In the BCS era, one loss meant a season with league title aspirations was largely over. In the four-team College Football Playoff era, a two-loss team never took the field.

But now, with a field of twelve players in the Playoffs, two defeats will still not outweigh what the most talented teams of the first half of the season have achieved.

What’s often overlooked is the reward for winning a game like Oregon did against Ohio State in a top-three showdown on Saturday, or Texas this weekend against Oklahoma and to start this season at Michigan.

The Ducks and Horns are in the middle of the season with big wins and no losses. And what winning quality games offers is the luxury of knowing that one bad night can’t dramatically change the trajectory of a season in which a team has already accomplished a lot.

To miss the Playoff now for teams like Oregon and Texas — and involve Penn State after its comeback win Saturday at USC — would require a total collapse. Top-ranked Texas should have wiggle room no matter what happens this week against No. 5 Georgia (which could come in handy considering the regular-season schedule ends at rival Texas A&M).

GO DEEPER

No. 1 Texas has not yet reached its peak. What happens if it does?

After a big win, there’s a good chance a coach will be asked: What does this mean for your team?? It’s a good question because it can be done in different ways.

I’ve never heard a coach respond by saying, “Well, we can lose a game now (probably two), and all our dreams are still alive.” However, that is the reality of the new era.

There is enormous value in that.

This season – especially week 6 – has shown us that disaster is just around the corner for almost everyone. What you gain in a week full of big games like we saw on Saturday is peace of mind, knowing that if disaster makes an unwanted guest in the coming weeks, it won’t derail your season.

Each week, Bubble Watch examines 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 top five ranked conference champions will automatically receive a Playoff berth. Find the bracket projections of Austin Mock’s model here.

ACC

Clemson continues its dominance after its early-season nightmare in Georgia. The way the Tigers and Miami are playing, it’s hard to imagine either team not making the field barring a collapse.

Pitt held on at home against Cal and remains just outside the bracket, cracking the top 20 in both polls this week.

Big Ten

Ohio State’s loss at Oregon wasn’t enough to move the country from the “definitely overtake” level, but it does thin the margin for error. The Buckeyes travel to Penn State on November 2 and should be favored against Indiana and Michigan, but the matchups are anything but gimmicky.

Indiana hosts Nebraska this week and the Huskers would represent IU’s best win of the season. The Hoosiers will be a real factor in the Playoff discussion with a convincing win. If they keep it going against Washington and Michigan State, a subsequent win over Michigan would make them a clear top-10 team.

USC has completely dropped out of the conversation after a third close loss. After beating LSU in the season opener, this team could easily be 6-0. Instead, the score is 3-3 (and LSU has won five straight since then).

Penn State’s margin for error appears enormous after a comeback win over USC. The Nittany Lions host Ohio State, but first have two weeks to prepare for Wisconsin.

Big 12

The Big 12 is more like a league that can earn multiple bids per week. Iowa State, once a sleeper pick to win the conference, is still in pole position in this wide-open race, but BYU appears to be the leading contender after being picked to finish 13th. Now the Cougars are ranked 13th nationally and are 6-0. Any team seems capable of landing an at-large bid if it doesn’t win the Big 12. Kansas State and Texas Tech hang around, while KSU survives a thriller in Boulder to knock Colorado out of this week’s Bubble Watch.

And Arizona State, picked last in the league, defeated preseason favorite Utah and appears to be the most improved team in the Power 4.

SEC

Ole Miss’ second loss in three weeks leaves the Rebels off the field. Bama, Georgia and Tennessee all appear vulnerable. Alabama needed late-game drama to survive South Carolina’s upset bid, and Georgia was far from dominant against a Mississippi State team that wasn’t very competitive against FBS competition.

Tennessee would likely still be in the running if the season were to end today, but the issues along the offensive line and lack of consistent explosiveness in the passing game have created a lot of skepticism about how good the Vols actually are as the schedule becomes increasingly tough.

LSU and Texas A&M are at the top of the standings, but still hover just outside the actual rankings. Both have plenty of opportunities to prove they can sustain SEC title runs when the league is decided in late November.

Group of 5

Boise State was already in the driver’s seat. But Oregon’s win over Ohio State made his solid resume even better considering the three-point loss to the Ducks early this season in Eugene. The Broncos might need it. Army and Navy look to remain undefeated and may meet in the AAC title game. This week, the teams appeared in the poll at the same time for the first time since 1960. Both still face Notre Dame.

But if Boise is 12-1 at the end of the season with an MWC title, a win over Wazzu, maybe two wins over UNLV and its only road loss at Oregon, the Broncos would be hard-pressed to find a spot in the field to deny.

GO DEEPER

What do Army and Navy’s historic starts mean for the AAC Championship? CFP?

Others

I told you not to take Notre Dame out of the Playoff after the loss to Northern Illinois. The Irish have been rock solid since then, demolishing Purdue, Miami (Ohio) and Stanford and coming away with a solid win over a Louisville team that is in the second tier of the ACC. As more and more teams above them lose, the Irish continue to creep into the bracket.

They graduated this week with “definitely in,” and our Austin Mock predicted the Irish would have a 64 percent chance of making the field.

Their strength of schedule was all over the map. Georgia Tech has been in and out of the polls. Florida State and USC dropped out. But now Army and Navy are both ranked. It has largely evened out. The Irish have no doubts at 11-1 and still have a good chance of making it down the field if they stumble down the stretch.

(Photo of Oregon teammates Roger Saleapaga (No. 83) and Jeffrey Bassa: Ali Gradischer / Getty Images)