Bowl Predictions 2015: Projections for College Football Playoff Teams
The College Football Playoff committee released its third rankings of the season on Tuesday night and there were no changes to the top five teams.
But with plenty of difficult matchups remaining, there are sure to be some upsets that will send shockwaves through the college football world.
Below are the current CFP committee rankings, followed by a projection of which teams will be left standing at season's end and a breakdown of what those four teams need to do to reach the playoffs.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
| Dec. 31 | Cotton Bowl/CFP Semifinal | No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 4 Notre Dame |
| Dec. 31 | Orange Bowl/CFP Semifinal | No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Alabama |
Projected Final CFP Rankings
1. Clemson
| Nov. 21 | 3:30 p.m. | Wake Forest |
| Nov. 28 | 12:30 p.m. | at South Carolina |
| Dec. 5 | 8 p.m. | North Carolina* |
The Tigers already survived their toughest tests of the season by beating Notre Dame and Florida State.
Clemson will be heavily favored in its final two regular-season games against Wake Forest and South Carolina, which likely leaves North Carolina as the only remaining challenge between the Tigers and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
If Clemson falters down the stretch, it will likely be due to the mounting injuries.
According to Dan Hope of OrangeandWhite.com, a number of key players injured on Saturday are still questionable for Week 12:
"#Clemson CB Mackensie Alexander, RB Wayne Gallman, RG Tyrone Crowder all listed as questionable for this week. WR Ray-Ray McCloud still out.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) November 17, 2015"
The most critical name on that list is starting running back Wayne Gallman.
Gallman was crucial to the Tigers' success against Notre Dame and Florida State, rushing for over 100 yards in each game.
If Gallman returns in time for the ACC title game, the Tigers should be considered heavy favorites to run the table and enter the playoffs as the No. 1 seed. But if Gallman is out, the Tar Heels may have a shot to pull the upset.
2. Ohio State
| Nov. 21 | 3:30 p.m. | Michigan State |
| Nov. 28 | 12 p.m. | at Michigan |
| Dec. 5 | 8:15 p.m. | Iowa* |
Ohio State enters Week 12 at No. 3 in the rankings, but with three quality opponents potentially remaining on the schedule, the Buckeyes will almost certainly jump one-loss Alabama if they run the table.
Urban Meyer's crew hosts Michigan State on Saturday, and while both teams are known for their defenses, this matchup was a shootout in 2014 when Ohio State pulled off the 49-37 win.
Michigan State simply couldn't contain Ohio State last season, as J.T. Barrett and Ezekiel Elliott combined to account for 540 yards of offense.
If the Buckeyes duo can generate anything close to that type of output again, Ohio State should cruise to victory.
Anything could happen in the regular-season finale against Michigan, as this rivalry has seen its share of upsets. But the Buckeyes will certainly be favorites given the recent domination in the series. Dating back to the start of the Jim Tressel era in 2001, Ohio State is 12-2 against its rival up North.
Ohio State will then be met by the Big Ten West division champ, which may actually be the easiest remaining game on the Buckeyes' schedule. Undefeated Iowa is on track to advance to meet the Buckeyes in Indianapolis but will be significant underdogs in the game.
3. Alabama
| Nov. 21 | 4 p.m. | Charleston Southern |
| Nov. 28 | 3:30 p.m. | at Auburn |
| Dec. 5 | 4 p.m. | Florida* |
Despite the early-season loss to Ole Miss, Alabama will represent the SEC in the playoffs if it runs the table.
"Jeff Long: There was some talk about moving Alabama to No. 1, but the final vote was clear for Clemson.
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) November 18, 2015"
The only question will be where a one-loss Alabama team falls in the rankings.
The Tide are currently ranked second due to their strength of schedule, but that advantage will diminish greatly as the Big Ten and Big 12 close out the season with a number of high-profile matchups.
Given the respect the committee clearly has for the SEC, and fact that Alabama has a Top 25 nonconference victory over Wisconsin, the Crimson Tide will likely be the highest-ranked one-loss team in the final rankings.
4. Notre Dame
| Nov. 21 | 7:30 p.m. | at Boston College* |
| Nov. 28 | TBD | at Stanford |
Among the current top four, Notre Dame is the only school that may not control its own destiny.
If either Oklahoma State or Oklahoma runs the table, the Big 12 champion could slide into this spot. However, both teams have difficult matchups in the final two weeks, including a head-to-head matchup on November 28.
Notre Dame fans should be pulling hard for Baylor (against Oklahoma State) and TCU (against Oklahoma) this weekend.
"Jeff Long said committee discussed 5-through-7 the most, which indicates Notre Dame still entrenched at No. 4.
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) November 18, 2015"
If both Oklahoma schools go down on Saturday, the Irish would likely control their own destiny given their strength of schedule to this point and another quality opponent remaining in the season finale against Stanford.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
