College Football Rankings 2014: NCAA Teams That Can Still Move into Top 4

The Ole Miss Rebels made picking the top two teams easy for the College Football Playoff committee. By losing to LSU on Saturday, the college football landscape was left with just two undefeated teams from power conferences.

Here's the thing: Because the top four enter the playoffs, the race for the third and fourth spot is now a jumbled mess of one-loss teams that could all make a case for being in the last two spots. Ole Miss is currently fourth, but many including the voters of The Associated Press don't believe the Rebels are one of the four best teams in the country.

Here's a look at the first College Football Playoff Rankings, per the committee's official site.

College Football Playoff Rankings
Rank	Team	Record
1	Mississippi State	7-0
2	Florida State	7-0
3	Auburn	6-1
4	Ole Miss	7-1
5	Oregon	7-1
6	Alabama	7-1
7	TCU	6-1
8	Michigan State	7-1
9	Kansas State	6-1
10	Notre Dame	6-1
11	Georgia	6-1
12	Arizona	6-1
13	Baylor	6-1
14	Arizona State	6-1
15	Nebraska	7-1
16	Ohio State	6-1
17	Utah	6-1
18	Oklahoma	5-2
19	LSU	7-2
20	West Virginia	6-2
21	Clemson	6-2
22	UCLA	6-2
23	East Carolina	6-1
24	Duke	6-1
25	Louisville	6-2

Is Ole Miss Unsteady?

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Sure, Bo Wallace looked dreadful on Saturday against LSU in the Rebels' 10-7 loss. He completed just 14 of 33 passes and threw a crucial interception late. However, this season the Rebels do own a win over the Alabama Crimson Tide and a victory over the Texas A&M Aggies, which doesn't look as good now as it did three weeks ago.

Still, the Rebels have one loss and a win over a team that is perhaps its strongest competition for a spot in the playoff. Because of that, the committee is right to keep Ole Miss in the top four...at least for now.

There's a huge game on the horizon against Auburn this week. A win would plant Ole Miss firmly in a top-four spot. Barring a major upset at the hands of Arkansas or Presbyterian, Ole Miss might even be able to withstand a second loss to Mississippi State in the regular-season finale and still make the playoff field.

They would need help, but with wins over Alabama and Auburn, who could definitively say the Rebels wouldn't be one of the four best teams in the land?

There are 11 teams that by some stretch of the imagination—large or small—could find themselves in the top four. We'll focus on the two with the best chance that currently sit outside of the playoff picture.

Ole Miss vs. Everybody

Alabama

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Alabama is the most natural competitor for Ole Miss. While the Rebels won the head-to-head matchup, the belief around the country appears to be that Bama is now the superior team. Wide receiver Amari Cooper has emerged as a candidate for the top pick in the 2015 NFL draft, and T.J. Yeldon is running like a man possessed.

The duo has combined for seven touchdowns in the last two games.

Unfortunately for Alabama, it will need Ole Miss to lose again in order to prove it is the better team. A precedence seems to have been set with the initial CFP voting: Head-to-head wins will weigh heavily in the rankings. Were that not the case, Bama would probably have been ahead of Ole Miss.

When you look at the two teams' remaining schedules, Ole Miss may have the edge.

The Rebels do have Auburn this week and Mississippi State in the regular-season finale, but Alabama's remaining schedule is a little tougher. It will go up against a resurgent LSU team next week, followed by a home date against Mississippi State and the Iron Bowl against Auburn in the regular-season finale.

Because Ole Miss has the easier remaining schedule and already own the tiebreaker—so to speak—with the head-to-head win, the Rebels have a good chance to remain ahead of Alabama.

Oregon

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Aside from a potential Pac-12 championship showdown, Marcus Mariota and the Oregon Ducks' biggest tests should come over the next two weeks.

Sure, the Stanford Cardinal hasn't looked scary this season, losing all three of its games against ranked opponents, but this is still a bitter rivalry.

The Cardinal has routinely been the monkey wrench in the Ducks' title plans over the last few years. You can bet Kevin Hogan and Co. will want to stick it to Oregon again on Saturday.

The following week Oregon travels to Salt Lake City to battle the No. 17 Utah Utes. The Utes are tough at home and seem to have found themselves a permanent quarterback in 6'7" junior Travis Wilson. He led the team to a dramatic come-from-behind win over USC last week.

This could be a pitfall for Oregon. If the Ducks survive both games and win the Pac-12 title game they should be in, based on the chaos that is sure to ensue with the top SEC teams.

Winning the Pac-12 title game is no given considering the Ducks could rematch the Arizona Wildcats, the team that handed them their lone loss earlier in the season. If Mariota is looking to solidify his Heisman Trophy campaign, big performances and wins in these three huge games are key.