Bowl Predictions 2015: Complete CFP Projections Following Week 10

There was a major shakeup in the College Football Playoff rankings Nov. 7, with four previously unbeaten top-15 teams going down.

No. 2 LSU, No. 7 Michigan State, No. 8 TCU and No. 13 Memphis contributed to what will be changes in the CFP landscape.

LSU was part of the first CFP rankings announced this week, and even though the Tigers loss was to the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide, it's likely they fall out when the next rankings are announced.

Let's take a look at some bowl projections after Week 10, and who will be playing in the CFP semifinal matchups:

College Football Playoff
Selection Committee Bowls
Bowl	Date	Location	Matchup	Prediction
Championship	Jan. 12	Glendale, Ariz.	Semifinal winners	TBA
Cotton	Dec. 31	Arlington, Tex.	Semifinal	Alabama vs. Ohio State
Orange	Dec. 31	Miami	Semifinal	Clemson vs. Baylor
Bowl	Date	Location	Matchup	Prediction
Sugar	Jan. 1	New Orleans	Big 12 vs. SEC	TCU vs. LSU
Rose	Jan. 1	Pasadena, Calif.	Big 10 vs. Pac-12	Michigan State vs. Stanford
Fiesta	Jan. 1	Glendale, Ariz.	At-large vs. At-large	Temple vs. Oklahoma State
Peach	Dec. 31	Atlanta	At-large vs. At-large	Notre Dame vs. Utah

Alabama Making a Statement

Alabama landed in the No. 4 spot of the first CFP rankings this week, amid some criticism because it suffered an early-season loss to No. 18 Ole Miss. Turns out, the Crimson Tide may have been ranked too low.

Alabama dismantled No. 2 LSU Saturday night, 30-16, and now controls its own destiny in regard to winning the SEC West.

LSU will almost certainly fall below Alabama in the rankings, and might fall completely out. The Crimson Tide have a great shot at passing Ohio State even if the Buckeyes win out. OSU has had some close calls this year, and the committee has already shown it's not afraid to rank Alabama ahead of undefeated teams.

Playing in the SEC contributes to a tougher schedule than Ohio State's Big Ten slate, per ESPN Stats & Info:

If Buckeye players and fans don't believe the SEC hype, they may get a chance to find out just which team is better in a 2/3 matchup between OSU and Alabama in the Cotton Bowl.

Look for that to happen if both teams win out, because as good as Alabama has played, it's unlikely the committee will drop Clemson from the top spot if the Tigers finish the season undefeated.

Clemson Isn't 'Clemsoning' Anymore

Dabo Swinney hates the term.

The Clemson head coach has heard the slang "Clemsoning"—a knack for losing big games—before, and has had enough.

Last month Swinney went off on the media after after a 43-24 victory against Georgia Tech, per USA Today's Laken Litman:

"I’m sick of it. I don’t even know why you bring up the dagum word. How about these other teams who lose to unranked teams all the time? We ain’t lost to anyone unranked since 2011, but I have to come to a press conference in 2015 and get asked that. And that’s all media bull crap."

Clemson already had a win over No. 5 Notre Dame on its resume, and defeated No. 16 Florida State Saturday, 23-13, to claim a spot in the ACC Championship game.

ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit thinks the Tigers are deserving of the No. 1 spot:

It could be time to retire "Clemsoning," but the Tigers haven't won a national championship just yet. Swinney noted after they defeated Florida State there is plenty of work to still do, per ESPN.com: "We won the Kentucky Derby tonight," Swinney said. "But we want to win the Triple Crown."

In order to do so, they are going to have to take down the country's best offense in a semifinal matchup with the Baylor Bears.

Baylor lost starting quarterback Seth Russell after he suffered a season-ending neck injury in an Oct. 24 victory against Iowa State. He led the nation in passing yards and touchdowns before the injury. However, the Baylor offense still performed well Nov. 6 without him in a 31-24 victory at Kansas State.

Freshman Jarrett Stidham stepped in and completed 23-of-33 passes for 419 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions against the Wildcats. 

He now has 750 yards, nine touchdowns and zero interceptions this season. Stidham has a chance to be this year's Cardale Jones—the sophomore who stepped in for the injured J.T. Barrett before the Big Ten Championship game last year, and engineered the Buckeyes to the national championship.

Baylor leads the nation in scoring at 57.4 points per game, and Clemson is in the top 15, at 38.7. The Tigers have the better defense, and an offense that should be able to keep up with Baylor. If so, "Clemsoning" might soon mean winning.