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College Football Playoff Bubble Watch: Could Deion Sanders, Colorado sneak into field?
On Saturday, while Deion Sanders and Colorado sat at home and Travis Hunter did a Heisman Trophy media tour of national pregame shows, the Buffaloes were among the biggest winners in the College Football Playoff race.
Iowa State lost at home to Texas Tech and trimmed the list of undefeated Big 12 teams to just one. Not long after, Kansas State tripped up in Houston, suffering its second Big 12 loss and falling behind the Buffaloes in the conference standings after beating Colorado last month.
Now Colorado, which won a single conference game a season ago and trailed 28-0 at halftime to Nebraska in Week 2, has a real path to the Playoff. This is the benefit of the current iteration of the Playoff: Every conference race has relevance. And the Buffaloes are right in the thick of the Big 12 race.
Two weeks ago, six teams in the league had one conference loss or fewer. After the inevitable chaos arrived in the most wide-open power conference, there are only three. And one of them is Colorado.
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BYU is the Big 12’s lone remaining undefeated team, and the Buffaloes are now tied with Iowa State in second place. The Buffaloes travel to Texas Tech this weekend and finish the season with games against three teams sitting in the bottom four of the conference. Neither BYU nor Iowa State will face Colorado.
Iowa State still has Kansas State and Cincinnati, two teams in the top half of the conference. BYU still has a good chance to finish 12-0 but travels to rival Utah and Arizona State and hosts improving Kansas and Houston.
Colorado wide receiver-defensive back Travis Hunter is one of the favorites in the Heisman Trophy race. (Ron Chenoy / Imagn Images)
All Colorado needs to control its fate for the Playoff is one Iowa State loss. If it doesn’t get it, it might still qualify for the Big 12 Championship Game via tiebreakers. (Note: How the tiebreakers are applied likely will depend on if BYU loses and, if it does, who it loses to.)
At that point, Sanders and the Buffs would be 60 minutes away from the Playoff.
It’s a new world of college football, and no power conference team can be counted out until the heart of conference play arrives. Colorado is living proof of that.
Each week, Bubble Watch will examine who’s in, who’s out and who’s somewhere in the middle leading up to the first 12-team College Football Playoff. It’s a realistic snapshot of the field, not a projection. The five highest-ranked conference champions will get an automatic Playoff berth. Find Austin Mock’s model’s bracket projections here.
ACC
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Definitely in |
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Clemson’s ugly home loss to Louisville delivered a massive hit to the ACC’s odds of putting two teams into the bracket.
But it does eliminate the possibility of an ugly tiebreaker scenario among three teams undefeated in conference play. Clemson doesn’t have a win that will impact the committee and has two losses. The Tigers will need a lot of help to land an at-large bid if they don’t win the ACC.
SMU has a decent resume but may still come up short of an at-large bid at 11-1 if it can’t win the ACC. Miami is the league’s only team with a great shot to do so. If chaos strikes in the last month of the season, Pitt and Louisville are still looming to steal an ACC title game spot.
Big Ten
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Definitely in |
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Ohio State’s win over Penn State was a massive win for the Big Ten. The odds of landing three teams in the Playoff look like a near certainty, and four is well within reach. Indiana continues to be dominant, getting to 9-0 with an average margin of victory of 32.9 points and winning all nine games by at least 14.
An Ohio State loss to Penn State might have made the Indiana-Ohio State game on Nov. 23 a Playoff elimination game. Instead, both teams could still have legit Playoff hopes with a loss, although it’ll be a nervy Selection Sunday if the loser doesn’t play for the title in Indianapolis.
One of the league’s top four teams may be very sad when the final rankings drop, but it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the league playing its way into legitimate Playoff contention.
Big 12
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Kansas State’s and Iowa State’s losses opened the door for an impossibly sexy proposition for the Playoff (see above), but it did major damage to the league’s hopes of landing an at-large bid. Iowa State is the league’s only team with a real shot, but it will have to run the table and hope Kansas State keeps winning to make an Iowa State win in Farmageddon look as good as possible.
Even then, it might take BYU getting to the Big 12 title game and losing to Iowa State, Colorado or K-State for the league to get more than one team.
SEC
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Definitely in |
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The SEC has five teams with one conference loss. Good luck sorting out who makes it to Atlanta. The race for the automatic bid is going to be unpredictable down the stretch.
The four teams “in the mix” have a real shot to play their way into or out of the field during the season’s final month, especially as the ACC and Big 12 were coughing up bids on an upset-filled Saturday when Clemson, Iowa State and Kansas State all lost.
Vanderbilt and Missouri are looming with two conference losses, but there are too many teams between them and the top for either to reasonably reach Atlanta. Plus, both have ugly losses (Georgia State for Vanderbilt, A&M/Alabama for Mizzou) that make an at-large bid seem almost impossible.
Group of 5
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Running back Ashton Jeanty’s Heisman campaign has slowed in recent weeks, but Boise State’s Playoff hopes have surged as competition has fallen off. And if we get a surprise winner in the Big 12 … could the Broncos sneak into the No. 4 seed with the Group of 5 automatic bid? It’s possible, but we’ll have a better idea of the odds when the committee releases its first rankings on Tuesday. If Boise State is ranked higher than any Power 4 conference champion on Selection Sunday, it will get the bye into the quarterfinals as the No. 4 seed.
Boise State has a chance to avoid a rematch with UNLV if Colorado State keeps winning. The Rams are tied atop the Mountain West standings at 4-0 and none of the three play each other in the final month of the season, so it could come down to a tiebreaker if Colorado State loses. Army is still looming in the American but doesn’t have the resume strength of Boise State and seems unlikely to crack the committee’s Top 25, despite being one of just five remaining undefeated FBS teams.
Navy and Memphis: Thanks for playing. The Midshipmen lost for the second consecutive week, and Memphis went on the road and gave up 44 points in a loss to UTSA. Those two are removed from the Playoff conversation.
Others
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Definitely in |
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The Irish didn’t need any more help, but they got it anyway from the ACC and Big 12.
Mock’s model gives the Irish an 89 percent chance to make the field, and Notre Dame keeps moving up the seeding lines, too. Army will be the Irish’s toughest remaining game, and rival USC continues to slide, falling to 4-5 with a loss Saturday at Washington.
(Top photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
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For the first time at a FIFA World Cup, finishing third in your group does not necessarily mean going home.
With 48 teams competing in 2026, FIFA expanded the field to include the eight best third-place finishers across all 12 groups. The top two teams in each group advance automatically, and the remaining eight spots in the 32-team knockout bracket go to the highest-ranked third-place teams, determined by points, goal difference, goals scored and other tiebreakers.
That means 12 teams will be competing for eight spots, and the race to stay in the top eight is one of the most compelling subplots of the final days of the group stage.
Here’s where the third-place standings sit heading into the final round of group stage matches on June 24.
Third-Place World Cup Standings
| Rank | GP | Points | Goal Diff. | |
| 1 | Bosnia & Herz. | 3 | 4 | -1 |
| 2 | Sweden | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 3 | Scotland | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 4 | Croatia | 2 | 3 | -1 |
| 5 | Algeria | 2 | 3 | -2 |
| 6 | Paraguay | 2 | 3 | -2 |
| 7 | Cape Verde | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 8 | Belgium | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Cutline | ||||
| 9 | Czechia | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| 10 | DR Congo | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| 11 | Ecuador | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| 12 | Senegal | 2 | 0 | -3 |
The third-place standings will shift considerably over the next two days as the final round of group stage matches is played. Follow the live standings at FOXSports.com and watch every match on FOX and FS1, streaming live on FOX One.
Standings as of the end of Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Qatar and Canada vs. Switzerland on Wednesday.
2026 FIFA World Cup Standings Rules
How Do Points Work? How Do Tiebreakers Work?
In a group, a team will earn three points for a win, one point for a draw, and no points for a loss. That could mean some teams are equal on points at the end of the three-game group stage. That leads us to tiebreakers.
If two or more teams finish equal on group-stage points, here is the order of who finishes on top:
1. Most points obtained in the head-to-head matches played between the tied teams;
2. Superior goal difference in the head-to-head matches played between the tied teams;
3. Most goals scored in the head-to-head matches played between the tied teams;
There are even more tiebreakers if any teams remained locked after all that. From there, ties are broken by these rules:
4. Superior goal difference in all group matches
5. Most goals scored in all group matches
6. Highest team conduct score in all group matches (taking into account yellow cards and red cards)
7. FIFA World Ranking
Which Third-Place Teams Will Advance?
To fill out the World Cup knockout bracket, the best eight third-place teams out of the possible 12 in the tournament will advance. The criteria for those teams are based on:
1. Points
2. Goal difference
3. Goals scored
4. Highest team conduct score in all group matches (taking into account yellow cards and red cards)
5. FIFA World Ranking
Until Tuesday night, only one Mexican-born player had been an NBA draft pick. Eduardo Nájera was selected 38th overall in the second round by the Houston Rockets in 2000 and enjoyed a 12-year career as a backup forward with five teams.
Karim López joined him when the Detroit Pistons snapped him up at No. 21, making him the first Mexican-born first-round draft selection.
Lopez donned the Pistons’ cap handed to him by NBA commissioner Adam Silver, then was immediately traded to the Memphis Grizzlies.
López, a 19-year-old 6-foot-9 forward, became emotional when Silver announced the pick. He sobbed beneath the cap.
“It’s just super special,” he said. “I’m blessed. I mean, I have no words.”
Born in Hermosillo in the Mexican state of Sonora, López joined the prestigious Joventut Badalona youth academy in Badalona, Spain, at age 14 to accelerate his development. The academy counts former NBA players Ricky Rubio, Rudy Fernández and Raül López among its alumni.
During his post-draft television interview, he displayed a custom design inside his suit jacket: Mexico’s tricolor flag.
“I just wanted to represent my culture, represent where I’m from, represent my faith, and just represent myself, basically,” López said. “Show who I am.”
Memphis clearly targeted López while adroitly obtaining five second-round picks in the process. They received three picks from the Pistons and two from the Oklahoma City Thunder in return for moving back from the No. 16 draft position.
Whether López fulfills his potential and becomes the fifth Mexican-born player to take the court with an NBA team remains to be seen. Reviews are mixed.
Draft experts John Hollinger and Sam Vecenie of the Athletic differed in their evaluation, with Hollinger giving the pick a thumbs-up while Vecenie expressed reservations.
“I had Karim López rated quite a bit higher than [the No. 21 pick] and was surprised to see him slide this far,” Hollinger wrote, giving the pick an “A” grade partially because the Grizzlies also collected the five second-round picks.
Vecenie pointed out that López doesn’t shoot well and has defensive deficiencies, saying that his game might be better suited for European leagues than the NBA.
“I’m not sure how he gets on an NBA court early in his career,” he wrote. “I love his frame and physicality. I love that he rebounds and attacks with aggression. But I’m not sure he’s good enough without the ball to make an early impact in the NBA.”
Should López make the Grizzlies’ roster, he would join Horacio Llamas, Gustavo Ayón, Jorge Gutiérrez and Nájera as the only NBA players born in Mexico.
“It means a lot to me,” Lopez said. “It’s just a great opportunity for me and my country to have this platform and have this opportunity. So super blessed and definitely take it with a lot of pride.”
Noteworthy NBA players of Mexican descent born in the United States include former UCLA standout Jaime Jaquez Jr. and former Lakers reserve Juan Toscano-Anderson.
Jaquez averaged 15.4 points a game in 2025-2026, his third season with the Miami Heat. Toscano-Anderson played five seasons in the NBA — including winning a championship with the Golden State Warriors in 2022 — and now is with Pallacanestro Trieste of the top Italian league.
López is already a veteran of international basketball, having spent the last two seasons with the New Zealand Breakers in Australia’s top pro league. He averaged 11.9 points and 6.1 rebounds last season.
He will join No. 3 overall pick Cameron Boozer with the Grizzlies, who are rebuilding after finishing 25-57 and 13th in the Western Conference last season.
“A goal of mine is to hopefully reach young people in Mexico,” Lopez told ESPN in March when he declared for the draft. “Trying to grow the sport and inspire athletes and people in general to follow their dreams. Show people that it doesn’t matter where you’re from.”
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The 2026 NBA Draft finally saw the top college prospects get chosen along with some friendly fire among ESPN and basketball analysts on Tuesday night.
Jay Williams, Richard Jefferson and Kenny Smith were among those covering the draft and offering their analysis during the event. One exchange among the three former NBA players went awry and led to an awkward moment.
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Jay Williams of the Chicago Bulls and Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs share a laugh during the 2003 got milk? Rookie Challenge Game at Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, on Feb. 8, 2003. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE)
ESPN recalled the moments each former player was drafted. Smith went No. 6 overall in 1987 to the Sacramento Kings, Richard Jefferson was selected at No. 13 by the Houston Rockets before being traded to the New Jersey Nets in 2001 and Williams was chosen No. 2 overall by the Chicago Bulls in 2001. Williams’ career was cut short due to a motorcycle crash.
ESPN’s Kevin Negandhi asked why Williams received a big ovation. Williams explained that most people who had gone to Duke were from the New York or New Jersey area.
“They also didn’t see the future coming, so they were cheering,” Jefferson said.
Williams responded, “Wow.”
TNT basketball analyst Kenny Smith appears on air before the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the North Carolina State Wolfpack at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on April 6, 2024. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Smith admitted that Williams was an “unbelievable talent” but “his career trajectory would’ve been a lot different if he didn’t like motorcycles.”
Williams tried to brush it off, saying all of what Smith was saying was “on record” and that he “wrote a book about it.”
“I guess everybody that goes to Duke isn’t that smart,” Jefferson quipped. “What? He wrote a book about it. I’m agreeing with him.”
The awkwardness filled the air after that as the Toronto Raptors were getting ready to make a selection.
Williams’ incident occurred in June 2003. He suffered a fractured pelvis, three torn ligaments in his knee and he severed a nerve in his leg. Williams violated the terms of his contract by riding the motorcycle in the first place.
Referee Richard Jefferson watches the game between the New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers during the 2022 Las Vegas Summer League at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev., on July 11, 2022. (Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
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He tried to make his way back into the NBA through the G League but never got there. He played 75 games for the Bulls in his rookie season and averaged 9.5 points per game.
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