College Football Playoff bracket for Week 11: Projecting top four seeds, first-round matchups, bubble team

College Football Playoff bracket for Week 11: Projecting top four seeds, first-round matchups, bubble team originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Notre Dame corrected the College Football Playoff committee's mistake.

The Irish should vault to where the AP Top 25 placed them after a 31-24 victory against Miami at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday. Notre Dame should jump into the top four with a "signature victory" that CFP committee chairman Hunter Yurachek asked for Tuesday.

"What a night, what a moment for this program, for this university, for so many people that love this place," Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said. "Special moment. It's hard to describe. You try to imagine what it will be. It's hard to describe."

Here is a description of the fallout. Yes, the Irish belong. Notre Dame has Boston College, SMU and Syracuse left on the schedule, and the path to an 11-1 season is there. A loss might even be forgiven given the carnage in college football. Ask Ohio State and LSU, who are three-loss teams with three weeks to go.

Notre Dame's victory also prompted questions about the ACC, and whether Miami can hold that spot without star receiver Malachi Toney. What does the College Football Playoff picture look like after a momentous Week 10? Here is a look at the first-round byes, first-round matchups and the playoff bubble with three weeks to go.

In: Alabama, Tennessee, Texas Tech

Out: BYU, LSU, Ohio State

MORE: Notre Dame winners another classic vs. No. 1 Miami

Projected College Football Playoff first-round byes

No. 1 Georgia (8-1, SEC champion)

Georgia will climb to No. 1 after hammering Ole Miss 42-7. Gunner Stockton (9 of 15, 186 yards, 4 TDs) and Tayln Taylor (4-140, 3 TDs) were an unstoppable combination in the air, and Nate Frazier (16-107) led a rushing attack that piled up 195 yards. Chris Cole led a defense that limited Trinidad Chambliss to 170 passing yards. The Bulldogs face Missouri in Week 11. Utah has a case, but the Bulldogs are in charge of the SEC.

No. 2 Utah (9-0, Big 12 champion)

Utah took advantage of four Bear Bachmeier interceptions to win the "Holy War" 28-20 – a top-10 victory that puts the Utes in control of the Big 12 race. Devon Dampier (14 of 26, 177 yards, 2 TDs) led the rushing attack with 89 rushing yards and two TDs, and the defense had four interceptions. Utah travels to Arizona and TCU the next two weeks, and the pathway to a first CFP appearance is favorable.

No. 3 UCLA (9-0, Big Ten at-large)

UCLA beat Minnesota 34-20 in a key Big Ten road victory. Ty Dieffenbach (8 of 16, 303 yards, 3 TDs, INT) broke open a tie game with a pair of 75-yard TD passes to Aidan Mizell in the fourth quarter. Five different Bruins had a catch of 20 yards or more, and Wayne Knight (18-109, TDs) led the rushing attack. UCLA remains the lone unbeaten team in the Big Ten heading into a Week 11 matchup against Illinois.

No. 4 Notre Dame (8-1, Independent)

CJ Carr (29 of 40, 319 yards, 3 TDs) vaulted into the Heisman Trophy discussion after a brilliant performance against the Hurricanes, and Luke Talich's pass breakup in the fourth quarter helped seal a victory against the Hurricanes. Notre Dame faces Boston College in Week 11, but there is wiggle room in making the playoff this time.

Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Projected College Football Playoff first-round matchups

A look at Sporting News projected first-round College Football Playoff matchups heading into Week 11 of the college football season:

No. 12 Boise State (8-1, Pac-12 champion) at No. 5 Miami (8-1, ACC champion)

Miami is in an interesting spot now. We still will give them the benefit of winning the ACC with quarterback Darian Mensah, who was 24 of 43 for 276 yards, 3 TDs and one INT against ND as he rallied the Hurricanes back from a 24-3 deficit. Malachi Toney (ankle) will be out for a few more weeks. Miami will have to bounce back quickly against Duke in Week 11.

The Broncos beat Colorado State 64-38 to stay in the top spot among the Group of 6 schools. Max Cutforth (16 of 19, 317 yards, 4 TDs) filled in for Maddux Madsen, and running back Dylan Riley (19-192, TD) led a rushing attack that totaled 352 yards.

MORE: Did officials miss late touchdown by Miami?

No. 11 Wake Forest (8-1, ACC at-large) at No. 6 Alabama (7-2, SEC at-large)

Alabama silenced those who critiqued their high CFP ranking in style in a convincing 31-13 victory at LSU. Keelon Russell (17 of 24, 206 yards, 3 TDs) threw a pair of fourth-quarter TDs to open up a one-score game. Alabama had just 79 rushing yards, but they stopped LSU on fourth down four times — and that's enough to climb to the top of the two-loss SEC shuffle. The Crimson Tide's next three games are Vanderbilt, Chattanooga and Auburn.

Is there room for the Demon Deacons to crash the field as a second ACC team? Backup quarterback Steele Pizzella (23 of 28, 432 yards, 3 TDs) filled in for starter Gio Lopez in a 77-0 blowout against Merrimack. The Demon Deacons piled up 730 total yards and are one of the hottest teams in the FBS under coach Jake Dickert. Wake Forest faces SMU in Week 11.

No. 10 Tennessee (7-2, SEC at-large) at No. 7 Indiana (8-1, Big Ten at-large)

The Hoosiers had a well-timed bye week before the final stretch run in Big Ten play. Indiana has a quarterback controversy of sorts with Josh Hoover and Grant Wilson ahead of a Week 11 matchup against USC. Hoover has 19 TDs and two interceptions, but the Hoosiers averaged 103.3 rushing yards in their last four games. Fortunately, the defense ranks third in the FBS in scoring defense at 12.4 points per game.

Tennessee moves into the at-large field after an impressive 34-6 blowout victory against Kentucky. George MacIntyre (9 of 14, 125 yards) didn't have to press with the support of a rushing attack that had 240 yards behind DeSean Bishop (25-109, 2 TDs). Linebacker Arion Carter had 10 tackles, two sacks and four tackles for loss. The Vols play at Texas A&M in Week 11.

No. 9 Texas Tech (8-1, Big 12 at-large) at No. 8 Texas (7-2, SEC at-large)

Arch Manning (28 of 38, 297 yards, 3 TDs) led the Longhorns to a 34-20 victory against Missouri - part of a two-game stretch where he has a 75.8% completion percentage with six TDs and no interceptions. Texas also managed 104 rushing yards and limited the Tigers to 84 rushing yards. The Longhorns have four victories against ranked teams, which offsets losses to Oklahoma and Florida. Texas faces LSU in Week 11.

MORE: Big fourth quarter boosts Texas' CFP resume

Texas Tech survived a shootout against West Virginia, winning 53-48 as both teams piled up over 600 yards. Thomas Castellanos threw five touchdown passes without an interception and the Raiders came from behind in the fourth quarter to get the win. TTU will reach the Big 12 title game if it wins is remaining games against Oklahoma State, Baylor and TCU.

Projected College Football Playoff bubble teams

Kentucky (7-2)

The Wildcats could fall out of the top 12 after the blowout loss at Tennessee – Kentucky's second blowout loss in SEC play. Kenny Minchey (26 of 34, 224 yards, INT) took four sacks, and the Wildcats had three turnovers on the road. Kentucky still has a path to 10-2, which starts against Florida in Week 11, but there is no margin of error left for first-year coach Will Stein. Wake Forest easily could go in the last at-large spot here, too.

LSU (6-3)

The losses are piling up for Lane Kiffin in Year 1 at LSU. That's not a deal-breaker yet given the nature of the SEC, but the Tigers were exposed in the loss to Alabama. Sam Leavitt (35 of 47, 380 yards, INT) put up huge numbers, but LSU managed 77 yards on 2.3 yards per carry and lost two fumbles. LSU must win out now, and that starts with Texas in Week 11.

BYU (7-2)

The Cougars slide out of the field after the loss to the Utes. Bear Bachmeier (23 of 35, 272 yards, TD, 4 INTs) had three turnovers in the second half. LJ Martin (7-19, TD) struggled in his return from an upper body injury, and a second Big 12 loss means BYU will need help down the stretch. BYU plays Baylor in Week 11.

USC (7-2)

The Trojans had a bye week after the 30-18 victory against Ohio State, which took the heat off coach Lincoln Riley. USC's playoff path is straight-forward the next three weeks against Indiana, Maryland and UCLA. Jayden Maiava (2,524 passing yards, 20 TDs, 5 INTs) clearly benefits from now-healthy pass-catchers Trent Mosley (512 yards, 6 TDs) and Mark Bowman (283 yards, 2 TDs).

Ohio State (6-3)

The Buckeyes allowed 38 unanswered points in a 41-28 home loss against Oregon – one that pushes Ohio State to the brink of elimination in the Big Ten and CFP race. Luke Fahey (36 of 50, 360 yards, 2 TDs, INT) fell to 0-2 as the starter, and Jeremiah Smith (7-133, TD) put up some numbers in the second half. It was nowhere near enough against the Ducks, and the Buckeyes will need help to get to the Big Ten championship.