Bowl projections: Illinois rising, Clemson falling in playoff field
- Week 2 upsets did not significantly alter the forecasted College Football Playoff field.
- Illinois improved its bowl projection with a road win, while Clemson’s projection slipped after a struggle.
- Oklahoma and South Florida had impressive wins but are not yet considered playoff-worthy.
There were upsets in Week 2 but nothing that significantly changed the forecasted College Football Playoff field in this week’s bowl projections.
Illinois moved up a couple seeding places with an impressive road win at Duke, On the downside, Clemson slides back a couple spots after struggling against Troy. The Tigers now face a dangerous trip to Georgia Tech that will be a good litmus test on their prospects.
Two teams that had impressive weekends still are not yet deemed playoff-worthy.
Oklahoma knocked off Michigan but more difficult hurdles away the Sooners. So we’ll wait until a few SEC games to anoint them. Despite defeating two ranked opponents, South Florida likely needs to win the American title to make the field. Memphis and Tulane are significant hurdles to overcome, so odds, for now, are against the Bulls.
GET IN THE GAME: Play our college football survivor pool
PATH TO PLAYOFF: Sign up for our college football newsletter
Notes: Legacy Pac-12 schools in other conferences will fulfill existing Pac-12 bowl agreements through the 2025 season. Not all conferences will fulfill their bowl allotment. An asterisk represents a replacement pick.
