Will Shipley, Clemson Tigers. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
Here is what the College Football Playoff rankings could have looked like if they were to be released after Week 7’s games.
Although we are still a few weeks away from the College Football Playoff Selection Committee reconvening for the first time this season, we may have an idea where their heads could be at after Week 7.
While the first official rankings will not be out until Nov. 1, the playoff picture is getting clearer by the week. With every team that suffers a second loss, they are essentially eliminated. While one-loss teams still have pathways into the four-team field, they are going to need chaos to be on their side in the end. With two weeks left of data collect, these college football rankings are a preview.
The AP Top 25 Poll may be our guiding light for the next few weeks, but we are all thinking playoff.
College Football Playoff rankings after Week 7: First two teams out
6
Alabama Crimson Tide
SEC (6-1) 
Alabama is the best one-loss team in the country, still controls its own destiny
Although the Alabama Crimson Tide suffered a tough first loss on the season to the Tennessee Volunteers, you would be beyond foolish to think they are out of the playoff picture already. No, it will not be easy for the Crimson Tide to make the four-team field, but if they win out they are getting in as a top-two or three seed. It comes down to how well they play the Mississippi schools.
Mississippi State suffered another loss on the year to cross-divisional rival Kentucky, so the Bulldogs are not making the playoff. While Ole Miss remains undefeated, the Rebels can technically afford a home loss to Alabama and can still get in. The Crimson Tide need to win out to finish the regular season at 11-1 (7-1) and then beat whoever comes out of the SEC East to get in.
Although it has no margin for error, Alabama gets the benefit of the doubt by playing in the SEC.
5
Clemson is back to being Clemson, but the ACC might be down again this season
Even after losing its star coordinators to Power Five gigs of their own, Dabo Swinney’s Clemson Tigers look every bit the ACC powerhouse it has been for the better part of the decade. The Tigers are 7-0 with big ACC Atlantic victories over Wake Forest, North Carolina State and now Florida State. Should they beat undefeated Syracuse at home in Week 8, Clemson is a Charlottean lock.
However, the ACC Coastal is rather anonymous this season. The Tigers will be lucky to have a second remaining game vs. a ranked opponent outside of Syracuse. Although they are making the playoff as an undefeated Power Five champion, a regular season loss leaves that up for debate. If they were to lose the title bout to say North Carolina, there are no guarantees they would get in.
Clemson needs Syracuse to remain strong and for North Carolina to begin to make its move on up.
