12-Team College Football Playoff Bracket Based on Coaches Poll

9. Tennessee Volunteers at 8. LSU Tigers

The LSU Tigers were impressive at Arkansas, handling the Hogs and continuing to improve on defense. LSU has a great passing offense and would be hosting the Tennessee Volunteers. The Vols beat the Alabama Crimson Tide in come-from-behind fashion in Knoxville. Tennessee struggled again through the air, failing to take advantage of a susceptible Alabama secondary. They had only seven points through three quarters and were forced to ride Dylan Sampson as much as possible. However, a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns saved the day and gave the Crimson Tide their second loss of the season.

Week 9: LSU (+3.5) at Texas A&M

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2. Georgia Bulldogs (SEC Champion)

The Georgia Bulldogs regain the projected SEC Championship and a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff after a dominant victory at the Texas Longhorns. UGA turned up the defensive pressure and repeatedly got the best of the Texas offensive line. The Bulldogs had seven sacks and ten tackles for loss and controlled the contest from the opening kickoff. The lack of consistency from Carson Beck is a concern, but the Bulldogs showed their depth of defensive talent and now have a well-timed bye week to iron out some of the defensive issues. They now close with Florida, Ole Miss, Tennessee at home, UMass, and Georgia Tech. Georgia would have a bye to the quarterfinals and probably play in the Sugar Bowl against the eight versus nine game winner.

3. Miami Hurricanes - ACC Champion

The Miami Hurricanes are incapable of playing boring games. Mario Cristobal’s squad beat Louisville after a wild second half that featured special teams touchdowns and huge stats from both quarterbacks. That’s great, but it has to be a concern for Miami that they continue to give up a ton of explosive plays against every opponent. Miami still projects as the ACC Champion, remaining at No. 6 and the top-ranked ACC team in the field. The gap between the Tigers and Hurricanes is getting smaller. The Hurricanes would get a first-round bye and play the winner of the six versus 11 game.

4. Iowa State Cyclones - Big 12 Champion

The Iowa State Cyclones can breathe a sigh of relief as they survived an upset bid from Central Florida and prevailed 38-35. Iowa State surrendered 354 yards on the ground and gave up a concerning 9.1 yards per carry against the Knights. Iowa State gets a well-timed bye before playing Texas Tech, Kansas, Cincinnati, Utah, and Kansas State to close the regular season. There is still much to play out in the Big 12 as BYU sits tied at the top at 4-0, and four teams are bunched at 3-1. The winner of the league will likely earn the four-seed and move to the quarterfinals in the Fiesta Bowl.

12. Boise State Broncos at 5. Penn State Nittany Lions

The Penn State Nittany Lions rested this weekend after winning in a squeaker at USC. That win took another little hit as USC managed to lose to Maryland. The Nittany Lions still sit at No. 3 in both polls, which keeps them parked at fifth in the projected College Football Playoff bracket. The Nittany Lions would be hosting the 12th-seeded Boise State Broncos, the selection from the Group of Five. The Broncos were on a bye but now face a massive test against the UNLV Rebels. Army and Navy are still unbeaten with games against Notre Dame coming up, and they could also have a say in this spot.

Week 9: Penn State (-6.5) at Wisconsin

11. Notre Dame Fighting Irish at 6. Ohio State Buckeyes

The Ohio State Buckeyes remain parked at No. 4 in the poll and camped at the sixth seed in the projected College Football Playoff bracket. The Buckeyes have a loss to Oregon and were on bye to lick their wounds after the defeat in Autzen Stadium. Ohio State needs to win out to get another shot at the Ducks in the Big Ten Championship Game, but they are still sitting pretty as the sixth seed, hosting the 11th-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Notre Dame handled Georgia Tech and continues to put distance between its current form and the team that lost to Northern Illinois. The Fighting Irish still are far from prolific in the passing game, but every other part of this team is pretty darned good, and the Irish just beat out BYU and Indiana for this final at-large selection.

Week 9: Nebraska at Ohio State (-25.5)

10. Clemson Tigers at 7. Texas Longhorns

The Texas Longhorns were overwhelmed by the Georgia Bulldogs and dropped their first game of the season. The defeat lowered them to No. 5 in the AP Poll and No. 6 in the Coaches Poll. Does Texas have a concern at quarterback, or were the Georgia Bulldogs just outstanding on Saturday night, and the Longhorns’ offense will rebound quickly? Perhaps the answer is a bit of both, but the timidity of movement and lack of power on throws made while on the move from Quinn Ewers could be lingering impacts of his oblique injury. The offensive line was pushed around and will need to respond moving forward. Texas still has games at Vanderbilt, Arkansas, and Texas A&M, and they probably need to run the table to make the SEC Championship Game. Texas would host the Clemson Tigers. Clemson coasted by Virginia, continuing to put up impressive offensive performances. The biggest concern for Clemson is how many points their second unit is surrendering on defense. As soon as a couple of starters take a rest, the Tigers are getting beaten for big plays and long drives. The winner of this matchup in Austin would play the Georgia Bulldogs in the quarterfinals.

Week 9: Texas (-17.5) at Vanderbilt

9. Tennessee Volunteers at 8. LSU Tigers

The LSU Tigers were impressive at Arkansas, handling the Hogs and continuing to improve on defense. LSU has a great passing offense and would be hosting the Tennessee Volunteers. The Vols beat the Alabama Crimson Tide in come-from-behind fashion in Knoxville. Tennessee struggled again through the air, failing to take advantage of a susceptible Alabama secondary. They had only seven points through three quarters and were forced to ride Dylan Sampson as much as possible. However, a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns saved the day and gave the Crimson Tide their second loss of the season.

Week 9: LSU (+3.5) at Texas A&M

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