College Football Playoff contender tiers led by Georgia, Ohio State
The College Football Playoff selection committee will meet early next week to unveil the debut Top 25 rankings of the 2022 season. Georgia and Ohio State will be the first team to be ranked. The committee is meeting in Grapevine, Texas. Clemson, Michigan and Tennessee could be in the top five. If Tennessee beats Kentucky, the committee would choose between Georgia, Ohio and Clemson.
Clemson is the defending national champion. Georgia is likely the top overall seed at 13-0 and champions of the SEC. The Bulldogs would be a prime contender for the Top 4 at 11-1 if they lost to Alabama in the conference championship game. Michigan and Ohio State are also favorites. They are locks for top two if unbeaten. If they lose to the winner of their rivalry game, they would also be in contention.
Tennessee's future will be determined by games against the Wildcats and the Bulldogs in the next two weeks.
Alabama is 12-1 with an SEC title. The Crimson Tide's fate is decided by their next two games. They need to beat Georgia or Tennessee to reach the semifinals.
TCU is the only unbeaten team in the Big 12. The team lost to Georgia in September. TCU is in a second tier of contenders. There might be as many as five one-loss or undefeated teams from the SEC and Big Ten. The Horned Frogs are most likely to finish outside the top four even if still unbeaten.
Oklahoma State, Southern California and UCLA are in the top three tiers. They need help to finish in top four and clinch a playoff berth. The winner of the USC-UCLA game will play Oregon in Pac-12 title game. Oregon losing to Utah next month would deal a blow to the Trojans and Bruins.
Illinois, North Carolina, Penn State and Wake Forest are in the playoff chase. They need to win out and beat Michigan and the winner of the Big Ten East. Illinois has a chance to do that. North Carolin might be an absolute sieve defensively, but they can climb up the rankings with wins against Wake and N.C. Wake's one loss was in overtime to Clemson. The Demon Deacons have upcoming games against competition currently in Top 25. They could be a borderline playoff contender heading into the end of next month. It's possible for them to come in around No. 12.
