After a chaotic week in college football, including BYU's defeat of Notre Dame, bowl and playoff projections have shifted rapidly. The Cougars are now a consensus top-four team, giving them a first-round bye in the playoffs. Texas Tech and Utah are also in the playoff picture.
ESPN released its updated projections after Week 7, as did USA TODAY Sports and CBS Sports. All outlets rank BYU in the top four, but only one analyst projects the Cougars to reach the National Championship game.
ESPN is the only outlet projecting Texas Tech to make the playoffs, with one analyst believing they will win in the first round but not the second. CBS Sports is also the only outlet that no longer projects Utah to make the playoffs, after previously being the only outlet to project they would.
Here are their updated bowl projections. Among the Big 12 teams, Colorado and Kansas remain the only teams no outlet projects to make a bowl game.
Colorado Buffaloes
USA TODAY projection: No projection
CBS Sports projection: No projection
Bonagura projection: No projection
Schlabach projection: No projection
After narrowly losing to Utah on Saturday, the Colorado Buffaloes are 2-4 after starting the year 2-0. Their remaining schedule is brutal, with games against Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Arizona State, Houston, Cincinnati and UCF. They would have to win four of those games to become bowl-eligible. Houston is currently ranked in the AP poll, while Oklahoma State was ranked before losing to the Cougars. It will be an uphill battle for Colorado to make a bowl game, but a slim chance remains.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
USA TODAY projection: Alamo Bowl vs. Oregon
CBS Sports projection: Pop-Tarts Bowl vs. SMU
Bonagura projection: No. 7 seed in the CFP vs. Ole Miss
Schlabach projection: No. 9 seed in the CFP vs. Indiana
Texas Tech is officially bowl-eligible after beating Arizona State for their sixth win over the weekend. However, they have much greater aspirations. They finally got their offense going, scoring 53 points against the Sun Devils. If their offense can maintain this level of production, they can make the playoffs either by winning the conference or as an at-large team.
UCF Knights
USA TODAY projection: First Responder Bowl vs. North Carolina State
CBS Sports projection: No projection
Bonagura projection: Cactus Bowl vs. Michigan
Schlabach projection: No projection
Sitting at 3-3, the Knights are on the bubble and must play BYU next. However, they also face Kansas, Iowa State, and Colorado, all winnable games for UCF. It would be fun to see them play NC State, which has a talented quarterback in CJ Bailey.
Baylor Bears
USA TODAY projection: Cactus Bowl vs. Wisconsin
CBS Sports projection: No projection
Bonagura projection: Liberty Bowl vs. Missouri
Schlabach projection: Texas Bowl vs. Missouri
Baylor is confusing. After crushing Arizona State by over 30 points, they lost to TCU after two weeks to prepare. At 4-2, the Bears should have no problem winning a bowl game, but they also shouldn't have had trouble with the Horned Frogs. They still get to play Kansas and Iowa State, but also have to face BYU, Texas Tech and Houston. Baylor should be able to get into a bowl game, but they need to avoid any more losses to teams they shouldn't lose to.
Arizona State Sun Devils
USA TODAY projection: Poinsettia Bowl vs. Fresno State
CBS Sports projection: Poinsettia Bowl vs. Boise State
Bonagura projection: Poinsettia Bowl vs. Oregon State
Schlabach projection: No projection
Arizona State had high hopes going into this season, but they haven't lived up to the hype. They are 3-3 and still have to play BYU, Oklahoma State, and Arizona. The Sun Devils still have a real chance of missing the bowl game. But if they do, it seems logical that it will be the Poinsettia Bowl.
Houston Cougars
USA TODAY projection: Pop-Tarts Bowl vs. SMU
CBS Sports projection: Texas Bowl vs. Texas
Bonagura projection: Alamo Bowl vs. Oregon
Schlabach projection: Alamo Bowl vs. Oregon
Houston is a strong team, and their win over Oklahoma State proved it. At 6-1, with their only loss coming against Texas Tech, the Cougars still have a real chance to make the Big 12 championship game. Odds are they will not make the playoffs, but could certainly end up in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
BYU Cougars
USA TODAY projection: No. 3 seed in the CFP vs. Ole Miss (Fiesta Bowl)
CBS Sports projection: No. 4 seed in the CFP vs. Indiana (Fiesta Bowl)
Bonagura projection: No. 2 seed in the CFP vs. Texas Tech
Schlabach projection: No. 1 seed in the CFP vs. Indiana (Fiesta Bowl)
After BYU's win over Notre Dame, they are now viewed as a top-four team in the country, earning a first-round bye in the play. They differ on how far they believe the Cougars will go. USA TODAY, CBS Sports and Schlabach with ESPN all believe BYU will lose in the first round. However, Bonagura has more faith in the Cougars, projecting they will reach the National Championship game to face Miami. No Big 12 team has won the National Championship in the CFP era, but BYU could become the first.
Kansas State Wildcats
USA TODAY projection: Texas Bowl vs. Texas A&M
CBS Sports projection: Armed Forces Bowl vs. Army
Bonagura projection: Texas Bowl vs. Texas
Schlabach projection: Liberty Bowl vs. Mississippi State
Sitting at 4-2, the Wildcats have a real chance of making a bowl game for the fifth time in the past six years. They have history in the Texas Bowl and have been projected to make the Texas Bowl for quite some time, so it would not be surprising if that is ultimately how this season ends.
Utah Utes
USA TODAY projection: No. 9 seed in the CFP vs. Indiana
CBS Sports projection: Alamo Bowl vs. Oregon
Bonagura projection: No. 5 seed in the CFP vs. Boise State
Schlabach projection: No. 10 seed in the CFP vs. Ole Miss
This is rather bizarre from CBS Sports. After projecting the Utes to make the playoffs for the past several weeks, they are now the only outlet that doesn't have Utah in the playoff picture. However, even among analysts who believe Utah will make the playoffs, they don't think the Utes will go far. USA TODAY and Schlabach have them getting knocked out in the first round. Bonagura has more confidence in the Big 12, projecting they will make it to the Fiesta Bowl but then lose to Georgia. The Big 12 is a stacked conference, and Utah could be one of three conference teams in the playoffs.
Arizona Wildcats
USA TODAY projection: Las Vegas Bowl vs. Oklahoma
CBS Sports projection: Las Vegas Bowl vs. Oklahoma
Bonagura projection: Sun Bowl vs. Clemson
Schlabach projection: Las Vegas Bowl vs. Texas
Arizona was on bye last week after beating West Virginia two weeks earlier. Noah Fifita is one of the conference's best quarterbacks. Clemson has a strong defense despite its poor offense, so it will be fun to see the Tigers' defense face Fifita and Arizona's offense.
Cincinnati Bearcats
USA TODAY projection: Armed Forces Bowl vs. Texas-San Antonio
CBS Sports projection: Cactus Bowl vs. Michigan
Bonagura projection: Independence Bowl vs. UConn
Schlabach projection: Cactus Bowl vs. Michigan
Cincinnati started the year 4-0 but has lost its last two games to Arizona and West Virginia. Their next three games are against Texas Tech, Utah, and Houston, and they also have to play BYU. Their best shot at a bowl game is beating Iowa State and Colorado, both of which are winnable for the Bearcats.
West Virginia Mountaineers
USA TODAY projection: Independence Bowl vs. Liberty
CBS Sports projection: No projection
Bonagura projection: No projection
Schlabach projection: Independence Bowl vs. California
West Virginia finally got their first Big 12 win against Cincinnati. With a 4-3 record and games against TCU and Kansas on the horizon, the Mountaineers should land a bowl game. However, their other three games are against Texas Tech, Houston, and Utah. So, if they mess up against the Horned Frogs or Jayhawks, they could miss a bowl trip.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
USA TODAY projection: Liberty Bowl vs. Missouri
CBS Sports projection: Liberty Bowl vs. Missouri
Bonagura projection: Pop-Tarts Bowl vs. SMU
Schlabach projection: Pop-Tarts Bowl vs. SMU
Seeing Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker face SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings would be a fun matchup. It would also be fun to see the Cowboys play Missouri. With a 4-2 record and their remaining schedule, they should certainly make it to one of these bowl games.
Iowa State Cyclones
USA TODAY projection: No projection
CBS Sports projection: Independence Bowl vs. UConn
Bonagura projection: No projection
Schlabach projection: No projection
The Cyclones were viewed as the worst team in the Big 12, but they still have a shot at a bowl game. They are 3-3 and still have five unranked games to play. Few analysts think they will make a bowl game, but it wouldn't surprise anyone if they reach the Independence Bowl.
TCU Horned Frogs
USA TODAY projection: No projection
CBS Sports projection: No projection
Bonagura projection: Armed Forces Bowl vs. Florida Atlantic
Schlabach projection: Armed Forces Bowl vs. Army
After their surprise win against Baylor, TCU is now 3-3. They still have three ranked games left: Arizona, Utah and Texas Tech. Their other three games are against West Virginia, Kansas and Kansas State. It will be close, but the Horned Frogs actually could find themselves in a bowl game when the season ends.
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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Big 12 football bowl projections after Week 7 results
