Week 9 College Football Playoff predictions: Texas lives to see another week, Oregon’s season up in flames

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As the college football season winds down, teams are playing for their College Football Playoff lives each and every week. While some teams rose to the occasion in Week 8 and stayed alive in the race to make the 12-team bracket, others fell by the wayside and now will be looking ahead to next season.

Texas was playing for its playoff life at home against Ole Miss. You could feel the urgency of the Longhorns’ situation early in the game, as they took a 24-3 lead into the half. After Ole Miss rallied with 21 straight points, Texas responded to get a 34-27 win and stay in the CFP hunt.

On the other side of the coin, Oregon’s nightmare season continued to get worse. The Ducks, still playing without Dante Moore due to a concussion, couldn’t get anything going on offense in a 21-10 loss to Illinois. That is the third loss of the season for Dan Lanning and company, which should spell their end of their postseason hopes this season.

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The story of the sport last week was the rise of the Big 12. Houston, Texas Tech, BYU and Utah all looked like CFP contenders coming out of Week 7, but the conference came crashing back down to earth in Week 8. Texas Tech and BYU both suffered upset losses before Utah knocked off Houston in a late-night battle. All of a sudden, just one unbeaten remains in the conference and it is looking more like a one-bid league after all.

Who else makes the latest CFP predictions? We simmed the rest of the season after Saturday’s results to get the latest look at the 12-team field.

1. Ohio State (12-1, Big Ten Champion)

Ohio State is tough to judge at the moment until it has to play a full game with its backup quarterback. The Buckeyes haven’t had to play a game without Julian Sayin yet, but it appears the longtime starter in Columbus might be out for the rest of the season. Of course, all either Luke Fahey or Tavien St. Clair has to do is throw the ball up to Jeremiah Smith, but there are still some tricky games on the Buckeyes’ schedule. Next up is a trip to Los Angeles to take on a USC team coming off of a loss.

2. Georgia (11-2, SEC Champion)

Georgia was off in Week 8, but now the Bulldogs will start the home stretch of SEC play with a couple of tricky games. Kirby Smart and company will play a rivalry game against Florida on Saturday before games against Ole Miss and Missouri. Georgia can still afford another loss in the CFP race, but it will be trying its best to avoid that and remain at the top of the SEC standings.

3. Notre Dame (11-1)

Notre Dame had the week off to lick its wounds after losing to BYU, but the Irish still have all of their goals in front of them. Notre Dame now has a game against Navy before hosting Miami in a game that could determine Marcus Freeman and company’s playoff hopes. The Irish also have a big game against a very explosive SMU offense coming after that.

4. Miami (FL) (12-1, ACC Champion)

Miami is still the No. 1 team in the nation at the moment after crushing Pitt on Saturday. Malachi Toney is working his way into the Heisman Trophy discussion after another monster day that included 16 catches and a pair of touchdowns, and the Hurricanes are looking nearly unstoppable on the offensive side. The defense has looked exploitable at times, however, which will be tested in a few weeks when the Hurricanes visit Notre Dame.

5. Utah (12-1, Big 12 Champion)

Utah played an excellent second half on Saturday night to beat a very good Houston team 21-13 and remain the only unbeaten team in the Big 12. The Utes still have the Holy War against BYU before a road trip to play an explosive Arizona offense, but even a split in those two games should be good enough to get the Utes and their elite running game into the Big 12 title game.

6. Tennessee (10-2)

Tennessee fell to South Carolina on Saturday, in large part thanks to a great day from LaNorris Sellers. But the Vols are starting to figure out their offensive formula with George MacIntyre at quarterback. The defense can still give anybody fits on a good day, which makes this a dangerous team.

Tennessee also has its two toughest remaining games at home, in Week 10 against Kentucky off of a bye and in Week 12 against LSU. That game against the Tigers could prove to be a playoff game of its own.

7. Indiana (11-2, Big Ten Runner-Up)

Indiana is back in the top five in the AP poll and is on the CFP track again after beating Michigan 13-6 in overtime, but there are reasons to be concerned about this Hoosiers squad at this point. Josh Hoover looks banged up and is not playing very well, and the offense as a whole just struggles to get going against any good defense it faces. That could be a problem next week against a Minnesota team that is difficult to move the ball against.

8. UCLA (11-1)

UCLA just continues to win, no matter who is at quarterback. Bob Chesney and company can handle most Big Ten opponents on defense, and the offense jabs you with the running game while seeking explosives through the air. That’s a winning formula, and it has the Bruins undefeated still with just five games to play. UCLA also has a very manageable schedule down the stretch, which should allow it to get in at 4-1 down the stretch and make the CFP.

9. Kentucky (10-2)

Will Stein continues to win games in his first season in Lexington. This Kentucky offense is very good with Kenny Minchey under center, and he looked very good again in a win over Vanderbilt on Saturday. Kentucky also has a manageable remaining schedule, save for a trip to Knoxville to take on Tennessee, and is currently sitting atop the SEC with just one loss. That gives Stein and company a path to the CFP in year one.

10. Texas (9-3)

Just when you think Steve Sarkisian and company are down and out, they come back with one of their best performances of the season. Texas had to have a win on Saturday night and they got one, giving them a win over Ole Miss to go with their victory over Ohio State. That gives Texas a little bit of wiggle room even if it loses a third game in the regular season. That could happen in a road date with LSU, but Texas’ resume will likely be the best of the three-loss teams.

11. Ole Miss (10-3, SEC Runner-Up)

Ole Miss didn’t get the win on Saturday night, which is obviously the biggest story. But the defense bowed up in the second half and Trinidad Chambliss found a bit of a rhythm. The Rebels are still waiting on an update on Kewan Lacy, which will be a big factor in how the rest of the season goes, but the schedule could be worse. Ole Miss will be favored in all of its remaining games save for a home date with Georgia, but Chambliss is capable of winning every game he suits up for.

12. Boise State (12-1, Pac-12 Champion)

Boise State was a little groggy in the first half on Saturday, but the Broncos ended up escaping Pullman with a comfortable 31-10 win against Washington State. A tricky late-night game awaits Spencer Danielson and company on Halloween against Texas State, as a date with a very explosive Oregon State team looms in November.

Next Out: LSU (9-3), BYU (10-2), Alabama (9-3), Houston (10-2), Oklahoma State (10-3, Big 12 Runner-Up)

First Round Predictions

No. 5 Utah defeats No. 12 Boise State

No. 6 Tennessee defeats No. 11 Ole Miss

No. 10 Texas defeats No. 7 Indiana

No. 9 Kentucky defeats No. 8 UCLA

Quarterfinal Predictions

No. 1 Ohio State defeats No. 9 Kentucky

No. 2 Georgia defeats No. 10 Texas

No. 3 Notre Dame defeats No. 6 Tennessee

No. 4 Miami (FL) defeats No. 5 Utah

Semifinal Predictions

No. 4 Miami (FL) defeats No. 1 Ohio State

No. 2 Georgia defeats No. 3 Notre Dame

National Championship

No. 4 Miami (FL) defeats No. 2 Georgia

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