Well, that didn't take long. The College Football Playoff projections have already been shaken up and the first week isn't even over yet.
No. 15 Houston dominated No. 3 Oklahoma 33-23 on Saturday to make a statement that the Cougars intend to fight for a playoff spot.
The Sooners, previously projected No. 1, will drop out of the playoff projection for now and be replaced by Houston. Alabama is the new No. 1, followed by Clemson, Notre Dame (which plays at Texas on Sunday) and the Cougars.
| Bowl | Date | Location | Matchup |
| Peach Bowl | Dec. 31 | Atlanta, Ga. | (1) Alabama vs. (4) Houston |
| Fiesta Bowl | Dec. 31 | Glendale, Ariz. | (2) Clemson vs. (3) Notre Dame |
The path to the playoff for Houston is still long and somewhat treacherous. There is no margin for error. The Cougars won't make the playoff without a perfect 13-0 record, and they will also need Oklahoma to play well from here on out. Ideally for Houston, the Sooners will still win the Big 12 title.
Houston also needs its other big nonconference opponent, Louisville, to have a good year. The Cardinals got off to a good start by beating Charlotte 70-14 on Thursday.
And, of course, it would help if the rest of the American Athletic Conference would perform well outside the league. The AAC was 10-2 this weekend, though only SMU and Tulsa joined Houston in beating other FBS schools.
The entire slate of updated bowl projections will be released late Monday following the conclusion of this week's games
