USA Today reveals new College Football Playoff bracket prediction ahead of Week 4

College football is far from its climax, but it’s getting more interesting with each chapter. On Thursday, USA Today‘s Blake Toppmeyer released his latest College Football Playoff bracket projections.

Toppmeyer accounted for each of the outcomes in Week 3. Notably, he removed Clemson and Notre Dame from his CPF projections after the two teams each suffered their second losses of the season this past weekend.

Of course, there’s still plenty of time for teams to turn their fortunes around. Alas, for now, Toppmeyer expects the following teams to be competing in the CFP this winter.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State held Texas to a single touchdown in its 14-7 Week 1 win over the Longhorns. The Buckeyes haven’t looked back since. On Saturday, Ohio State routed Ohio in emphatic 37-9 fashion.

In the win, star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith reeled in nine catches for a team-high 153 yards and a touchdown. Carnell Tate didn’t trail far behind, racking up five catches for 101 yards and a score. The Buckeyes have shown no signs of weakness thus far this season.

2. Miami Hurricanes

Miami separated itself from its competitors this past week with a statement 49-12 win over No. 18 USF. USF had plenty of hype, coming off a win over Florida in Week 2. Yet, the Hurricanes made it look easy against the Bulls.

Miami’s offense was spectacular in the win, logging 576 total yards of offense against the Bulls. USF especially had no answers for Miami running back Mark Fletcher Jr., who amassed 120 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.

3. Georgia Bulldogs

One kick separated Georgia from being the favorite to win the SEC and picking up its first loss of the season in just Week 3. Nonetheless, after Tennessee‘s kicker missed a game-winning field goal opportunity, Georgia capitalized and defeated the Volunteers 44-41 in overtime.

In the win, Gunner Stockton completed 23-of-his-31 pass attempts for 304 yards and two TDs, without throwing an interception. Additionally, Stockton notched 38 yards and a score in the ground game. Georgia’s defense must improve after giving up 496 yards to Tennessee in the win.

4. Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State hasn’t played a Power Four opponent yet this season. But what opponents the Nittany Lions have been given, they’ve dominated. Penn State is 3-0 and boasts an average win margin of 38.8 points per game.

As expected, Penn State running back Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen have been fantastic this season. The pair combined for over 2,000 rushing yards last season and are on pace to hit the milestone again, assuming the Nittany Lions make another deep run into the CFP.

5. Oregon Ducks

Oregon continued its dominant 2025 campaign with a 34-14 victory over Northwestern on Saturday. In the win, the Ducks were disciplined, committing zero penalties, while squeezing two turnovers out of the Wildcats.

Oregon hasn’t played a ranked opponent yet this season. Alas, the team has steamrolled any team willing to stand in its way. On Sept. 27, fans will get a better understanding of just how good the Ducks are when they face off against Penn State.

6. LSU Tigers

On Saturday, LSU defeated Florida, 20-10. It was far from a dazzling performance for the Tigers’ offense, which recorded just 10 first downs in the game and punted seven times. LSU’s defense was its saving grace.

The unit forced Florida quarterback DJ Lagway to throw a career-high five interceptions, one of which Dashawn Spears returned 58 yards for a touchdown. Unfortunately for the Tigers, they will be without star linebacker Whit Weeks in the first half of their next game. Weeks was ejected for targeting in the opening minutes against UF.

7. Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma already has one marquee victory this season, with a 24-13 win over Michigan in Week 2. The Sooners only built on their momentum in Week 3, destroying Temple 42-3. In the win, quarterback John Mateer was spectacular, as usual.

Mateer threw for 282 yards and a touchdown against the Owls. He also rushed for 63 yards and another score. Oklahoma’s defense limited Temple to a minuscule 105 yards of total offense. Temple finished the game with just seven first downs.

8. Florida State Seminoles

Florida State enjoyed a well-deserved bye this past weekend after posting two dominant performances to jumpstart its season. Most notably, the Seminoles beat Alabama in a convincing 31-17 fashion in Week 1.

It was a satisfying triumph for the Seminoles, who went 2-10 last season. Florida State’s victory only looks more impressive after Alabama blew out Wisconsin 38-14 last weekend. The Seminoles will look to pick up where they left off this Saturday against Kent State.

9. Texas Tech Red Raiders

Texas Tech made massive NIL investments in its roster this season and, evidently, it’s paying off. The Red Raiders are 3-0, with no team coming within 30 points of them yet. While it’d be nice, Texas Tech shouldn’t expect a similar outcome on Saturday against Utah.

Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton will be key in the matchup. Morton has already thrown for 11 touchdowns this season, tied for the most in college football. If the Red Raiders can down Utah, they’ll have a clear path to the Big 12 title game.

10. Texas Longhorns

Although Texas remains in the CFP conversation, questions surround QB Arch Manning. The redshirt sophomore completed just 5-of-16 passes (31%) in the first half for 69 yards against UTEP on Saturday and was booed after throwing an interception in the red zone.

He finished the outing with only 114 passing yards and a touchdown. However, he was stellar in the ground game, logging 51 rushing yards and two scores. Manning will have to be more consistent in the pocket if the Longhorns want to return to the CFP for the third season in a row.

11. Texas A&M Aggies

Texas A&M turned South Bend into a College Station block party in Week 3 after defeating Notre Dame in stunning 41-40 fashion. Fourth-and-goal from the 11-yard line, Aggies QB Marcel Reed completed a game-winning TD pass to Nate Boerkircher with 13 seconds remaining in the game.

Although Boerkircher made the biggest catch of the game, no Texas A&M receiver outshined Mario Craver. The sophomore wideout hauled in seven catches for a ridiculous 206 yards and a touchdown.

12. Tulane Green Wave

Following South Florida’s loss to Miami, Tulane emerged as the new Group-of-Five darling. In fairness, the Green Wave are no joke. They’re 3-0 this season, most recently defeating Duke, 34-27.

In Week 1, Tulane strolled to a 23-3 triumph over Northwestern. For reference, Oregon also defeated Northwestern by 20 points when they met. On Saturday, Tulane will face its final ranked opponent of the season as it squares off against Ole Miss.