College Football Playoff odds, bracket: Texas A&M, Georgia Tech make their case with big Week 3 wins

No team gained more traction in the pursuit of a College Football Playoff berth in Week 3 than the Texas A&M Aggies, who scored a game-winning touchdown on fourth down at the end of regulation to defeat then-No. 8 Notre Dame 41-40 in South Bend. The Aggies got their first road win over an AP top-10 team since 2014 and are now 3-0 heading into the bye week before starting conference play. Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed struggled for a large portion of the second half but made some timely plays with his arm and legs on the final drive, capturing what could be considered a “Heisman moment” in primetime.

On the flip side, Notre Dame is now 0-2 and no longer controls its playoff destiny. The Irish should be favored to win the rest of their games and could still finish 10-2, but they’ll now need style points and results elsewhere to get back to the playoff since they don’t play a conference championship game.

Here’s a look at the latest College Football Playoff odds after Week 3, along with a projected bracket based on results and conjecture for the remainder of the season.

College Football Playoff odds (via FanDuel)

Ohio State (-750 to make, +490 to miss)
Penn State (-350 to make, +265 to miss)
Georgia (-320 to make, +245 to miss)
LSU (-220 to make, +176 to miss)
Texas (-180 to make, +146 to miss)
Clemson (+520 to make, -800 to miss)
Notre Dame (+225 to make, -290 to miss)
Miami (-215 to make, +172 to miss)
Oklahoma (+168 to make, -210 to miss)
Florida State (+260 to make, -340 to miss)
Iowa State (+520 to make, -800 to miss)
Georgia Tech (+176 to make, -220 to miss)
Texas A&M (+136 to make, -168 to miss)
South Florida (OTB)
Oregon (-370 to make, +270 to miss)
Alabama (+138 to make, -170 to miss)

Most of the top contenders handled their business in Week 3, even if they weren’t necessarily convincing. That can’t be said for Clemson. The Tigers weren’t completely toast after losing to LSU in Week 1, but needing a comeback to beat Troy in Week 2 definitely raised some eyebrows. Clemson was on upset alert when Georgia Tech came to town in Week 3, and the Yellow Jackets cemented themselves as CFP contenders with a game-winning field goal as time expired to knock off the Tigers 24-21. Georgia Tech has a favorable schedule the rest of the way, avoiding Miami, Florida State and Notre Dame. Its toughest conference test will be a road trip to NC State to start November, and there’s still the final game of the year against Georgia. Clemson can still win the ACC, but Dabo Swinney’s crew will need to run the table. That seems unlikely with games against SMU, Florida State and Louisville looming.

Georgia nearly saw its eight-game winning streak over Tennessee snapped on Saturday, but the Volunteers missed a game-winning field goal in regulation. They kicked a field goal to open overtime, but Georgia scored a game-winning touchdown to remain undefeated. The Bulldogs get a week off before hosting Alabama. LSU erased some of the pain from last year’s loss to Florida with a 20-10 win over the Gators to remain undefeated. Brian Kelly’s squad gets a break in Week 4 against Southeastern Louisiana before things heat up again with the Magnolia Bowl on Sept. 27 against Ole Miss. The Tigers and Aggies will meet in late October in what could be a matchup of undefeated teams.

Even though South Florida lost to Miami, the Bulls are in a great position to capture a playoff spot. They will still have to get past a Memphis team that has looked good through three weeks, but the Bulls have the quality wins, and the Tigers will not have to impress the committee. As for the Hurricanes, they are looking like the pick to win the ACC after a 49-12 win. Carson Beck is quietly making a Heisman case with eight total touchdowns through three weeks, and he gets Florida next week before a bye week. Miami faces Florida State in the first week of October in a game that suddenly has massive implications thanks to Georgia Tech upsetting Clemson. It’s possible the loser of that contest does not make the ACC title game.