College Football Playoff 2020: Final Four Predictions After Top 25 Rankings

The top four teams in Tuesday's College Football Playoff rankings did not change, but that doesn't mean the number of potential playoff scenarios lost any momentum in the national conversation. 

The Alabama Crimson Tide, Ohio State Buckeyes and either the Notre Dame Fighting Irish or Clemson Tigers still appear to have a direct path into the national semifinals. 

Three of the top four programs will not be in action on Saturday, but only one of those is significant to the playoff hunt. 

Ohio State's rivalry game with the Michigan Wolverines was cancelled, and as of now, the Buckeyes have not met the six-game threshold to qualify for the Big Ten Championship Game. 

Even if they find an opponent for Saturday and play on December 19, they would still have significantly fewer games played than the other title contenders. 

If Alabama and Ohio State remain undefeated and Clemson wins the rematch with Notre Dame, the four playoff teams appear to be set. 

The situation gets stickier if the Fighting Irish eliminate Clemson from playoff contention and the sixth-ranked Florida Gators upset Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.

For now, Alabama looks like it is strong enough to avoid an upset, which likely opens one spot if Notre Dame wins the ACC Championship Game, but that is not a guarantee with the way Clemson is playing.

Sugar Bowl (January 1): No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Notre Dame

Matthew Hinton/Associated Press

There was a moment on Saturday when Florida's offensive production against the Tennessee Volunteers may have convinced some that it could play close with Alabama.

Then, DeVonta Smith produced 200 first-half receiving yards in a blowout win over the LSU Tigers and reinforced the Crimson Tide's place at No. 1.

Alabama's offense scored over 40 points in all but one of its games and held its opponents to 33 combined points in the last three weeks. 

The lone game in which the Crimson Tide did not eclipse the 40-point mark looks better on their resume since the Missouri Tigers slid into the Top 25 on Tuesday night. 

Alabama now has a resume with four Top 25 victories, a stat that could be significant when comparing resumes if it loses to Florida.

However, if Nick Saban's program continues to roll through opposing defenses, it could solidify the No. 1 overall seed and a likely trip to the Sugar Bowl, a game that typically hosts a SEC program.

Notre Dame's situation has gotten better over the last few weeks. It did not have to avoid an upset on Saturday since the ACC realigned its schedule to give the Irish and Clemson a bye week before the ACC Championship Game. 

The threat of the Cincinnati Bearcats stealing the No. 4 spot from Notre Dame was quelled on Tuesday by the American Athletic Conference side's one-spot drop to No. 8.

If Notre Dame loses to Clemson and Alabama beats Florida, the Irish's direct competition would be Texas A&M. 

Notre Dame's regular-season win over Clemson looks better than Texas A&M's loss to Alabama and best win over Florida, which may be one of the deciding factors during the selection committee's final meeting. 

Also going in the Irish's favor is the drop of the two losers of top-five clashes earlier this season: The Georgia Bulldogs and Clemson both fell two positions. That could set the precedent for Notre Dame's drop, especially if it loses a close game to the Tigers. 

Rose Bowl (January 1): No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Ohio State

Matt Gentry/Associated Press

Clemson has shown improvements in its two games since the loss to Notre Dame on November 7.

Dabo Swinney's team outscored the Pittsburgh Panthers and Virginia Tech Hokies by a combined 97-27. 

Not only does Clemson's offense look dominant with Trevor Lawrence back under center, its defense has also improved immensely since allowing 47 points to the Fighting Irish. 

If Clemson benefits from the same combination of high-scoring offense and strong defense, it will give Notre Dame a much tougher fight than it did in South Bend, Indiana. 

If that is the case, the Tigers could overpower the Notre Dame defense and contain the production of Ian Book and Kyren Williams. 

An ACC Championship Game victory would lock Clemson into the playoff and likely boost it to No. 2 since it is one place beneath the Fighting Irish. 

Ohio State's candidacy can be questioned more as it has only played five games and does not have a matchup scheduled for Saturday. 

If the Big Ten changes the qualification methods for its title game, the Buckeyes could get in and add a win over the Northwestern Wildcats to their resume. 

If not, the Buckeyes could still play the Iowa Hawkeyes or Wisconsin Badgers in a Big Ten crossover game on December 19. 

So far, the committee has not penalized Ohio State for its lack of games in comparison to the other undefeated squads. 

If Ohio State maintains its perfect record by winning one or two additional games, it should slide into the No. 3 spot while Notre Dame falls to No. 4 in this scenario.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.