Here Are This Week's College Football Playoff Rankings Projections Going Into Championship Weekend

The College Football Playoff Selection Committee is set to release their second-to-last rankings of the season on Tuesday night, and there is sure to be some major shakeups following a weekend full of upsets. #1 Alabama and #2 Miami both suffered their first defeats of the season, creating a ton of uncertainty in the top four. How will they affect the CFP race?

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Here's how we predict the top 10 of tonight's rankings will look:

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10) USC Trojans (10-2)
USC had their first bye week of the season last weekend, but move up one spot from their place in last week's rankings due to Notre Dame's loss to Stanford. The Trojans likely don't have a chance at making the playoff but can secure a New Year's Six bid with another win over the Cardinal in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

9) Penn State Nittany Lions (10-2)
The Nittany Lions also move up a spot following a 66-3 drubbing of Maryland and are one of two teams on this list (Alabama) that will not play in a conference championship game. They've been good enough to secure New Year's Six bid but don't have a chance to make the playoff.

8) Ohio State Buckeyes (10-2)
Things could get really interesting if Ohio State beats Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game. That would give the Buckeyes a conference title and two wins against teams currently ranked in the top nine. However, they may not be able to crack the top four no matter what due to that 55-24 loss to Iowa.

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7) Miami Hurricanes (10-1)
Miami looked flat in their loss to Pitt on Friday and that will drop them pretty far. However, they are still expected to earn a playoff bid with a win over Clemson in the ACC Championship Game.

6) Georgia Bulldogs (11-1)
Georgia looked terrible in that 40-17 loss to Auburn a few weeks ago, but they get a chance to avenge that loss in the SEC Championship Game. This is another "win-and-in" scenario.

5) Alabama Crimson Tide (11-1)
The Tide couldn't run the ball consistently against Auburn and the result was them suffering their first loss of the season - and keeping them out of the important SEC title game. Now, Alabama has to sit and wait to see what happens this weekend. We guess they'll drop out of the top four but could still find their way back in if Ohio State beats Wisconsin.

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4) Auburn Tigers (10-2)
Despite the two losses, Auburn cracks the top four after beating the No. 1 team in the committee's rankings two times in three weeks (Georgia, Alabama). If they can beat Georgia again, they'll be the first two-loss team to ever make the College Football Playoff.

3) Wisconsin Badgers (12-0)
We think the committee will reward Wisconsin for being the final undefeated Power 5 team and put them ahead of Auburn despite the Badgers' weak schedule. That weak schedule means they'll be out if they lose to Ohio State.

2) Oklahoma Sooners (11-1)
There's a chance that Oklahoma could leapfrog Clemson following another impressive performance in the win over West Virginia, but we see them in the two spot right now. Beating TCU this weekend will ensure that they will get a top-two seed in the final rankings next week.

1) Clemson Tigers (11-1)
Clemson was No. 3 last week, so they're the logical choice to move up to No. 1 following a 34-10 thrashing of South Carolina that wasn't even that close. Still, they're not safe - a loss to Miami will likely drop them out of the top four in favor of the Hurricanes.

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Related Topics: 2017 College Football Playoff, College Football Playoff Rankings, NCAA Football, College Football Playoff Projections