College Football Playoff Rankings projection: Alabama, Texas A&M stoke SEC debate; what about Georgia Tech?

We have two more robust weekends of college football in conference play before the playoff selection committee convenes for the first time this season to deliver its initial top 25 rankings. That's going to give us an idea of how much emphasis is being placed on record strength and quality wins relative to respective scheduling and what schools in position need to do moving forward to find a spot in the 12-team bracket.

For the first time in the expanded playoff era, the selection committee will rank teams Nos. 1 through 12 independent of five auto-qualifiers as conference champions and seven at-large picks. Last season, the four highest-ranked conference champions received first-round byes, but this time around, the committee determines by its own discretion who to place in those coveted top four spots.

Bowl projections: Miami, Texas Tech lose grip in College Football Playoff picture, Georgia Tech flourishes

Brad Crawford

Different from our updated end-of-season bowl game and playoff bracket projections, this is a more comprehensive look at how the selection committee would likely view these teams at the current time, ahead of their first official top 25 rankings reveal on Nov. 4.

Here's a projection of how the selection committee's top 25 would look entering Week 9.

1. Ohio State (7-0)

Until proven otherwise, the Buckeyes look a cut above the rest this season, especially on defense. Ohio State was a unanimous No. 1 this week in the Coaches Poll before gathering 60 of a possible 66 first-place votes in the AP rankings. Illinois is the only team that has scored more than 10 points on Ohio State this season and the Illini lost that game, 34-16.

2. Indiana (7-0)

The Hoosiers hold a pair of top-10 wins and haven't lost yet. That resume and schedule strength is tops in the country among the unbeatens, which warrants top-2 billing behind the defending national champions. There's a good chance we see two unbeatens at the top of the rankings square off in Indianapolis the first weekend of December ... with both teams getting a first-round bye regardless of the result.

3. Alabama (6-1)

Florida State has tanked since beating Alabama nearly two months ago and no team is hotter than the Crimson Tide right now with four consecutive wins over top-25 competition. That's a head-turning collection of victories that would give Alabama the upper hand in the discussion with Texas A&M amongst selection committee members on which SEC team to rank higher ... so we project.

4. Texas A&M (7-0)

How would the selection committee power rank the Aggies in competition with the one-loss Crimson Tide? It's a difficult question to answer. While Texas A&M is the SEC's only team without a blemish, it has two fewer ranked wins than Alabama and just gave up 42 points and more than 500 yards of total offense to Arkansas, which is winless in conference play.

5. Miami (6-1)

The Hurricanes' tumble in the AP poll would not damage their placement in the selection committee's rankings since they hold three top-25 wins this season, second to only Alabama. The loss to Louisville stings and no longer puts Miami in control of its own destiny in the ACC title conversation, but this team's value at the line of scrimmage has shown up big previously and this is a body-of-work ranking.

6. Georgia (6-1)

Georgia's 2-1 against top-15 competition this season. Despite struggles on defense after giving up 41 and 35 points in wins over Tennessee and Ole Miss, the Bulldogs have made enough plays in late-game situations to avoid losses in those contests. Georgia Tech might be unbeaten, but one-loss Georgia has played a far more difficult schedule.

7. Ole Miss (6-1)

Even during a loss, Ole Miss looked the part against Georgia. Wins over American threat Tulane and then fourth-ranked LSU stand out this season as resume boosters for the Rebels with another opportunity at a momentum-altering victory in Week 9 at Oklahoma. Lane Kiffin's team has done enough to warrant a first-rounder in Oxford at this point.

8. Oregon (6-1)

Style points. That's what it looked like the Ducks were gunning for last Saturday night at Rutgers during a blitzing of the Scarlet Knights. Oregon's 1-1 against top-10 teams this season after a loss to Indiana earlier this month and there's no other ranked opponents left on the schedule. If the season ended today, the Ducks would possibly get a home game based on eye test, but no shot at a first-round bye like last fall.

9. Georgia Tech (7-0)

We're taking nothing away from Brent Key and the Yellow Jackets as a Power Four unbeaten, but a favorable schedule has helped. Georgia Tech has one-possession wins over Colorado, Clemson, Wake Forest and scored 17 fourth-quarter points to outlast Duke. The only ranked win thus far came against Clemson in Week 3 and the Tigers are within range of their first potential losing season under Dabo Swinney since 2009.

10. BYU (7-0)

As the Big 12's lone remaining unbeaten with the same ranked win Texas Tech holds (Utah), the selection committee would have to give the league's auto-bid nod as projected champion to the Cougars following the Red Raiders' loss to Arizona State. We're still projecting the Texas Tech to run the table and win the conference, but in Week 9, the league is BYU's to lose.

11. Vanderbilt (6-1)

The Commodores are gunning for their third win over a top-15 opponent in Week 9 when Missouri comes to Nashville. A win there pushes Vanderbilt even higher in the SEC standings and straightens an already impressive resume. The Commodores are two Diego Pavia turnovers in Tuscaloosa away from being unbeaten and leading the SEC alongside Texas A&M.

12. Oklahoma (6-1)

Despite two ranked wins, the recent 17-point loss to Texas would potentially have the Sooners on the outside in competition for one of seven at-large spots in the bracket. We're assuming the 12-seed here would be Group of Six champion (South Florida for now), which would knock Oklahoma from the playoff field. The Sooners host Ole Miss this weekend in a pivotal contest for both teams.

13. Texas Tech (6-1)
14. South Florida (6-1)
15. Missouri (6-1)
16. Notre Dame (5-2)
17. Tennessee (5-2)
18. Louisville (5-1)
19. Virginia (6-1)
20. Cincinnati (6-1)
21. LSU (5-2)
22. Texas (5-2)
23. Illinois(5-2)
24. Arizona State (5-2)
25. Michigan (5-2)

Projected first-round CFP games

• No. 9 Georgia Tech at No. 8 Oregon
• No. 10 BYU at No. 7 Ole Miss
• No. 11 Vanderbilt at No. 6 Georgia
• No. 12 South Florida at No. 5 Miami

There would be immediate outrage if one-loss Miami -- in the same conference as Georgia Tech -- were seeded four spots higher than the Yellow Jackets if the season ended before Week 9, but that's where we sit. Miami has the decisively better resume with three ranked wins to only one for unbeaten Georgia Tech. Looking elsewhere outside of the top 12, we still like Notre Dame's chances to reach the playoff if the Irish finish 10-2, even if their only ranked win is against USC. Navy is still unbeaten in the American, so that's an opportunity for Notre Dame to pick up another quality win very soon.