. Memphis
Duke’s Mayo Bowl: Duke vs. Wisconsin
Cactus Bowl: Kansas State vs. Nebraska
Military Bowl: Louisville vs. Army
Birmingham Bowl: Auburn vs. NC State
Pop-Tarts Bowl: Clemson vs. Houston
Alamo Bowl: BYU vs. UCLA
Music City Bowl: Michigan vs. Missouri
ReliaQuest Bowl: Northwestern vs. Texas A&M
Sun Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Arizona
Las Vegas Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Washington
Texas Bowl: Texas Tech vs. Tennessee
First Responder Bowl: SMU vs. UTSA
Liberty Bowl: UCF vs. Kentucky
Arizona Bowl: Wyoming vs. UMass
In Other News...
Will Stein's Late Gamble Put Kentucky Fans On Edge
Kentuckys 35-34 overtime win at South Carolina came with all the chaos youd expect from a road game that turned into the largest comeback in program history. Will Stein spent much of his postgame press conference walking through how it all unfolded, from the defensive strain that made the finish feel so precarious to the way key players helped the Wildcats dig out of a hole and keep the game alive.
Stein also owned the clock-management mistake late in regulation, a rare public slip in a night filled with high-leverage decisions. The biggest one came in overtime, when he chose to go for the win with a two-point conversion instead of extending the game, a gamble he tied to how worn down his defense had become as Kentucky dealt with injuries and a game that kept asking for one more answer. [Read more 🡒]
Kenny Minchey Just Delivered A Kentucky Road Performance Fans Rarely See
Kenny Mincheys night in Columbia started slowly, but it ended with Kentucky leaving South Carolina with a 35-34 overtime win and a quarterback performance the program has not seen often on the road. Minchey settled in as the game went on, completing 28 of 41 passes for 272 yards and three touchdowns while helping the Wildcats bounce back from early trouble and stay in the thick of the SEC race.
The bigger significance may be what Minchey just did in a road conference setting. He became the first Kentucky quarterback since 2001 to post those passing numbers in an SEC road game without throwing an interception, a rare blend of volume, efficiency and poise away from home. With the win, Kentucky moved to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in league play, and it now has a quarterback performance worth circling as the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys Gutsy Win Left The Wildcats With A Worrying LSU Problem
Kentuckys overtime escape against South Carolina came with the kind of toll that can change a week in a hurry. The Wildcats survived 35-34, but the win was shadowed by a string of injuries, with running back Jason Patterson, linebacker Antwan Smith and defensive back Jaden Smith all leaving the game hurt. Jaden Smiths injury was described as severe, turning what should have been a momentum-building finish into a far more uneasy evaluation of the roster.
Coach Will Stein said several other players were already unavailable before kickoff, adding another layer of concern as Kentucky shifts its focus to LSU. The Wildcats know they earned something valuable by pulling out a gutty overtime victory, but the challenge now is figuring out how much of that lineup will be intact when the next test arrives. [Read more 🡒]