College Football Playoff rankings 2022: Projected final Top 25 after Georgia and Michigan dominate, USC and TCU give Ohio State help

Dec 3, 2022; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Kenny McIntosh (6), head coach Kirby Smart, and quarterback Stetson Bennett (13) celebrate after a victory in the SEC Championship against the LSU Tigers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

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USC Trojans. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Projected College Football Playoff rankings after Week 14: No. 6-5

6. USC Trojans

If Caleb Williams hadn’t hurt his hamstring in the first half of the Pac-12 Championship Game, you have to wonder if the USC Trojans would have their fans readying for the College Football Playoff and making travel accommodations. The likely Heisman winner did get hurt, however, and it changed everything for the Trojans as the offense became less dynamic and the problematic defense couldn’t find stops.

Make no mistake, the defense would’ve surely come back to bite USC had they made it to the Playoff against the best competition college football has to offer. As true as that may be, though, this team had earned its spot with one more victory. It’s a shame that an injury stalled what they do best as Williams was clearly hampered by a flat tire, but it’s still a great sign for what Lincoln Riley is cooking with this program.

5. Alabama Crimson Tide

Sorry, Crimson Tide fans. As much as Gary Danielson wants to push for Alabama to have a spot in the College Football Playoff, it’s not going to happen. Nick Saban’s team needed an inordinate amount of chaos for that to be the case and they were excruciatingly close to getting it with USC and TCU going down this weekend. But the truth of the matter is that it wasn’t quite enough.

If there’s one thing that Alabama really needed after the Trojans fell in the Pac-12 title game, it was for TCU to get blown out to cast doubt on the Horned Frogs’ legitimacy. Instead, they went to overtime and were inches away from, at the very least, not losing in the first OT. Bama has two losses, fewer Top 25 wins and just an overall worse resumé than both Ohio State and TCU now. And as a result, they are the first team out.

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