Expanded College Football Playoff: where Ohio State sits after Week 4

COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) — Ohio State ended nonconference regular-season play with a 49-14 win over Marshall. With a combined winning score of 157-20 in their first three games, the Buckeyes look like a team no one would want to play in the College Football Playoff.

Week 4 had only a few upsets, but the four all-ranked matchups began what will be a weekly trend of small changes in the AP poll that will affect 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 looks heading into Week 5 based on the Associated Press rankings and what changes we could see after Saturday’s action.

Projected playoff bracket

Our projected bracket will now see more shifts amidst conference play as teams ranked near each other face off week-to-week. To simplify this week’s changes, let’s break it down by conference.

Ohio State/Big Ten: The Buckeyes are firmly sitting at No. 2 and likely don’t have a chance to move until their game Oct. 12 at Oregon. In this week’s mock bracket, they would play the winner of Tennessee-Penn State in a quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl. Oregon and Penn State are the only other Big Ten schools in the mock playoff but that list could grow after Week 5.

SEC: Conference play has started, and that should eliminate some schools as we approach October. Half of the mock field belongs to SEC teams, and some slight ranking movement mixed up the seedings and matchups. Tennessee now sits at No. 5 in the AP poll, putting them in as the 7-seed.

Big 12: Utah’s win over Oklahoma State solidifies it as the team to beat. The Utes seem likely to hold onto that spot for a while, with their game against a ranked opponent Nov. 9 against BYU.

ACC: The ACC, like the Big 12, might get only one team in. Miami’s fast start has put it in the driver’s seat but a team to look out for is Louisville. If the Cardinals beat Notre Dame, an Oct. 19 match for Louisville against Miami will be a big factor for the playoff field.

Group of Six: Northern Illinois lost to Buffalo in Week 4 and was knocked out as the Group of Six automatic qualifier. Boise State of the Mountain West is back in the field with a resume of two easy nonconference wins and a narrow loss to Oregon. Next up for the Broncos is Washington State on Saturday.

Week 5 games that affect playoff picture

No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 4 Alabama: In the time since Georgia and Alabama last met in a regular-season game, the two have won a combined three national championships and every SEC title. Although the loser isn’t out of the playoff picture, it will shape who becomes the top team.

No. 19 Illinois vs. No. 9 Penn State: The Nittany Lions feel this is their best chance to be a playoff team, but they have yet to face a true test. That first comes Saturday on NBC against a confident Illinois team, which can become a contender with another road conference win.

No. 15 Louisville vs. No. 16 Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish have bounced back from their loss to Northern Illinois and will welcome Louisville next on Saturday. The Cardinals are the second highest-ranked ACC school and need a win to be a threat to Miami. Notre Dame has work to do for an at-large bid.

No. 20 Oklahoma State vs. No. 23 Kansas State: The first of four all-ranked matchups is Kansas State playing Oklahoma State at noon. Both teams are coming off losses, and this game is do-or-die for staying alive in the playoff hunt.

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