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Projecting the College Football Playoff top 12 at midseason

Sam Hodde/Getty Images

At the midpoint of the season, the No. 1 team in the country is open for the College Football Playoff selection committee to debate.

Texas has a strong case with a true road win at Michigan, and now a neutral-site win against rival Oklahoma. The Longhorns are also looking the part of an SEC and national title contender. But here comes Oregon, flying high after what is now the best win in the country, against Ohio State.

The one thing we do know after seven weeks of results? The Big Ten and SEC are still leading the playoff pack -- just not necessarily the teams you might have expected at this point. As Alabama fades and Penn State rises, here's the weekly prediction of what the committee's top 12 might look like if its rankings were released today.

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.

The 12-team playoff seeding will look different from this ranking as well. The top four highest-ranked conference champions receive byes, and the top five conference champions receive entry into the field.