Overview
- Indiana edged Penn State on a Fernando Mendoza-to-Omar Cooper Jr. touchdown with 35 seconds left, Oregon beat Iowa on Atticus Sappington’s 39-yard kick in rough weather, and Texas Tech routed previously unbeaten BYU 29-7.
- Georgia delivered a decisive road win at Mississippi State behind three Gunner Stockton touchdown passes and a 100-plus yard rushing day from Nate Frazier.
- CBS Sports’ updated 12-team bracket places Ohio State, Texas A&M, Indiana and Alabama in quarterfinal byes under the new straight-seeding model.
- The same projection shows first-round pairings including Oregon vs. Notre Dame in Eugene and Texas Tech vs. Texas in Lubbock, with other hosts listed as Ole Miss in Oxford and Georgia in Athens.
- Virginia and Louisville losses weakened the ACC’s playoff case as analysts highlight strength-of-schedule concerns, while North Texas currently headlines Group of Five auto-bid projections with others still in contention.