With teams entering the back-half of their 2025 schedules, the College Football Playoff picture is beginning to take shape. We’ll get a better idea of which programs will be playing meaningful games deep into the year this weekend, headlined by three Associated Press top 25 SEC showdowns for the second week in a row. Below, we take a closer look at five Week 9 games this Saturday that can have the biggest impact on the playoff race. Ole Miss and Oklahoma both need a win to remain in the SEC title game conversation. The Rebels have a favorable schedule after this weekend, making the ranked SEC showdown their last chance to notch a quality regular-season win. The Sooners, meanwhile, are beginning a stretch of five consecutive games against teams currently ranked in the AP poll. A loss to Ole Miss would by no means eliminate Oklahoma, but it would leave it without any margin of error against what ranks as the second-toughest remaining strength of schedule according to ESPN’s Football Power Index. Expect a playo
