College Football Playoff 2014: Final Four Predictions After 2nd Top 25 Rankings

Every Saturday is essentially an elimination round for college football teams. In Week 10, it was Ole Miss that was all but eliminated from discussions—for now—with a heartbreaking loss to Auburn.   

The second College Football Playoff committee poll reflected that with the Rebels dropping out of the top four. Mississippi State, Florida State and Auburn were in the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 spots for the second straight poll. This week, they were joined by Oregon, who benefited from Ole Miss' drop.

For the first time ever, just two SEC teams were ranked in the top four of the playoff committee's rankings. Granted, it was only the second week, but another team in Alabama is waiting for someone to slip.

It's time to take a look at the most recent rankings and predictions for the final four at the end of the season.

Bowl	Date	Matchup	Prediction
Sugar	Jan. 1, 2015	Semifinal	No. 4 Mississippi State vs. No. 1 Florida State
Rose	Jan. 1, 2015	Semifinal	No. 3 Oregon vs. No. 2 Alabama

Breakdown of Predictions

Those who have been keeping up with my projections will notice that nothing changed this week. Seeing as how Ole Miss wasn't in my original prediction, the Rebels' loss didn't impact the semifinal games.

Two weeks into the playoff committee polls, the only team originally in my rankings not in is Alabama. Having a week off, the Crimson Tide are just outside of the playoff picture with two other SEC West teams still in the top four.

Much of the recent stretch of dominance for Bama has been thanks in large part to Amari Cooper. He's been so phenomenal thus far that he even received at least one vote for Governor in Alabama, per John Talty of AL.com.

The dynamic receiver is by far the top wideout in his conference, as the SEC Network points out:

Still outside of the playoff for now, the duo of Blake Sims and Cooper will lead the Tide to a semifinal appearance. If it knocks off Mississippi State and Auburn, Alabama will come in as the top SEC team and battle Oregon for a chance at making the championship game.

Speaking of the Ducks, they have their own Heisman contender that has been a consistent force this year. Marcus Mariota has throttled nearly every opponent and did so again in a 29-point victory over Stanford.

The Cardinal aren't as great as they have been in recent years, but it's still an impressive win in the Pac-12. Oregon coach Mark Helfrich spoke about the ease of the offense with Mariota at the helm, per Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.com:

"

You don't even have to draw it up. You can just talk about it and he gets it. That's such a huge deal for that quarterback to be able to think about it over and over again without having to watch it, or even without having to do it. Because that's a thousand reps you can have without wear and tear of playing anybody.

"

Whether it's his intelligence or overall skill on the field, Mariota has what it takes to lead his team to the playoff. If the Ducks get past Utah this weekend, the remaining schedule looks promising as they make a run at a national championship.

Life wasn't easy for every top team this past week as Florida State struggled mightily against Louisville on Thursday night. Just days later, the only other undefeated team in Mississippi State was tested by unranked Arkansas in a 17-10 victory.

For both teams, however, it was the man under center that kept their record unblemished. The Seminoles saw Jameis Winston go from three interceptions in the first half to finish with 401 passing yards and three touchdowns.

Jesse Palmer offered his take on the quarterback's late-game heroics, per SportsCenter:

Meanwhile, Dak Prescott had to rescue the Bulldogs in the last two quarters to remain the top team in the country. Despite the Razorbacks pushing multiple great programs this season, a loss to the 4-5 program would have been devastating.

The Bulldogs might be struggling in close games to lesser opponents, but they are still a dominant team, as ESPN Stats & Info notes:

Still, Mississippi State will have to survive a daunting schedule ahead against both Alabama and Ole Miss. If they remain undefeated, the bracket will take on a completely different look. However, a loss to the Tide and win over the Rebels would slot them at No. 4 in the playoff.

Several weeks still stand between now and the actual playoff, but the picture is beginning to take shape. Thanks to a wealth of ranked teams facing one another this Saturday, the bracket might have a completely different look next week.

That's the fun of college football—every Saturday is another elimination round.

Follow @RCorySmith on Twitter.