2 hours Ago By Joe Tansey
Chaos broke out in Week 13 of the college football season. Three College Football Playoff contenders from the SEC suffered road losses to ruin their chances of landing in the 12-team field. The Ole Miss Rebels, Alabama Crimson Tide and Texas A&M Aggies are all expected to drop out of the top 15 in Tuesday's rankings reveal.
That is tremendous news for the Indiana Hoosiers, who were outclassed in their first loss of the season against the Ohio State Buckeyes in Week 13's marquee game. Indiana will experience a drop from No. 5, but it likely will not be as dramatic as it may have been had Ole Miss and Alabama remained as two-loss teams.
Updated CFB Playoff Projection No. 1 Oregon (Big Ten champion) No. 2 Texas (SEC champion) No.
3 Miami (ACC champion) No. 4 Boise State (Best Group of Five champion) No. 12 Arizona State vs.
No. 5 Ohio State No. 11 SMU vs.
No. 6 Penn State No. 10 Tennessee vs.
No. 7 Notre Dame No. 9 Georgia vs.
No. 8 Indiana The order of the at-large teams depends on where the selection committee places Indiana. The Hoosiers' only loss came against second-ranked Ohio State, but they did not face a difficult schedule.
Most of the criticism surrounding Indiana in the buildup to Saturday's top-five clash was about the lack of ranked opponents on the schedule. The Hoosiers are now a one-loss team hoping to get into the playoff as an at-large team. Some committee members may drop the Hoosiers past the Georgia Bulldogs and Tennessee Volunteers.
It's safe to assume Indiana, Georgia and Tennessee will be close by each other around the back end of the top 10. Georgia benefited from the losses in the SEC, but it now is in danger of losing a third game in the SEC Championship Game. The Bulldogs will face the winner of Saturday's Texas-Texas A&M game in Atlanta.
A third loss could drop them out of the playoff conversation, or the committee may allow a three-loss UGA team to get in because of its potential status as the SEC runner-up. Tennessee will be safely in the field with a win over the Vanderbilt Commodores. The Vols do not have a path to the SEC Championship Game.
Alabama, Ole Miss and A&M should drop far enough away from the top 12 that they will not be considered players for at-large berths. A&M can still cause some chaos with a win over Texas and then a victory in the SEC Championship Game to earn the SEC's automatic bid. If Indiana is safely inside the top 12, one at-large spot could still be up for grabs.
The SMU Mustangs can slide into that position in Tuesday's rankings. SMU is on a collision course with the Miami Hurricanes to meet in the ACC Championship Game. The Mustangs only have one loss, so they might have a chance to get in as a two-loss ACC runner-up if it loses close in two weeks.
After the at-large conversation, the Big 12 title race is the biggest question mark when it comes to the CFB Playoff. The Arizona State Sun Devils and Iowa State Cyclones have the inside track to meet in the Big 12 Championship Game. Both teams need to win in Week 14 to get in.
The Colorado Buffaloes and BYU Cougars wasted their opportunities in the last few weeks and now need to win and get help to play another game within the Big 12. The Big 12 champion could enter the playoff bracket as the No. 12 seed if it resides beneath the Boise State Broncos in the final rankings.
Boise State right now is the fourth-best conference champion. The Group of Five representative may not have to play until quarterfinal weekend if it wins out in the Mountain West..
