Bowl Predictions 2017: Updated Playoff Projections Heading into Week 10

After weeks of anticipation, we will finally get some insight into how the College Football Playoff committee views this year's championship contenders. 

The first rankings from the committee will be released Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Let's try to get inside the heads of the playoff committee and predict who will be slotted into the top seeds for the playoffs. 

Sugar Bowl: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 4 Oklahoma

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Alabama has been the unanimous No. 1 team in the AP Top 25, but the playoff committee often goes against the grain. 

Since Alabama opened the season at No. 1 in the AP poll and haven't lost, naturally the voters have left the Crimson Tide atop their ballots. But since the committee waits until late October to release their polls, they aren't as influenced by past rankings. 

If the committee chooses to focus on the resumes of Georgia and Alabama, it's likely that the Bulldogs will come out on top thanks to a win at 7-1 Notre Dame in early September. 

Predicting the No. 4 team is more challenging due to the number of undefeated and one-loss teams in the mix. 

Miami and Wisconsin have yet to lose, but neither has a signature victory on its resume yet. Oklahoma, however, has one of the best wins of the season at Ohio State, which may allow the committee to forgive its loss to Iowa State. 

At the time of that loss to the Cyclones, it looked like a bad defeat for Oklahoma, but Iowa State has since knocked off Texas Tech and TCU and will almost certainly be ranked among the committee's top 25 teams. 

In fact, Iowa State (6-2) will likely be ranked higher than any team Wisconsin or Miami has faced this season, which significantly boosts Oklahoma's argument to be ranked among the top four at this point. 

Rose Bowl: No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 3 Notre Dame 

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Alabama is a lock to be ranked among the playoff teams; the only question is whether or not it lands at No. 1 or No. 2 behind Georgia. 

Notre Dame, however, is among the large group of teams on the bubble. Like Oklahoma, the Fighting Irish have suffered a loss, but their resume is boosted by an impressive strength of schedule. 

With convincing wins over NC State and USC, Notre Dame has likely done enough to land above the remaining undefeated teams. 

Of course, the CFP committee has been known to drop teams in the rankings, even after a victory. So as other teams improve their resume, it's possible Notre Dame or Oklahoma could slide. 

Other Teams in the Mix

Wisconsin and Miami are the two other obvious omissions from the group above. It's a tight race, and it won't come as a shock if either team cracks the committee's top four Tuesday night. 

The next two teams in the hunt are Ohio State and Clemson. Each has one loss, but the strength of their victories keep them in the playoff conversation. Clemson has strong wins over Auburn and Virginia Tech, while Ohio State has Saturday's come-from-behind victory over Penn State. 

While both the Tigers and Buckeyes will likely be left out of the initial playoff seeding, both teams appear to be in position to control their own destiny.