Breaking down College Football Playoff Selection Committee’s updated Top 6

The College Football Playoff Selection Committee revealed its fourth look at updated rankings for the 2022 season, slotting the top six contenders for the four-team CFP field along with the top contenders to land New Year’s Day bids ahead of the slate of rivalries in Week 13. As the season reaches its final stretch, the top six teams in the picture include Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, TCU, LSU and USC.

Tennessee’s upset loss takes them out of the playoff picture and opens the door further for one-loss conference leaders like Clemson and USC who sat on the outside looking in just a week ago. With every team in the top four still holding an undefeated record, it is difficult to argue the current lineup, although this week’s head-to-head matchup between Michigan and Ohio State promises to provide an opening for at least one team with losses on the resume.

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Take a look at what each CFP contender brings to the table heading into Week 13.

Georgia

Georgia remains at No. 1 after beating Kentucky to wrap up their conference schedule, setting up a rivalry game against Georgia Tech before meeting LSU in the SEC Championship. Despite firing a coach mid-season and struggling to pick up wins for several months, the Yellow Jackets proved with an upset win over North Carolina last week that they cannot be overlooked. Kirby Smart always preaches the one-week-at-a-time mindset needed for the Bulldogs here.

Remaining schedule: Georgia Tech, SEC Championship (vs. LSU)

Ohio State

Ohio State ran through its regular season with the focus and intensity it missed out on at times in 2021, reaching the biggest weekend of the year undefeated an firmly in the CFP picture. Even head coach Ryan Day admitted the Buckeyes had revenge in mind through the offseason and preseason, made more important as the winner earns another resume-building opportunity in the Big Ten Championship game next week.

Remaining schedule: Michigan

Michigan

After knocking off Ohio State for the first time under Jim Harbaugh, Michigan made its first College Football Playoff appearance as well, placing a massive target on their back. So far, the Wolverines have avoided the traps set out along the way and came back on Saturday to set up an undefeated rivalry game with incredibly high stakes. Health could be the biggest factor for Michigan as running backs Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards remain up in the air after picking up knocks.

Remaining schedule: at Ohio State

TCU

TCU continues to fins ways to win, often after facing incredible adversity for much of the game. The Horned Frogs again left plenty of questions unanswered against Baylor, but a game-winning field goal kept them in the win column ahead of the regular season finale with sub-.500 Iowa State. TCU will again face a challenge when they play the Big 12 Championship the following week against whichever team finishes second behind them.

Remaining schedule: Iowa State, Big 12 Championship (TBD)

LSU

LSU is fighting against history as a two-loss team in the playoff picture, but the window might have grown larger with Tennessee’s loss taking a head-to-head loss out of their way. Wins over Alabama and Ole Miss have set LSU up for an SEC championship game matchup with Georgia, and avoiding a misstep against Texas A&M could put destiny in the hands of the Tigers.

Remaining schedule: at Texas A&M, SEC Championship (vs. Georgia)

USC

USC remains a Power 5 conference leader with one loss but sits behind a two-loss team in the rankings which begs many questions about how the CFP Selection Committee views their value. The high-powered Lincoln Riley offense led Oklahoma into the field multiple times before he made the move, and it could prove enough with Caleb Williams to do so again. However, if strength of schedule was ever a question, the answer is in the Trojans hands after knocking off UCLA last week and facing two more Top 25 opponents over the coming weeks.

Remaining schedule: Notre Dame, Pac-12 Championship (TBD)