Just two months ago, this scenario seemed far-fetched, and even just five weeks ago, it appeared unlikely.

However, Colorado is now featured in the YSL News Sports projected College Football Playoff bracket, projected as the Big 12 champions, following a four-game winning streak that has them tied for first place in the standings with Brigham Young University.

Several Big 12 teams have stumbled recently. BYU suffered a defeat at the hands of Kansas, adding to their earlier narrow victories against Oklahoma State and Utah. Kansas State has lost their last two matches, while Iowa State also dropped two games but managed to bounce back with a win over Cincinnati.

This chaotic landscape contrasts with Colorado’s consistent rise. The Buffaloes scored an impressive 49 points against Utah, a team that had previously not allowed more than 27 points in a game this season. Consequently, Colorado has climbed to 26th in the nation for scoring. They have also excelled defensively, limiting their last four opponents to only 4.5 yards per play.

To secure a place in the conference title game, the Buffaloes need to defeat either Kansas or Oklahoma State, or they can split the final two games and hope for some favorable outcomes elsewhere. The likely opponent in the title game would be the winner of the upcoming clash between BYU and Arizona State.

Colorado is one of two newly ranked Power Four champions in this week’s playoff projections:

Projected College Football Playoff Bracket

The other new addition is Alabama. The Crimson Tide have games against Oklahoma and Auburn to finish November, making them a strong contender for the SEC championship game. Their route has cleared considerably following Tennessee’s defeat to Georgia.

If there aren’t any shocking outcomes this weekend, the championship game will feature Alabama against the victor of the Texas vs. Texas A&M showdown.

In a potential matchup against Texas, Alabama holds an advantage based on their performances against a shared opponent, Georgia. Alabama managed to win against the Bulldogs earlier in SEC play, while Texas suffered a decisive 30-15 loss at home to them.

Despite their struggles, Texas remains in the projections as an at-large selection, along with two other SEC representatives: Georgia and Mississippi. The predicted 12-team bracket also includes four teams from the Big Ten, Notre Dame, and the champions from the Big 12, ACC (Miami), and Mountain West (Boise State).

Key Teams to Monitor Army

Army has a pivotal game against Notre Dame on Saturday that could significantly alter the Group of Five playoff picture. If they can pull off a victory as approximately 17-point underdogs, it would lift the Black Knights over Boise State, with three games remaining: Texas-San Antonio, an American Athletic championship against Tulane, and against Navy. A perfect regular season topped with this win could even position Army as a top-four seed, granting them a bye in the initial round.

Arizona State

Kenny Dillingham’s achievements in his second year at Arizona State have been overshadowed by Colorado’s unexpected rise within the Big 12. However, with two games left, the Sun Devils are poised to contend for a spot in the Big 12 title game. Following their victory over Kansas State, a win against BYU on Saturday could propel them into second place.

Arkansas

Despite entering Saturday’s matchup against Louisiana Tech with a 5-5 record, Arkansas will play a crucial role in shaping the playoff landscape. They serve as a valuable common opponent to compare the performances of Texas, Tennessee, and Ole Miss, having bested Tennessee, lost to Texas (20-10), and faced a humiliating defeat to Ole Miss (63-31). These results could assist the committee in differentiating between several two-loss SEC teams.

Syracuse

Like Arkansas, Syracuse could help determine the ACC playoff race by defeating Miami in their season finale, setting up a championship matchup between Clemson and SMU. Without a last-minute loss to Stanford in September and a recent sloppy defeat to Boston College (37-31), the Orange could have been strong contenders as well.