Indiana No. 1 in CFP Projections

Several prominent analysts, including David Pollack and Robert Griffin III, now rank Indiana No. 1 in College Football Playoff projections, citing IU’s 30–20 road win at Oregon and a dominant win over Illinois. Pollack also predicts South Florida will beat Memphis, praising QB Byrum Brown, coach Alex Golesh and USF’s recent 57-point scoring surge and offensive depth. ESPN projection models paint a mixed CFP picture: Georgia faces a difficult finish with roughly a 14.9% chance to win out but appears in some model scenarios with about an 81.6% chance to make the playoff. Those same models feature a mix of conference champions and at-large teams — including Indiana, Texas A&M, Georgia and Oregon — and identify USF as the leading Group-of-Five playoff candidate in certain scenarios. Pollack reiterated that LSU’s CFP hopes are fading after offensive inconsistency and two conference losses despite a strong defense.