CFP Playoff Bracket, Scenarios and Bowl Projections After 2026-27 Week 9 AP Rankings

The hierarchy of College Football Playoff contenders switched up once again after Week 8 due to the losses suffered by the BYU Cougars and Texas Tech Red Raiders.

BYU dropped six spots from No. 2 to No. 8 in Sunday's AP Top 25 . Texas Tech experienced a similar stumble from No. 8 to No. 13.

Saturday's results in the Big 12 allowed the Utah Utes, who beat the Houston Cougars at home, to move up to No. 6.

Utah is one of three unbeaten teams left in the FBS alongside the top-ranked Miami Hurricanes and the No. 7 UCLA Bruins.

UCLA is one of a few unexpected teams inside the top 10. The Kentucky Wildcats also fit into that category at No. 9. Kentucky, the Georgia Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide are the only three SEC teams inside the top 10 going into Week 9.

Utah Up to No. 6, BYU Down to No. 8 In Big 12 Reshuffling

The Big 12 entered Week 8 with three teams in the top 10.

Utah's win combined with the losses suffered by BYU and Texas Tech caused a reshuffling in the Week 9 AP poll.

Utah is now the top team in the Big 12 at No. 6. The Utes have a potentially tricky three-game stretch ahead of them now. They go on the road next week to face the Cincinnati Bearcats, who upset Texas Tech in Week 8, before a November 7 rivalry battle with BYU.

A road trip to Arizona on November 14 is also on the schedule. That could be a tough test one game after the rivalry game.

The best-case scenario in the Big 12 is for Utah, BYU and Texas Tech to all finish the regular season with one loss. That would mean BYU beats Utah on November 7.

BYU's margin for error is smaller now because of its loss to the UCF Knights. The Cougars' only remaining ranked opponent is Utah.

As for Texas Tech, it gets Arizona at home next week and then faces a tough test on the road at the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

With all the carnage happening in the SEC, the Big Ten only having a few elite teams and the ACC in a weak state, the Big 12 is in position to have three playoff teams, even with all of the chaos that occurred on Saturday.

Texas Leaps Up to No. 11 After Win Over Ole Miss

The Texas Longhorns surged back up to No. 11 following its win over the Ole Miss Rebels and the chaos that occurred elsewhere.

Arch Manning and Co. moved up eight positions in the poll to No. 11, which would be good enough to be an at-large team in the 12-team CFB Playoff field if the season ended today.

Texas has a weird resume, though, with three top-15 wins and two losses to unranked teams.

The Longhorns, with their two losses, still have a small margin for error to make the playoff field. They visit the Missouri Tigers and LSU Tigers in the first two weeks of November.

If Texas wins out, it will absolutely be in the playoff, but if it suffers another defeat, it'll sit in a tough spot to qualify as an at-large team.

UCLA is one of the unexpected programs inside the top 10.

The Bruins moved to 7-0 on Saturday. They are now up to No. 7 in the AP poll.

UCLA has a very realistic path to the playoff as well. It doesn't have a single ranked opponent left on its schedule after the USC Trojans dropped out of the poll.

The Bruins do have two difficult road trips left against the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Michigan Wolverines, but they could be favored in both of those contests.

If UCLA survives those trips, it could be undefeated to end the regular season, which would guarantee its spot in the playoff field.

Even a one-loss UCLA should get into the field given how many teams have one or two losses at this juncture of the season.

Unranked CFB teams cause chaos in Week 8