Overview
- The American champion — No. 20 Tulane or No. 24 North Texas — is effectively locked into the playoff, per the latest rankings and CFP auto-bid structure.
- Analysts outline a scenario in which a Duke ACC upset leaves the committee reluctant to take a five-loss champion and turns attention to newly ranked No. 25 James Madison after a 59-10 win and an 11-1 finish.
- Notre Dame sits on the bubble, with one CBS analysis arguing the Irish could be pushed out if BYU beats No. 5 Texas Tech and claims an automatic berth.
- A separate CBS betting piece projects Notre Dame in the field and recommends a wager on the Irish to reach the quarterfinals.
- The CFP’s year-two tweaks — straight seeding and allowing multiple top-four seeds from the same conference — heighten the impact of championship outcomes on byes and matchups.