College Football Playoff 2015: Latest NCAA Predictions After Week 10 Standings
Just one week into the College Football Playoff rankings, the Top Four will be shaken up thanks to No. 4 Alabama's convincing victory over No. 2 LSU.
Losses by Michigan State and TCU will also shake up the Top 10, giving the playoff committee plenty to discuss in this week's meeting.
The New Year's Six bowl projections have been slightly altered this week, but plenty more changes are sure to come as teams such as Baylor and Ohio State face their toughest tests of the season in the coming weeks.
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| Date | Bowl | Matchup | Predicted Winner |
| Dec. 31 | Cotton Bowl/CFP Semifinal | Ohio State vs. Alabama | Ohio State |
| Dec. 31 | Orange Bowl/CFP Semifinal | Clemson vs. Baylor | Clemson |
| Dec. 31 | Peach Bowl | Florida vs. Notre Dame | Florida |
| Jan. 1 | Rose Bowl | Stanford vs. Michigan | Stanford |
| Jan. 1 | Fiesta Bowl | Houston vs. Utah | Houston |
| Jan. 1 | Sugar Bowl | LSU vs. Oklahoma State | LSU |
Notable Teams
Alabama
After dominating Leonard Fournette and LSU, Alabama is in sole possession of first place in the SEC West and has a clear path to the playoffs.
Alabama will move up at least one spot in the playoff rankings, surpassing LSU and potentially overtaking Ohio State.
"If the results hold, my predicted College Football Playoff standings: 1. Alabama 2. Alabama 3. Alabama 4. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
— Brian Hamilton (@BrianHamiltonSI) November 8, 2015"
While the path appears to be clear for Alabama to reach the playoffs, it's worth noting that the remainder of the Crimson Tide's SEC games will be away from home.
Alabama travels to Mississippi State and Auburn to wrap up the SEC regular season, followed by the SEC title game. An upset loss in any of those games would dramatically shake up the playoff picture.
Nick Saban is just 2-2 at Auburn as Alabama's head coach, and the Tide have lost at least one SEC road game in each of the past two seasons.
Clemson
Florida State gave Clemson a scare, but once again the Tigers came out on top and are in position to cruise into the playoffs.
Clemson's remaining regular-season opponents have a combined 9-18 record this season, which should allow the Tigers to remain undefeated heading into the ACC title game.
With victories against Florida State and Notre Dame, Clemson is comfortably in position to cruise into the playoffs should it remain undefeated.
Potentially an undefeated Ohio State team could jump Clemson in the rankings by season's end, after knocking off Michigan State and Michigan. But it's difficult to imagine the Tigers falling further than No. 2 should they keep winning, especially since every team in the SEC now has at least one loss.
Notre Dame
Due to the loss of No. 2 LSU, we're about to find out just how much the playoff committee respects one-loss Notre Dame.
The Irish were ranked fifth in the initial poll, directly in front of four undefeated teams, due to their impressive strength of schedule. But Baylor, which plays a back-loaded schedule in the Big 12, is expected to continue to rise.
Notre Dame appears to be positioned to rise into the Top Four this week, but the committee may be setting Irish fans up for disappointment. If Baylor runs the table with wins against TCU, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, the undefeated Bears would likely climb ahead of Notre Dame.
The good news for the Irish, however, is they still have one more opportunity to make a statement with a trip to Stanford in their season finale.
Oklahoma State
For much of the season, it was assumed the loser of the Baylor/TCU game would slide into the Sugar Bowl. Oklahoma State's upset of TCU, however, now puts the Cowboys in position to battle Baylor for the Big 12 title.
The Cowboys will certainly be underdogs against Baylor, but they have the advantage of playing at home against the Bears and in their season finale against Oklahoma.
"One thing nobody had ever really considered — what if Oklahoma State is actually the best team in the Big 12?
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) November 7, 2015"
Even with a loss to Baylor, if Oklahoma State can hold off the rival Sooners, the Cowboys would likely become the Big 12 representative in New Orleans at the Sugar Bowl.
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