College Football Rankings 2017: Week 14 NCAA Playoff Championship Predictions

It's conference championship week in college football, giving the teams at the top a final chance to make their respective cases for the 2017 College Football Playoff. 

With Auburn knocking Alabama from its top-ranked perch in the Iron Bowl and then-No. 2 Miami losing to Pittsburgh in Week 13, a few of the conference championship games take on even greater significance. Of the Top Eight teams in the CFP rankings, only No. 4 Wisconsin is undefeated. Every other team has a blemish on its record, and two teams—No. 8 Ohio State and No. 2 Auburn—have two losses. 

No matter the outcomes of Week 14, a couple of teams will feel spurned by the committee when the final four teams are picked. This has been the case with the playoff since its inception four years ago, but this year's razor-thin margins between the top squads will be cause for long debate over who should be included in the playoff.

Week 14 Power Five Championship Games

Pac-12: No. 10 USC vs. No. 12 Stanford

Big 12: No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 11 TCU

SEC: No. 6 Georgia vs. No. 2 Auburn

ACC: No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 7 Miami

Big Ten: No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Wisconsin

While the Pac-12 game figures to be an exciting one, it has no bearing on the CFP. Moving on to the Big 12, Oklahoma can lock up a playoff spot by taking care of No. 11 Texas Christian. The Sooners have no problem moving the ball with the excellent Baker Mayfield at quarterback and a multi-pronged rushing attack that piled up 313 yards in last week's 59-31 win over West Virginia.

TCU is 10-2 and has some strong wins on the season but already lost to Oklahoma 38-20 on November 11. There's likely an upset or two lurking in the conference championship weekend, but Oklahoma looks poised to capture the Big 12 title and secure a playoff spot.

Auburn has powered it's way into the national-title conversation over the past three weeks. It started with a 40-17 win over then-No. 1 Georgia in Week 11, and then continued with the 26-14 win in the Iron Bowl against the Crimson Tide. Now, the Tigers stand a chance at a No. 1 ranking if they can beat Georgia again in the SEC championship and see Clemson falter this weekend.

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

The Tigers are a powerful team on both sides of the ball and have the capability of beating Georgia again, but one aspect of their game could prove to be disastrous in a tight contest.

Their kickoff and punt coverage teams are prone to giving up big returns, and Georgia has a weapon in returner Mercedes Hardman, per AL.com's James Crepea: 

"Auburn, which is also last in the SEC and 115th in the FBS in punt return defense, will have to do all it can to avoid kicking to Hardman. He leads the SEC and is 11th nationally in kickoff returns (27.33 yards per return) and is second in the conference and 17th in punt returns (11.21 ypr.)."

Auburn running back Kerryon Johnson's shoulder injury is another point of concern, but the Tigers can still win if he is limited. A Georgia win would almost undoubtedly see them into the College Football Playoff, as they would leapfrog an idle Alabama and knock the Tigers out of the Top Four. However, Auburn is poised to take care of business here.

Miami was so close to coming into the ACC title game with an undefeated record, but it slipped and fell to lowly Pittsburgh 24-14 last Friday. Now, the game against Clemson is a must win if it wants to have any chance of getting back into the Top Four.

Sean Rayford/Associated Press

Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant will have to limit mistakes against an opportunistic Hurricanes defense constantly pushing for a way to bust out the turnover chain. Clemson will wrap up the No. 1 seed if they hold on to win, but Miami is no guarantee to make the playoff if they win.

It's possible Alabama could become the second SEC team to make the playoff if Miami wins and Oklahoma and Wisconsin hold on. However, the committee has made it known it takes conference championships into account.

"When we're comparing like teams, that conference championship designation is very important," selection committee chairman Kirby Hocutt said, per FoxSports.com's Cory Mccartney. "To what degree, how that will be weighted is subjective with each individual in that selection committee room. So when comparing comparable teams, like teams, that conference championship designation is important."

A Miami win would make for some very tough decisions for the committee, but look for Clemson to hold on.

Finally, we get to No. 4 Wisconsin against No. 8 Ohio State. The Buckeyes are six-point favorites in this one, per OddsShark.com. If they win, they still might be a step too far to get back into the playoff. Also, Wisconsin may be undefeated, but they are hardly looked at as a prestige opponent.

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The Badgers' perfect record is only just enough to get them into the Top Four, as they have an underwhelming offense led by quarterback Alex Hornibrook and have just one win over a current Top 25 team in Northwestern. A win keeps the Badgers in the playoff, but not many are picking them to do that. SportingNews.com's Zac Al-Khateeb doesn't see them pulling off the victory:

"This will be one of the most interesting Power Five championships of the weekend: If Ohio State loses, will that catapult them into the playoff, or will Alabama find a way to sneak in? Regardless, the onus is on Wisconsin's Alex Hornibrook to ensure that's not a possibility. He has 21 touchdowns to 13 interceptions this season, and will need to play a near-perfect game against an opportunistic Buckeyes defense. The Badgers defense ranks first nationally in rushing yards per game (80.5) and will look to limit J.K. Dobbins. This one's going to be in J.T. Barrett's hands again, and we'll take him over Hornibrook."

Ohio State will pull off the win, and that could be enough to put Alabama back in the playoff.

CFP Predictions:

1. Clemson

2. Auburn

3. Oklahoma

4. Alabama