After years in the making, we'll see yet another glimpse of the College Football Playoff selection committee in action Tuesday night, when it releases its third set of top 25 rankings.
Fresh off a thrilling Week 11 and a number of upsets, here are a few guesses as to who will make the committee's top four and who will be left wondering what they have to do to move up. Keep in mind, this is a look at the playoff picture right now and not a projection of wins and losses the rest of the season.
No. 1 seed: Mississippi State
No. 2 seed: Florida State
No. 3 seed: Oregon
No. 4 seed: Alabama
In the hunt
» TCU: After throttling Kansas State at home, few could argue against the fact that the Horned Frogs are playing better than anybody in the country. Their biggest issue down the stretch might end up being that head-to-head loss to Baylor if the two finish 11-1.
» Baylor: Speaking of the Bears, they've played really well since the loss to West Virginia and captured their first ever win at Oklahoma in dominating fashion. Still, the committee didn't like their schedule before and probably still won't at season's end.
» Ohio State: The biggest win Saturday might have been the emphatic statement the Buckeyes delivered in a romp of Michigan State. That was probably their last decent test of the season until the conference title game though. There's no team that has improved more than this one from Week 2 until now, but that still might not be enough as the committee examines a host of one-loss teams in the end.
» Arizona State:The Sun Devils have done just about everything that's been asked of them, and suddenly, they're legitimate candidates to make the final four after a huge win over Notre Dame. They have a moderate excuse for their single loss, and potential wins over six-plus ranked teams would be a quality resume.
» Nebraska: Don't mind the Cornhuskers, who could be the Big Ten's second-highest ranked team come Tuesday. If they can get by Wisconsin and then beat Ohio State in the Big Ten title game, maybe Big Red will start to sneak into the conversation.
You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
