Bowl Predictions 2015: Projecting CFP Playoff Field After Week 11 Games

All four teams in the College Football Playoff heading into Week 11 came out victorious and should remain steady in the rankings when the new ones are announced Tuesday.

However, that doesn't mean all things were equal. The No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes didn't allow a touchdown on the road in a 28-3 win over the Illinois Fighting Illini, while the No. 1 Clemson Tigers struggled with the unranked Syracuse Orange.

Here is a look at the Week 12 CFP projections, as well as a breakdown of some teams that helped themselves, and others that may have damaged their chances: 

Projected Week 12 Rankings	Team	Week 11 Rankings
1	Clemson Tigers	1
2	Alabama Crimson Tide	2
3	Ohio State Buckeyes	3
4	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	4

Give Yourself a Pat on the Back

Ohio State Buckeyes (10-0): It wasn't the most dominating performance, but unlike some other teams that won, the Buckeyes were never really in danger of losing to Illinois.

It was quarterback J.T. Barrett's first game back from a one-game suspension, but it was running back Ezekiel Elliott who carried the load with 27 rushes for 181 yards and two touchdowns. This team is full of athletes, and the committee was reminded after this game that Elliott is a pretty dangerous one. 

ESPN's Brett McMurphy reminded everyone the Buckeyes haven't really been tested this season in terms of strength of schedule: 

"

After today, Ohio State & North Carolina will be only teams in @CFBPlayoff's Top 25 that haven’t played a current Top 25 team so far

— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) November 14, 2015"

That will change the next two weeks when Ohio State faces the No. 13 Michigan State Spartans and No. 14 Michigan Wolverines. For now though, they are beating those who are put in front of them, and the Buckeyes keep hanging around.

Alabama Crimson Tide (9-1): When it was announced Alabama was part of the first CFP rankings, there were some who felt the one-loss Crimson Tide did not belong. All they've done since then is beat two ranked teams by a combined 39 points.

The latest victory was a 31-6 rout of the No. 17 Mississippi State Bulldogs in Week 11. MSU had averaged 40.8 points per game during a four-game win streak before running in to an Alabama buzzsaw.

While Dak Prescott managed to throw for 300 yards, he never found the end zone and was intercepted once. Alabama outgained the Bulldogs 235-89 on the ground.

It also has played some pretty good defense since losing to the Ole Miss Rebels in Week 3, per ESPN Stats & Info:

The Crimson Tide are looking like they belong right where they are.

Oklahoma Sooners (9-1): It seemed like a longshot for the Sooners to have any kind of chance at the playoff after a Week 6 loss to the Texas Longhorns. Oklahoma then proceeded to score 50-plus in four straight victories and fought its way back to a No. 12 CFP ranking.

Next week, it should be much higher. The Sooners went into Waco, Texas, and defeated the previously undefeated No. 6 Baylor Bears in Week 11, 44-34. Even better for them, four teams ahead of the Sooners in the rankings lost.

With games against the No. 15 TCU Horned Frogs and No. 8 Oklahoma State Cowboys on the horizon, they have a chance to finish 11-1 and wrap up the Big 12 Conference championship.

This win over a Baylor team that was averaging 57 points per game and only allowing 25 would go a long way toward earning a spot in the playoff if Oklahoma wins out.

Not Your Best Effort

TCU Horned Frogs (9-1): TCU was No. 15 in the CFP rankings, but still had an outside shot at the playoff had it run the table the rest of the regular season. Even with a win in Week 11, that shot is now gone.

Yes, quarterback Trevone Boykin was injured most of the game, but a 23-17 home win against the Kansas Jayhawks is inexcusable.

Yahoo Sports Pat Forde recognized the six-point win was an ugly one for TCU:

Kansas might be the worst FBS team in the country, and it is dead last in defensive yards allowed at 583.3 per game. A narrow 34-30 victory at Kansas in 2014 may have cost the Horned Frogs a shot at the playoff, and it looks like the Jayhawks have done it to TCU once again.

Oklahoma State Cowboys (10-0): A win is a win, but if you're trying to impress a playoff selection committee, a close one against a bad team might as well be a loss.

Despite the fact the Big 12 Conference had two undefeated teams last week in Oklahoma State and Baylor, it did not have a representative in the latest CFP projections. The committee has shown it is not high on the conference as a whole.

Oklahoma State needed a touchdown with three minutes to play in Week 11 against a 3-6 Iowa State Cyclones team at the time to escape with a 35-31 victory. That's not going to help its case when trying to prove it's one of the four best teams in the country.

Quarterback J.W. Walsh, who is usually in to run the ball, threw the game-winning touchdown. After the game, he seemed to think the near loss was nothing more than a speed bump along the way, per ESPN.com:

"

You don't win without having some maturity and a relentless football team, and we've been able to attain those things very well. There was not a doubt in anyone's mind. You could see it in everybody's eyes.

"

It was a great comeback no doubt, but if the current projections hold—which means Alabama and Notre Dame are possibly in with one loss—this slim victory for the Cowboys could cost them even if they finish undefeated.

Stanford Cardinal (8-2): Losing to the Oregon Ducks in the recent past was nothing to hang your head about. At 7-3 this year, the Ducks aren't awful, but Stanford had national championship aspirations in mind, and Oregon ended them with a 38-36 road victory.

The Cardinal failed to clinch a spot in the Pac-12 Championship game with the loss, but that isn't the biggest issue. They were No. 7 in the CFP rankings before the loss, and a win would have surely moved them past Baylor after its Week 11 defeat.

Conference clashes—especially a rivalry like this one—are tough, but it was one Stanford should have won. Oregon has a home loss to the Washington State Cougars on its resume, and gave up 62 points in a loss to the No. 10 Utah Utes.

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