College Football Playoff rankings: Projected top 4 after Week 3

With the Big Ten coming back, Ohio State is back in the latest College Football Playoff projections after Week 3’s games.

A familiar face joins a few others in these College Football Playoff projections for Week 3.

With the Big Ten getting its season back, we can include the likes of the Ohio State Buckeyes, the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Wisconsin Badgers for playoff consideration. Though the other FBS conferences may return as well, four of the Power 5 conferences are being considered for this week’s playoff projections. Which four college football blue-bloods are expected to get in now?

Here are the latest College Football Playoff projections through Week 3.

2021 College Football Playoff teams

Even though the Clemson Tigers won’t play the most difficult schedule of any playoff-caliber team, they will have absolutely earned the No. 1 overall spot and a trip to the Sugar Bowl for three reasons. One, they will be one of two undefeated Power 5 teams. Two, they will have beaten the Notre Dame Fighting Irish twice. And three, they’ll have two more wins than anybody at 12 overall.

Though we do expect there to be more than two good teams in the ACC this year besides Clemson and Notre Dame, it won’t be as formidable as what the Big Ten and SEC have. Given the early returns out of the Big 12, the ACC may be deeper top to bottom than at least two Power 5 conferences this year. Still, the 12th data point and going undefeated are why Clemson is No. 1.

Even if you’re not a fan of Big Ten football, you have to be ecstatic that Big Ten football is back in our lives after certain death. While it may play a nine-game schedule starting on Oct. 24 with no bye weeks built-in, there’s no denying how great this Ohio State could be. Justin Fields can win the Heisman and Ryan Day can win a national title in their second season leading the team together.

With an eight-game regular season, Ohio State has two challenging games: at Penn State in their Week 2 and home vs. Michigan in their Week 8. Ohio State will win both and all their conference games, including a Big Ten Championship rematch vs. a 7-1 Wisconsin Badgers team. Even if other league’s athletic directors don’t like the Big Ten now, Ohio State will go to the Rose Bowl.

Of course, the SEC Champion will make the playoff field. It’s that Power 5 conference’s rite of passage. After not getting to Atlanta in 2019, the Alabama Crimson Tide will definitely make it there this year. Even if they have potential quarterback issues with a limited Mac Jones or a too raw Bryce Young, the Crimson Tide’s roster is too talented to not win the SEC West this year.

However, the SEC is too brutal for any of its 14 member institutions to navigate a 10-game schedule to perfection. Alabama will drop one regular-season game against the likes of Auburn, LSU, Georgia or maybe even Texas A&M. No matter what happens in their Week 4, Alabama will face Georgia in Atlanta and Nick Saban will hand Kirby Smart another gut-wrenching defeat.

For the last spot in, the College Football Playoff Selection Committee will pinch its nose and swallow the bitter pill that is Oklahoma Sooners football. The Big 12 was trash this year with only two good teams: Oklahoma and Texas. Oklahoma will lose to Texas in the Red River Rivalry. Texas will have a dumb loss to someone like Baylor, Iowa State, Oklahoma State or TCU.

With potentially the last playoff spot on the line, Oklahoma will eke out another nail-biter over Texas in a rematch in the Greater Dallas-Fort Worth Area, sinking Texas’ playoff dreams. Armed with Heisman Trophy finalist Spencer Rattler at quarterback, FOX will try to convince us this year’s Oklahoma team will be different, but they are just high-end cannon fodder for Clemson in NOLA.

First two teams out

As with Alabama, Georgia will be one of the best teams in the SEC this season. The Dawgs will have a phenomenal defense and a much-improved offense thanks to Todd Monken running something right at home in the 21st century. But just like Alabama, the SEC is too strong for the Dawgs to go 10-0. They will fall to either Alabama, Auburn, Florida or maybe even Tennessee.

Regardless of if their one loss happens in Tuscaloosa, Jacksonville or at home, Georgia will win the SEC East for an unprecedented fourth year in a row. Unfortunately, the Dawgs will pee all over the back of their front legs again when they take on the Crimson Tide for a second time. Expect another 2012 SEC Championship, 2018 National Championship or 2018 SEC Championship loss.

Though they won’t make the field this year, Texas is the new kid on the block in these College Football Playoff scenarios. They will be one of half-a-dozen or so teams in the mix to get in when conference championship weekend rolls around in December. After beating Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl, all the Longhorns need to do is not screw up twice and they got this. Unfortunately, they will screw up twice in 2020.

A dumb loss to a team they are clearly better than in someone like Baylor, Iowa State, Oklahoma State or TCU will allow the Sooners to get back in contention for another serious playoff run. A heartbreaking loss at Jerryworld that will yield many Sam Ehlinger tears will hurt us all inside. Texas may not have beat Clemson in the Sugar Bowl, but we know Oklahoma has no shot to do so.

There are other teams certainly in the mix for playoff viability. It’s unbelievably early, but there are about 20 or so teams who can convince themselves they’re good enough to get in. We’ll call it the Minnesota-Tennessee line. If you’re Minnesota or better, sure, why not? But if you’re Tennessee or less, you’ve been drinking too much of the orange kool-aid to really be much of service to anyone.

Though it’s all chalk at the top, we’re just glad to see the Big Ten reemerge as a factor in all this.

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.