How will Saturday’s injury to Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa impact the race for the College Football Playoff?
Each week during the season, our college football writers are picking the four teams they think belong in the playoff right now.
Tagovailoa injured his ankle in the second quarter of No. 1 Alabama’s 35-13 win over Tennessee.
The other top-ranked teams had easier victories in Week 8.
LSU quarterback Joe Burrow had another big game as the No. 2 Tigers beat Mississippi State 36-13. Burrow threw for 327 yards and four touchdowns to break the LSU season record with 29.
No. 3 Clemson beat Louisville 45-10, with quarterback Trevor Lawrence overcoming two early picks to throw for three touchdowns. It was the Tigers’ 22nd consecutive win.
No. 4 Ohio State had no trouble Friday at Northwestern, winning 52-3. The Buckeyes used a 24-point second quarter to pull away. QB Justin Fields threw for four TDs.
No. 5 Oklahoma routed West Virginia 52-14, with QB Jalen Hurts passing for three TDs and running for two more. The Sooners held the Mountaineers scoreless in the second half.
Here’s how our writers see the playoff field after Week 8. (Note: These are not their projections for how the season will end.)
Andrea Adelson: 1. LSU; 2. Clemson; 3. Alabama; 4. Ohio State
Edward Aschoff: 1. LSU; 2. Ohio State; 3. Alabama; 4. Clemson
Kyle Bonagura: 1. Alabama; 2. Oklahoma; 3. Ohio State; 4. Clemson
Bill Connelly: 1. Ohio State; 2. Alabama; 3. LSU; 4. Oklahoma
Heather Dinich: 1. LSU; 2. Ohio State; 3. Alabama; 4. Oklahoma
David Hale: 1. Ohio State; 2. Clemson; 3. Alabama; 4. LSU
Sam Khan Jr.: 1. LSU; 2. Ohio State; 3. Alabama; 4. Oklahoma
Chris Low: 1. Ohio State; 2. LSU; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Clemson
Ivan Maisel: 1. Ohio State; 2. Oklahoma; 3. LSU; 4. Alabama
Ryan McGee: 1. LSU; 2. Clemson; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Ohio State
Adam Rittenberg: 1. LSU; 2. Ohio State; 3. Alabama; 4. Oklahoma
Alex Scarborough: 1. LSU; 2. Clemson; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Ohio State
Mark Schlabach: 1. LSU; 2. Ohio State; 3. Alabama; 4. Oklahoma
Tom VanHaaren: 1. Alabama; 2. Ohio State; 3. Oklahoma; 4. LSU