<
        >

          College Football Playoff picks after Week 8

          play
          Alabama's Diggs recovers fumble for 100-yard score (0:54)

          Alabama's Trevon Diggs picks up Jarrett Guarantano's fumble on the goal line and returns it 100 yards for a scoop-and-score in the fourth quarter. (0:54)

          • ESPN
          Oct 20, 2019, 12:50 AM ET

          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 TDs.

          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