College Football Playoff Eliminator: Which Teams Are Out or Alive for a Berth After Week 3

Key Points:

• After Week 3 of the college football season, no teams are guaranteed a College Football Playoff (CFP) spot, with 97 teams (70% of FBS) still mathematically alive for a bid while 41 teams (30%) have been eliminated from contention.
• The ACC saw significant movement with Louisville emerging as a strong CFP contender, while Stanford and Syracuse were eliminated early due to poor starts; Georgia Tech is also out of the playoff chase.
• The Big 12 remains competitive with no teams eliminated yet, but Texas Tech's early dominance is in question after a close call against Houston, and teams like BYU and West Virginia are gaining attention.
• The SEC retains a large pool of contenders, including nine undefeated teams, though Arkansas is on the brink after a 1–2 start; no teams have been eliminated from playoff contention in the conference yet.
• Other conferences like the American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12, and Sun Belt have seen a mix of teams eliminated and still alive, with notable surprises including James Madison’s strong start in the Sun Belt and UMass's unexpected 3–0 record in the MAC.