Expanded College Football Playoff: where Ohio State sits after Week 3

COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) — Ohio State got to sit and watch Week 3 unfold before it returns to the field Saturday against Marshall. As the Buckeyes waited, they saw the projected College Football Playoff change around them.

While Week 3’s lack of upsets didn’t cause rumblings in our mock bracket, one major change in the Associated Press poll completely changes the dynamic of the 12-team field.

NBC4 is providing a look at a projected 12-team playoff bracket every week this season before the first rankings are revealed on Nov. 5. Here is how the playoff bracket look heading into Week 4 based on the Associated Press rankings and what changes we could see after Saturday’s action.

Projected playoff bracket

The Buckeyes have not moved from their projected No. 2 seed as the presumed winner of the Big Ten. Because of some shifting in the top 10, they’d play the winner of a first-round game between Mississippi and Oregon in a quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl.

The AP voters on Sunday made Texas the new No. 1 team above Georgia, the first time Texas has been in that spot since 2008.

With Texas being a member of the Southeastern Conference, it is now the presumed No. 1 seed in our mock bracket as the conference winner. With the four-best conference winners claiming the top four seeds, No. 2 Georgia falls to the No. 5 seed and would play presumed Mid-American Conference winner Northern Illinois in the first round.

The format creates a scenario where Georgia could run into Texas in a semifinal, pitting the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in the country before the national championship game. But with the season still early, seed shifting and teams falling out of contention will become common as conference play begins.

Don’t get used to seeing so many SEC teams in the field when they start playing each other more in Week 4.

Week 4 games that affect Buckeyes, playoff picture

No. 24 Illinois vs. No. 22 Nebraska: This Friday night Big Ten showdown in Lincoln will put the winner in the conversation as a sleeper in the conference. Either the Illini or Cornhuskers can put themselves in the top 20 with a victory and sneak up on the Big Ten juggernauts.

No. 11 USC vs. No. 18 Michigan: A game between two storied college football programs that is now a Big Ten game. The Trojans are just on the outside, and a win in Ann Arbor makes them a contender for a playoff spot. Michigan can play its way back into the bubble, but a loss eliminates any chance of a fourth straight playoff appearance.

No. 12 Utah vs. No. 14 Oklahoma State: The Utes have held on to that presumed Big 12 winner slot, but that could end against Oklahoma State. Utah quarterback Cameron Rising’s injury status is unknown and his absence could mean the Cowboys become the new king of the hill in the Big 12.

No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 15 Oklahoma: The expanded SEC will provide a plethora of mammoth clashes this season with the headline Week 4 game being Tennessee against Oklahoma. The Volunteers have been dominant and can play their way into the top-five while the Sooners can put their name in the CFP conversation among the other SEC schools.

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