College Football Rankings 2017: Week 14 Polls and Top 25 Standings Predictions

It all comes down to the conference champions now, and things could get messy depending on the outcomes of those games. Sure, teams like Clemson, Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Georgia could make things easy on the College Football Committee by winning their respective conferences.

But if they don't? Let the fun begin. 

It's hard to say how the committee will make those determinations, but this week's rankings might offer a clue. Below, we'll take a look at the Coaches and Associated Press polls, project what the committee's official rankings might look like and how the final rankings might shake out.

Amway Coaches Poll Rankings

1. Clemson (11-1)

2. Oklahoma (11-1)

3. Wisconsin (12-0)

4. Auburn (10-2)

5. Alabama (11-1)

6. Georgia (11-1)

T7. Miami (10-1)

T7. Ohio State (10-2)

9. USC (10-2)

10. Penn State (10-2)

11. UCF (11-0)

12. TCU (10-2)

13. Washington (10-2)

14. Memphis (10-1)

15. Stanford (9-3)

16. LSU (9-3)

17. Notre Dame (9-3)

18. Oklahoma State (9-3)

19. Michigan State (9-3)

20. Northwestern (9-3)

21. Virginia Tech (9-3)

22. Washington State (9-3)

23. South Florida (9-2)

24. Mississippi State (8-4)

25. San Diego State (10-2)

Associated Press Rankings

1. Clemson

2. Oklahoma

3. Wisconsin

4. Auburn

5. Alabama

6. Georgia

7. Miami

8. Ohio State

9. Penn State

10. TCU

11. USC

12. UCF

13. Washington

14. Stanford

15. Notre Dame

16. Memphis

17. LSU

18. Oklahoma State

19. Michigan State

20. Northwestern

21. Washington State

22. Virginia Tech

23. South Florida

24. Mississippi State

25. Fresno State (9-3)

College Football Playoff Rankings Predictions

Butch Dill/Associated Press

1. Clemson 

2. Oklahoma

3. Auburn

4. Alabama

5. Wisconsin

6. Georgia

7. Miami

8. Ohio State

9. Penn State

10. USC

11. TCU

12. Washington

13. UCF

14. Stanford

15. Notre Dame

16. Michigan State

17. LSU

18. Oklahoma State

19. Washington State

20. Memphis

21. Northwestern

22. Virginia Tech

23. San Diego State

24. Fresno State 

25. South Florida

The fascinating choice for the College Football Playoff Committee this week will be determining just how far Alabama should fall. Surely they'll be below Clemson and Oklahoma. It seems likely they'll drop below the team they just lost against, Auburn. The question will be whether they fall below teams like Wisconsin and Georgia as well. 

How the committee ranks Alabama this week should give us an idea of just how likely the committee will be to consider a one-loss Alabama team for the playoff depending on how the conference title games play out. If Alabama falls all the way down to, say, No. 6 in the rankings, it's hard to imagine the committee favoring them over the conference champions.

If Alabama remains in the top four, however, the committee may yet put them in the playoff when all is said and done.

After all, there's the very real possibility that four two-loss teams—Auburn, Ohio State, USC and TCU—will be conference champions. In that scenario, the one-loss ACC champion—either Clemson or Miami—is assuredly in the playoff.

But after that, will the committee choose three two-loss teams over Alabama? 

Auburn would be an obvious enough selection over the Crimson Tide after beating them, adding to an impressive resume that also would include two wins over Georgia. And it might be tough to put Alabama over Ohio State as well. The Buckeyes, after all, would have wins over Penn State, Michigan and Wisconsin and would be a conference champion.

But then there's USC and TCU. The Trojans would have two victories over Stanford highlighting their resume, with a blowout loss to Notre Dame and a close defeat at Washington State hanging over their heads. 

TCU would have a split with Oklahoma to go along with a win over Oklahoma State and a loss to Iowa State.

But comparing resumes may not really favor Alabama much this season. The Crimson Tide's best wins are over LSU and Mississippi State. There will be the argument that Florida State was a better team in Week 1 when quarterback Deondre Francois was on the field, but the committee has no proof it would have been better than the 5-6 record it has posted this year even with a healthy Francois.

Alabama will have to hope that the committee believes it would beat teams like Ohio State, USC and TCU if the teams were to play, then, without having the benefit of a conference title or an elite strength of schedule to fall back on.  

How the committee ranks the Crimson Tide will offer some insight into how much benefit of the doubt they are offering Alabama due to the eye test. 

One last note: UCF seems out of the running for a playoff berth, but pay attention to where it ends up being ranked. If the team cracks the Top 10, maybe—just maybe—the committee will give it a long, hard look for a playoff spot following a second win over a good Memphis team. It's a long shot, but in a year devoid of a dominant team, UCF can make a very strong argument that it at least deserves to be part of the discussion if it runs the table.