Bowl projections: Georgia jumps Texas for No. 1 seed in College Football Playoff, Tennessee has work ahead

No. 5 Georgia sent a message on Saturday that perhaps some of us have written them off too soon after the Bulldogs went into Austin and knocked off No. 1 Texas 30-15 in a game that was not as close as the score would indicate.  

The result of that game now has Georgia sitting as the projected No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff field, replacing the Longhorns. Texas, meanwhile, has dropped to sixth behind Oregon. The Ducks, a 35-0 winner over Purdue on Friday, may replace Texas as the No. 1 team in the polls this week, for what that’s worth.

No. 7 Alabama fell at No. 11 Tennessee 24-17 and dropped to the No. 8 seed in the projected CFP bracket.

I have said all along that Tennessee would have to beat either Alabama or Georgia to earn a CFP berth, but with Texas A&M still in play, the Volunteers may very well have to beat Georgia when they travel to Athens on Nov. 16. We should have a better idea whether that is must-win for the Vols by then.

The Big Ten has some unusual names fighting for spots in the CFP as well but are not projected to a berth just yet. No. 22 Illinois knocked off No. 24 Michigan 21-7 to end any hopes for the Wolverines to repeat as national champions. No. 16 Indiana is off to a 7-0 start for just the second time in its history, but a soft schedule could keep the Hoosiers out of CFP contention even at 11-1, assuming that loss comes at Ohio State. Indiana could will 11 games but none against an opponent with more than seven wins. The Hoosiers could possibly overcome that, but it depends on who the competition.

Quarterfinals

First round

Be sure to check back on Sunday morning for the full list of Jerry Palm’s bowl projections.