CFP Bowl Projections 2017: Predicting Playoff, New Year's Games

It's time to throw some water in the faces of college football experts who continue to spout that no two-loss team has made it into the College Football Playoff.

The statement has no weight because this is just the fourth year of the CFP. College football's version of the Final Four is still in its infant stages, and patterns are just building. There's no reason to make any pronouncements about what has been done in the past.

Especially when there are two two-loss teams worthy of strong consideration.

One of those teams is the Auburn Tigers, who beat Georgia and Alabama in November. Both the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide were undefeated at the time, and if Auburn can beat Georgia again in the SEC Championship Game Saturday, it would be wrong to deny them an opportunity to play in the tournament.

Any time a team can beat two undefeated and powerful teams late in the season, it would be wrong to count them out because of a couple of early-season defeats.

Ohio State has also lost twice, and the Buckeyes may also be worthy of consideration if they can beat the undefeated Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten title game.

However, if the Badgers can impose their running game and defensive will on the Buckeyes and earn the Big Ten title Saturday, they belong in the CFP.

Here's how we see the CFP and elite bowls playing out after the conference championship games.

Aaron Gash/Associated Press

Projected College Football Playoff Participants

1. Clemson Tigers
2. Wisconsin Badgers
3. Auburn Tigers
4. Alabama Crimson Tide

CFP Matchups

• College Football Playoff semifinal/Rose Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Auburn
• College Football Playoff semifinal/Sugar Bowl: Clemson vs. Alabama

In addition to the playoffs, here's a look at how the other key bowl games will play out.

Top Bowl Projections

• Orange Bowl: TCU vs. Miami
• Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State vs. Oklahoma
• Cotton Bowl: USC vs. Penn State
• Peach Bowl: UCF vs. Georgia

New Year's Bowl Games

• Citrus Bowl: Michigan State vs. Mississippi State
• Outback Bowl: Northwestern vs. LSU

The howling should start quickly because Oklahoma has been booted out of the top four and the Crimson Tide are still in the mix despite dropping a 26-14 decision to the Auburn Tigers Saturday.

The Crimson Tide were at the top of the rankings all season, and while head coach Nick Saban has decried the political process recently, his team is still one of the four best outfits in the nation.

They lost on the road to an excellent Auburn team that is peaking, and they play in one of the best conferences—if not the best conference—in the nation. Go ahead and knock them or take them down a position or three. However, there's no way any of the experts can believe they are not one of the top four teams in college football.

Saban spoke up for his team after the loss to Auburn. 

"I think this team deserves an opportunity to get in the playoff by what they've been able to accomplish and what they've been able to do," Saban said, per Alex Scarborough of ESPN.com. "Certainly not maybe in this game, but I think the team we played tonight is a very good football team, probably one of the best teams in the country.

Clemson had one inexplicable blip on the road, against Syracuse, all season. Dabo Swinney's team lost a sleepy Friday night game to the Orange, but they passed every other test this season. If they can handle Miami in Saturday's ACC title game, they deserve to have a chance to defend the title they won a year ago.

Wisconsin has been discounted all season despite its undefeated record. The Badgers have not had an elite-level schedule, but they have won every game and are clearly dependable. Freshman running back Jonathan Taylor is an explosive offensive option, and the defense is hungry and nasty.

If they handle the Buckeyes, they cannot be denied. They deserve a place at the table—as well as one of the top two seeds.

Auburn's case is made by its two high-quality late-season victories.

Oklahoma is out because it is not a better team than Alabama. The Sooners have the best quarterback in the country in Baker Mayfield, but they don't play the kind of defense that compares with the other elite teams.

They lost to a good-but-not-great Iowa State team in early October. Their defense let them down in that game because the Sooners failed to hold on to a two-touchdown lead.

They have given up at least 31 points five times this season, including a 41-point surrender to Baylor and 52 points to Oklahoma State.

Some observers may want to give the Sooners a seat at the table, but they do not deserve to be there. The Fiesta Bowl is good enough, and they will get a rematch with the Buckeyes.

Oklahoma played its best game in beating Ohio State early in the season. Let's see whether they can do it again.

The big boys are Clemson, Wisconsin, Auburn and Alabama. Let them have at it.