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

The Fighting Irish are firmly in the CFP field after beating Miami, plus how Separation Saturday helped clarify the pecking order.

Notre Dame wide receiver Micah Gilbert celebrates after scoring a touchdown against Miami. | David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated

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. 

PREVIOUS: Projections After Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9

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College Football Playoff Projected Rankings After Week 10

1. Georgia
2. Notre Dame
3. Indiana
4. Miami
5. Utah
6. Tennessee
7. Alabama 
8. UCLA
9. Wake Forest
10. Texas
11. BYU
12. Boise State

First Round

• No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Utah
• No. 11 BYU at No. 6 Tennessee
• No. 10 Texas at No. 7 Alabama
• No. 9 Wake Forest at No. 8 UCLA

Quarterfinals

• Fiesta Bowl: No. 4 Miami vs. No. 9 Wake Forest
• Rose Bowl: No. 3 Indiana vs. No. 7 Alabama
• Cotton Bowl: No. 2 Notre Dame vs. No. 6 Tennessee
• Peach Bowl: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 5 Utah

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• Georgia
• Utah
• Indiana
• Alabama
• Kentucky
• Texas
• UCLA
• BYU
• Ole Miss
• Notre Dame
• Ohio State

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Semifinals

• Orange Bowl: No. 2 Notre Dame vs. No. 7 Alabama
• Sugar Bowl: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 4 Miami

National Championship

• At Las Vegas: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 2 Notre Dame

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Bowl Projections After Week 10

Bowl Game	Date	Matchup
Salute to Veterans Bowl	Dec. 15	UAB vs. UMass
Frisco Football Classic	Dec. 15	North Texas vs. New Mexico
San Juan Bowl	Dec. 16	Louisiana vs. Delaware
Boca Raton Bowl	Dec. 18	USF vs. Buffalo
Gasparilla Bowl	Dec. 18	Florida State vs. FAU
Myrtle Beach Bowl	Dec. 21	East Carolina vs. Middle Tennessee State
Potato Bowl	Dec. 21	Wyoming vs. Ohio
Puerto Rico Bowl	Dec. 22	Western Michigan vs. Georgia State
Cure Bowl	Dec. 22	James Madison vs. Navy
Independence Bowl	Dec. 22	Iowa State vs. Arizona State
New Orleans Bowl	Dec. 23	Liberty vs. Louisiana Tech
Armed Forces Bowl	Dec. 23	Baylor vs. Tulsa
Frisco Bowl	Dec. 23	Jacksonville State vs. Air Force
Poinsettia Bowl	Dec. 23	Oregon State vs. Nebraska
New Mexico Bowl	Dec. 24	Army vs. Appalachian State
Hawai’i Bowl	Dec. 24	Fresno State vs. UNLV
Pinstripe Bowl	Dec. 26	Iowa vs. Duke
Fenway Bowl	Dec. 26	Pitt vs. Memphis
Mayo Bowl	Dec. 26	Illinois vs. North Carolina
68 Ventures Bowl	Dec. 26	Central Michigan vs. South Alabama
Cactus Bowl	Dec. 26	West Virginia vs. Penn State
Military Bowl	Dec. 26	Syracuse vs. UTSA
Holiday Bowl	Dec. 28	USC vs. Virginia Tech
Birmingham Bowl	Dec. 29	Auburn vs. Texas State
Pop-Tarts Bowl	Dec. 29	Houston vs. Louisville
Alamo Bowl	Dec. 29	Texas Tech vs. Oregon
Gator Bowl	Dec. 30	Kentucky vs. SMU
Music City Bowl	Dec. 30	Wisconsin vs. LSU
ReliaQuest Bowl	Dec. 31	Minnesota vs. Florida
Sun Bowl	Dec. 31	Washington vs. Clemson
Las Vegas Bowl	Dec. 31	South Carolina vs. Arizona
Texas Bowl	Dec. 31	Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma
Citrus Bowl	Jan. 2	Ohio State vs. Ole Miss
First Responder Bowl	Jan. 2	Cincinnati vs. Northwestern
Liberty Bowl	Jan. 2	UCF vs. Missouri
Arizona Bowl	Jan. 2	North Dakota State vs. Toledo

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