Overview
- The first 12-team College Football Playoff rankings release is Tuesday, with the top four overall seeds earning opening-round byes under the updated format.
- Indiana is 9-0 (6-0 Big Ten) after a 55-10 win at Maryland and Ohio State is 8-0 (5-0) after beating Penn State 38-14, and both are projected in the top four.
- Analysts point to superior non-conference results as positioning the SEC for three at-large bids, compared with two likely for the Big Ten.
- Oregon (7-1) remains in contention but is not considered a lock if it takes another loss and finishes without wins over ranked opponents.
- Nebraska’s starting quarterback Dylan Raiola suffered a broken leg in the loss to USC, with freshman TJ Lateef now expected to lead the offense.