Playoff Pursuit: Ohio State Playing for a B1G Title Appearance, Texas vs. Texas A&M Determines Georgia's SEC Title Opponent, The Big 12 is a Giant Mess

We’re down to the final week of the regular season, so naturally, there’s plenty of playoff stakes around the country.

Of course, it’s business as usual for Ohio State, as the Buckeyes continue to be ranked the No. 2 team in the country in the latest College Football Playoff rankings ahead of the inaugural 12-team CFP. With a win against Michigan, the Buckeyes are headed to Indianapolis for a rematch against Oregon for the Big Ten title. Assuming that happens, you presume they’d either be the No. 1 or No. 5 seed in the playoffs.

A week before championship weekend we’re also making our own guess at what the playoff could look like per usual at the end of the article. Here’s what it would look like if we went off the CFP rankings.

The NEW CFP bracket projection

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Before we get to our projections, here’s a conference-by-conference breakdown of who could be in contention for a CFP spot. In case you need a reminder, the 12-team CFP format is five conference champions (including one Group of Five team) and seven at-large selections.

Big Ten

Oregon (11-0 overall, 8-0 Big Ten, No. 1 in CFP poll)

Remaining schedule: vs. Washington (NR)

Breakdown: Oregon has no love for Washington and will take that game seriously of course, but from a big-picture standpoint, there’s not much to play for here. The Ducks are both safely in the Big Ten title game and in the CFP no matter the result of Saturday’s game.

Ohio State (10-1, 7-1, No. 2)

Remaining schedule: vs. Michigan (NR)

Breakdown: The Buckeyes should firmly be in the 12-team field even if the unthinkable happens against Michigan, but no one on OSU’s roster is thinking that way. Should Ohio State get its revenge against its archrival, the worst-case scenario from there is a home game and a high seed in the first round.

Penn State (10-1, 7-1, No. 4)

Remaining schedule: vs. Maryland (NR)

Breakdown: Penn State narrowly avoided disaster against Minnesota, but that’s more than some SEC teams can say. The Nittany Lions just need to beat Maryland and it’s fair to assume they’ll host a first-round game. If they lose, it’s possible they’d still get in, but not a guarantee.

Indiana (10-1 overall, 7-1, No. 10)

Remaining schedule: vs. Purdue (NR)

Breakdown: Indiana went from screwed to practically cemented in the 12-team field within a few hours on Saturday following the SEC meltdown. That’s all contingent on beating Purdue of course, but honestly, who hasn’t done that?

SEC

Texas (10-1, 6-1 SEC, No. 3 in CFP poll)

Remaining schedule: at Texas A&M (No. 20)

Breakdown: If Texas wins against A&M, it will play Georgia in the SEC title game. Even if the Longhorns lose, they’ll still probably be safely in the 12-team field, though they’ll for sure be on the road in round one.

Georgia (9-2 overall, 6-2, No. 7)

Remaining schedule: vs. Georgia Tech (NR)

Breakdown: The Bulldogs have clinched a spot in the SEC title game already so they’ll have postseason stakes next week regardless of what happens with the Georgia Tech game. If Georgia beats the Yellow Jackets, you can safely assume it is playoff-bound. If the Bulldogs lose, a loss in the SEC title game might change that.

Tennessee (9-2, 5-2, No. 8)

Remaining schedule: at Vanderbilt (NR)

Breakdown: Nobody was happier about the chaos from Saturday than Tennessee. The Volunteers were firmly on the bubble. Now, they’ll be safely in the 12-team field assuming they can beat Vanderbilt.

Texas A&M (8-3, 5-2, No. 20)

Remaining schedule: vs. Texas (No. 3)

Breakdown: Following a disaster at Auburn, Texas A&M can thank its lucky stars that it clinches a spot in the SEC championship game with a win against its in-state rival. The Aggies probably have to win twice to make the CFP.

Alabama (8-3, 4-3, No. 13)

Remaining schedule: vs. Auburn (NR)

Breakdown: Alabama is on the fringe of being donezo where the CFP is concerned. Some chaos would need to happen for the Crimson Tide to sneak their way back in, probably with some combination of Penn State, Indiana, Notre Dame, Miami and SMU faltering.

Ole Miss (8-3, 4-3, No. 14)

Remaining schedule: vs. Mississippi State (NR)

Breakdown: I think Ole Miss is toast. Never say never, I guess, but I can’t think of a wild scenario where the Rebels sneak back in.

ACC

Miami (10-1 overall, 6-1 ACC, No. 6 in CFP poll)

Remaining schedule: at Syracuse (NR)

Breakdown: A road matchup against Kyle McCord and Syracuse could seem perilous to a team desperately needing a win. The Hurricanes are in the ACC title game with a win and could still make the field if they lose to SMU next week. But if they lose to Syracuse Saturday, their path becomes pretty narrow.

SMU (10-1, 7-0, No. 9)

Remaining schedule: vs. Cal (NR)

Breakdown: SMU has already clinched a spot in the ACC title game, a hell of an accomplishment for a team in its first season in a Power Conference. But there’s still plenty to play for. With a win against Cal, the Mustangs keep the door open for an at-large berth even if they lose the ACC championship.

Clemson (9-2, 7-1, No. 12)

Remaining schedule: vs. South Carolina (No. 15)

Breakdown: Similar to Oregon, this rivalry game means a hell of a lot to Clemson fans, but it doesn’t have much impact on its ability to play for a conference title. There’s some hope for an at-large berth if they beat South Carolina, but the Tigers need Miami to lose to earn a spot in the ACC title game.

Big 12

Let’s just make this section as clean and transparent as possible. A bunch of teams are still technically alive to make the Big 12 championship game. Winning the title is the only path any team in this league has of making it to the CFP, so we probably don’t need to do a complete team-by-team breakdown.

Iowa State and Arizona State have the easiest path to playing in the Big 12 title, followed by BYU and then Colorado. If all four of those teams lose, we’re looking at something like Baylor vs. Texas Tech. For the fans that were pro-expansion, how meaningful almost every league game is in the final week of the season is a feather in their cap for their argument.

Group of Five

Boise State (10-1 overall, 7-0 Mountain West, No. 11 in CFP poll)

Remaining schedule: vs. Oregon State (NR)

Breakdown: Boise State continues to look more mortal by the week, but keeps winning the games it needs to. The Broncos have clinched a Mountain West championship appearance, which it has to win to make the field anyway, but a loss to Oregon State might open the door for someone like Tulane.

UNLV (9-2 overall, 6-1 Mountain West, No. 22 in CFP poll)

Remaining schedule: vs. Nevada (NR)

Breakdown: UNLV finally got the help it needed with Colorado State suffering their first conference loss last week. Now, the Runnin’ Rebels just need a win to get a rematch against Boise State in the Mountain West championship. Assuming Boise State and UNLV both make it through this week unscathed, the Mountain West title game next week is probably determining who represents the Group of Five in the playoff.

Tulane (9-2 overall, 7-0 AAC, No. 17 in CFP poll)

Remaining schedule: vs. Memphis (NR)

Breakdown: The Green Wave are big Oregon State fans this week. They’ll likely need either UNLV or Boise State wetting the bed to snag the Group of Five spot.

Independent

Notre Dame (10-1 overall, No. 5 in CFP Poll)

Remaining schedule: at USC (NR)

Breakdown: It’s a win-and-in week for Notre Dame. Not only will the Fighting Irish safely be in the 12-team field if they beat USC, but they’ll also likely cement a home game. If they lose, they may be on the outside looking in.