College Football Playoff 2014: Final Four Predictions After 5th Top 25 Rankings

Many of the best college football teams took a trip to cupcake city in Week 13 of the season, with three of the previous Top Four teams earning comfortable wins. The outsider, of course, was Florida State, who narrowly pulled out a win over Boston College.   

As a result, there wasn't a huge amount of change at the top of the rankings. Alabama remained at the top with Oregon, Florida State and Mississippi State still rounding out the Top Four.

Those programs might see a shakeup this weekend with the intriguing slate on Saturday. Each team will face a rival, with the Iron Bowl and Egg Bowl offering the biggest opportunities for upsets. Meanwhile, TCU faces Texas with hopes that it can climb up the poll with a victory.

Ahead of the critical weekend, here is a look at the latest College Football Playoff committee rankings and predictions for the playoff bracket.

(Note: As the table header indicates, the logo shown at the far right of each team's row is for that team's next opponent and not for the ranked team itself.)

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

Analysis

Few would have predicted any of the previous Top Four teams would have fallen and many weren't even close. However, Florida State certainly didn't do itself any favors with a close contest at home against Boston College.

The Seminoles have reached the 11-win mark for the third straight season but have been questioned every game along the way. Much of those queries stem from come-from-behind wins against lesser opponents such as Oklahoma State and N.C. State.

ESPN Stats & Info points out a staggering statistic about the Noles' victories:

Jameis Winston will look to change that pattern against a Florida team that comes into Tallahassee at 6-4 on the season. The Gators are looking for a signature win in the midst of an otherwise horrid season. Upending the rival Noles would be a great way to lift the spirits in Gainesville.

Meanwhile in Eugene, Oregon and Oregon State will battle in another rivalry game that appears to be one-sided. The Ducks are currently flying high while the Beavers have lost six of their last eight. Let's just say Oregon seems like the most likely program to remain in the Top Four with a decisive win.

Back on the East Coast, two of the biggest rivalry games are set to take place. Between the Egg Bowl and the Iron Bowl, two National Championship contenders will be competing for their chance at the playoff.

In recent years, the Iron Bowl has been one of the most intense in college football. Not only is a lot on the line for both teams in the SEC West, but College GameDay also notes why it has typically had implications for the Championship Game:

The Crimson Tide come in as the higher-ranked program after the Tigers experienced a few hiccups recently against Texas A&M and Georgia. Then again, anything is possible when these two rivals meet.

Outside of the Iron Bowl, Mississippi State will be looking to do everything it can to clinch a berth with a win over Ole Miss. Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen spoke about the heated rivalry, via Michael Bonner of The Clarion-Ledger:

"

Every one of these (Egg Bowl games) are important. This is my sixth time playing in this game, I view the other five as equally as important. ...

You work year round for this type of game. It'll be fun. I know we'll be going into a hostile environment. Tough place to go play. I don't think they are big fans of mine up in that part of the state.

"

If both Alabama and Ole Miss win, only the Tide would roll into the SEC Championship Game. That puts even more pressure on the Bulldogs to win decisively to convince voters they deserve a spot over programs playing for a conference title.

I have both the Bulldogs and Tide playing in the semifinals. After the blowout loss to Arkansas for Ole Miss, expect a lopsided win for Dak Prescott and Mississippi State.

Though the regular season is winding down, there is still a lot left to unfold before the final bracket is set. Given the tremendous amount of change already over the first five polls, there is bound to be even more developments down the stretch.

Follow @RCorySmith on Twitter.