Miami is the new No. 1: The Hurricanes are PFF’s new No. 1 team after taking down Florida this past week.
Oklahoma gets a bye: The Sooners move from outside the playoff field to getting a bye after beating Auburn.
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Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
It’s never too early to start thinking about the College Football Playoff. Before the games kick off in a massive Week 5, here’s what PFF’s updated bracket would look like based on our top 25 for the week.
Byes
Miami is our new No. 1 team in the country after taking down Florida, 26-7. The Hurricanes’ defensive line was dominant against the Gators’ strong offensive line, posting a 90.7 pass-rush grade and a 93.1% pass-rush win rate. Miami has a bye week before a massive game against eighth-ranked Florida State.
Ohio State enjoyed its bye week and opens Big Ten play this weekend in its first road game against an undefeated Washington squad.
Georgia was off this past weekend and returns to action in Week 5 against No. 17 Alabama in one of the biggest games of the weekend.
Oklahoma not only moves into the playoff field but also gets a bye week after beating No. 22 Auburn 24-17. The Sooners sacked former Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold 10 times in the win, a new program record.
First round
5. Florida State Seminoles vs. 12. Memphis Tigers
Florida State took care of business with a 66-10 win over Kent State. The Seminoles ran for a school record 503 yards in the victory, averaging 3.9 yards before contact per attempt. FSU opens its ACC slate at Virginia on Friday night.
Florida State head coach Mike Norvell will square off against the team he last coached, Memphis, in the first round. The Tigers are coming off a thrilling 32-31 victory over Arkansas this past weekend, averaging 8.2 yards per carry in the win. Memphis goes on the road to take on FAU this week in its first American game of the season.
6. LSU Tigers vs. 11. Texas Tech Red Raiders
LSU took down Southeastern Louisiana (FCS) 56-10 on Saturday. Garrett Nussmeier was phenomenal in the victory, posting a 91.0 passing grade with four big-time throws and no turnover-worthy plays. He and the Tigers have a much more difficult matchup this week as they go on the road to a top-15 team in Ole Miss.
Texas Tech stamped itself as the Big 12 favorite with a 34-10 victory on the road over No. 16 Utah. When starting quarterback Behren Morton went down, backup Will Hammond thrived in his absence. The redshirt freshman posted a 96.6 passing grade in the win with four big-time throws on only 16 dropbacks. The Red Raiders are off this week before traveling to undefeated Houston next weekend.
7. Oregon Ducks vs. 10. Texas A&M Aggies
Oregon dominated archrival Oregon State by a final score of 41-7. Dante Moore continues to look like a top Heisman candidate, posting an 85.9 passing grade in the win with three big-time throws and no turnover-worthy plays. The Ducks travel to Happy Valley to take on Penn State in the biggest game of Week 5.
Texas A&M was off this past weekend and is back in action against Auburn this week.
8. Penn State Nittany Lions vs. 9. Texas Longhorns
Penn State had a bye week this past weekend as it prepares for its “White Out” game against sixth-ranked Oregon.
Texas wrapped up its nonconference slate with a 55-0 shutout victory over Sam Houston State. Arch Manning had his best game of the season in the win, posting a 91.7 passing grade and a 90% adjusted completion rate. The Longhorns have a bye in Week 5 before beginning their SEC slate at Florida.
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