College Football Playoff Projections Week 10: Multiple SEC Teams?

Nov 1, 2014; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs offensive lineman Ben Beckwith (66) celebrates in the stands after his team defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks at Davis Wade Stadium. The Bulldogs defeat the Razorbacks 17-10. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

1. Mississippi State Bulldogs, 8-0

No surprise here. The Bulldogs still get to remain in this top spot after a close win over Arkansas on Saturday. Being No. 1 in our Top 25, our projections would obviously have them winning out. That would mean that they will also have beaten Alabama and Ole Miss, on top of already beating Auburn and LSU. Then they would win the SEC Championship game against the top team in the West. This all would easily earn them the top spot in the college football playoff rankings, so they are still No. 1.

2. Florida State Seminoles,8-0

The Seminoles deserve to be No. 2 from the standpoint that they are undefeated and have played a difficult enough schedule to belong. But they had better not lose a game. The schedule is not good enough for these guys to get in if that happens. If Mississippi State went undefeated, their Top 5 wins would be better than Florida State’s best win. That’s enough for us to say there’s almost no way the Seminoles deserve the No. 1 seed, even if they finish off as the only undefeated team in college football.

3. Auburn Tigers, 7-1

The Auburn Tigers need a lot of help to get to the SEC Championship game. That means they have to root for Alabama and Ole Miss to beat Mississippi State. But the Selection Committee showed last week that it is willing to overlook teams that don’t win their conference championship if they deserve it based on three SEC West teams in the Top 4. With that in mind, and with Auburn No. 3 on our list, our projections have them going right now. And if they keep winning they’re a lock, with or without an SEC title.

4. Kansas State Wildcats, 7-1

This was a little bit of a crazy one, so we have to explain. If Kansas State wins out, as our projections have them doing, they will have won the Big 12 and beaten TCU, Oklahoma, Baylor, and West Virginia and only lost to Auburn. That’s enough to put them over other 1-loss teams, and our projections would have Ole Miss, LSU, and Alabama all getting to 3 losses. That bumps the Wildcats into our College Football Playoff talk because they have an amazing resume. So don’t count this team out just yet.

Next: Projected Bowl Game Pairings