Projecting the College Football Playoff top 25 after Week 11

Alabama didn’t just eliminate three-loss LSU from the College Football Playoff conversation Saturday, it blew the Tigers right out of their own stadium. The Tide’s 42-13 win further cemented their spot as the selection committee’s top two-loss team, but there’s no shortage of two-loss SEC teams to choose from.

With no undefeated teams and only two one-loss teams remaining — Texas and Tennessee — the SEC is now banking on two-loss teams to represent it in the inaugural 12-team playoff.

The Big Ten is still holding strong with two undefeated teams in Oregon and Indiana, and two one-loss teams in Ohio State and Penn State, but the committee has already shown in its first ranking that not all undefeated teams are viewed equally.

So how will the committee sort through a pack that now includes two-loss Georgia and Ole Miss? How far will Miami, the ACC’s top team, fall after its embarrassing loss at Georgia Tech?

Here’s an analysis of what the top 12 might look like in the committee’s second ranking Tuesday. This week we’re also expanding to project the committee’s full top 25. Remember, this is not a projection of what it will look like on Selection Day. Rather, it’s a snapshot of who’s in the driver’s seat now, based on what they have done to this point and how the committee has already evaluated them.

The 12-team playoff seeding will look different from the ranking and we’ve included a bracket in the final section. Remember, the top four highest-ranked conference champions receive byes, and the top five conference champions receive entry into the field.

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Projecting the top 12

Why they could be here: Selection committee chair Warde Manuel said Tuesday the Ducks earned the top spot in the first ranking because of their win against Ohio State and their 5-0 record against teams with winning records. Saturday’s home win against Maryland is unlikely to change that perspective. Oregon entered Week 10 with the best résumé of any undefeated team, according to ESPN’s strength of record metric.

Why they could be lower: It’s still highly unlikely the committee would put the Ducks behind any one-loss teams, and their résumé is better than the remaining undefeated contenders. The head-to-head win will also keep them above the Buckeyes.

Need to know: Oregon is favored to win each…