College Football Playoff and Bowl Projections After Week 10: Notre Dame Leaves No Doubt

By Google News Sports · 2026-11-08T20:53:22+01:00

One of the biggest weekends of the season more than lived up to the hype, with drama everywhere and cases both made—and unmade—for the College Football Playoff just four days after the selection committee laid down the stakes for every team.

That’s reflected in the Sports Illustrated latest bowl projections going into Week 11, which sees several shake-ups in the CFP pecking order.

Georgia appears well on track to win the SEC after thumping Mississippi on Saturday, Notre Dame can safely be considered for a likely bye to the quarterfinals and the slew of SEC programs with two (or even three) losses are doing the committee no favors when it comes to who might make the cut as an at-large come December.

Beyond the CFP, there are a number of compelling bowl games, including the return of Bedlam in the Texas Bowl, a fascinating clash of styles in the Frisco Football Classic between North Texas and New Mexico, either Bill Belichick or Bret Bielema getting doused in mayo, plus a Citrus Bowl that could have been a CFP quarterfinal in another dimension.

No purchase necessary. 50 U.S./D.C. 18+. Entry opens 3PM ET Dec 6, 2026 and closes 8PM ET Dec 18, 2026. Void where prohibited.See Official Rules for complete details. The College Football Playoff (CFP) is not a sponsor or administrator of this contest.

East Carolina vs. Middle Tennessee State

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Bryan Fischer is a staff writer at Sports Illustrated covering college sports. He joined the SI staff in October 2024 after spending nearly two decades at outlets such as FOX Sports, NBC Sports and CBS Sports.

A member of the Football Writers Association of America’s All-America Selection Committee and a Heisman Trophy voter, Fischer has received awards for investigative journalism from the Associated Press Sports Editors and FWAA. He has a bachelor’s in communication from USC.

Originally published by Google News Sports