12-team College Football Playoff rankings reaction: 3-loss SEC teams still alive

Mass chaos ensued this past weekend with five teams ranked in the Top-15 of the College Football Playoff rankings losing, three falling to unranked teams. After that madness, we couldn't wait to see how the Selection Committee would sort through things. We got our answer Tuesday night with the latest batch of rankings.

Latest 12-team College Football Playoff rankings

The top of the CFP rankings largely stayed intact, but beyond the first few teams, there was quite a bit of movement.

Indiana drops down to 10th following their loss to the Buckeyes. That loss could've been highly detrimental to their playoff hopes, but fortunately for them, chaos elsewhere keeps them in a good spot. Alabama and Ole Miss both drop out of the Top-10, helping Tennessee and SMU move into position. Arizona State's win over BYU makes them the highest-ranked Big 12 team, and Tulane makes a nice jump as well to help their own playoff case.

Projected 12-team College Football Playoff bracket

So how do those rankings translate to a bracket? Oregon, Texas, Miami, and Boise State are seeded 1-4 as the four highest-ranked projected conference champs, giving them first round byes.

Ohio State would be the 5-seed hosting projected Big 12 champion Arizona State. 6-seed Penn State would get a conference foe in 11-seed Indiana in the first round, though it fortunately wouldn't be a rematch. 7-seed Notre Dame would get 10-seed SMU in South Bend. The least sexy matchup would be 8-seed Georgia hosting 9-seed Tennessee, a game we saw just two weekends ago.

The committee has said they wouldn't manipulate rankings to avoid rematches or first round conference games, but if that's the case, there's a risk at some less interesting games early in the playoff.

Takeaways from the latest 12-team College Football Playoff rankings

Here are the main takeaways from tonight's playoff rankings...

A path remains for a 3-loss SEC team to crash the party

Three SEC teams - Alabama, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M - all suffered crushing third losses over the weekend, which in normal circumstances would end their chances at at-large berths. But they aren't totally done yet. A&M likely is as an at-large candidate given they're ranked 20th, though they interestingly still can win the SEC title.

But for Alabama, Ole Miss, and a rising South Carolina squad, a chance remains. Those teams in order are the second, third, and fourth teams currently out of the field. Alabama is of course the most realistic, as a pair of rivalry weekend upsets could be enough to move them in. Ole Miss obviously needs more help. The Gamecocks are interesting because they still have a resume building chance against #12 Clemson. Would a win over the Tigers jump them ahead of the Tide and Rebels, two teams they lost to?

It's impossible to say, but it's very possible we see one of these teams jump into the field, especially if the chaos we've seen all year continues.

ACC in great shape to get multiple teams

The ACC seemed certain to be a 1-bid league just recently, but now it's more likely than not we see multiple ACC teams in the bracket. Miami sits at #6, SMU #9, and Clemson #12 as the first team out. It feels like if both Miami and SMU win this weekend and then play a competitive conference championship game, there's a good chance neither would fall out of the field. For Clemson, they still have a path to the ACC title and a win over South Carolina plus a loss ahead of them likely moves them into the bracket. I doubt we see three ACC teams, but I'd expect two at this point.

Could the Big 12 be left out entirely?

ESPN CFB analyst Heather Dinich made an important point during the broadcast that, while five conference champions are guaranteed spots in the field, no one conference, even a power league, is guaranteed anything. Arizona State is the highest-ranked Big 12 team at #16. AAC-leader Tulane is right behind them at #17.

A world still exists where the Big 12 champion could finish with 3-losses. If that happens and Tulane wins out, could the Green Wave jump the Big 12 champion and completely knock the Big 12 out of the playoff? The cynic in me doubts the playoff would dare knock out a Power Four champion in favor of a G5 team, but the rankings suggest its possible.