12-team College Football Playoff prediction after Week 5

There’s a new number one team in the country, but how does that affect our playoff rankings? There were some upsets among the top 25 teams, as well as one of the strangest situations in college football involving an NIL dispute. It’s been a strange week overall, so let’s get to the predictions.

Removed from the rankings: Liberty

The first four remain unchanged for automatic bids. Yes, Utah lost, but they were without quarterback Cam Rising, and Iowa State still has yet to show me a quality win against a top team (sorry, Iowa fans). Alabama is the new number one team in the country, but Texas wins with a backup quarterback, albeit a good one, so they remain locked in the SEC bid. Miami narrowly sneaked past Virginia Tech, but Clemson is still the only real threat to the Hurricanes and has yet to pick up a quality win.

Georgia and Ole Miss both slip from the list after losses. Kentucky’s upset of the Rebels was completely unexpected and with a stacked SEC, Ole Miss is in danger of being eliminated from the playoffs entirely with another tough loss.

Missouri and Tennessee improved significantly in the rankings as the SEC retained 50% of the playoff spots.

After a strange and tumultuous week, UNLV is joining the conversation. After losing their starting quarterback in a bizarre NIL dispute, the Rebels didn’t lose a step and won convincingly, defeating Fresno State 59-14. They will clinch the Group Five spot and the No. 25 seed in the country in what will be a great weekend for UNLV.