CFP bracket projections entering Week 14: Where will OU football land?

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We're on to rivalry week, and the Oklahoma Sooners are in win-and-they-in mode for the College Football Playoff.

If OU beats LSU on Saturday, Nov. 29, the Sooners will almost certainly lock up an at-large berth.

The next update for the CFP rankings will come at 6 p.m. CT Tuesday, Nov. 25 (ESPN).

Here's how The Oklahoman sports staff see the 12-team playoff field playing out come Sunday, Dec. 7:

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CFP rankings, bracket predictions for Week 14

*-Denotes one of the five conference champions to make the 12-team CFP field

Jenni Carlson, columnist

1. Indiana*

2. Ohio State

3. Texas A&M*

4. Georgia

5. Texas Tech*

6. Ole Miss

7. Oregon

8. OU

9. Notre Dame

10. Alabama

11. SMU*

12. Tulane*

Trying to project who will make the conference title games at this point much less win them makes projecting the final playoff ranking a challenge. But I wouldn't be surprised to see Michigan beat Ohio State this week to muddy the Big Ten waters, and it feels like Georgia will be left out of the SEC Championship Game but still hold its top-four spot.

Things I'm most intrigued by? Who represents the ACC. Why Oregon ranks ahead of OU (but if Sooner fans should be OK with that, lest moving up means an Alabama rematch). And if Texas Tech can do anything to jump into the top four.

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Joe Mussatto, columnist

1. Ohio State*

2. Texas A&M*

3. Indiana

4. Georgia

5. Texas Tech*

6. Oregon

7. Ole Miss

8. OU

9. Alabama

10. Notre Dame

11. SMU*

12. North Texas*

In the Big Ten, Ohio State and Indiana are locks. Oregon is in if the Ducks win at Washington. Teams on the bubble, like Miami, should be pulling hard for the Huskies. A two-loss Oregon doesn’t have the resume to make the CFP. In the SEC, Texas A&M and Georgia are locks. Ole Miss is in with a win in the Egg Bowl, same for Alabama in the Iron Bowl, and OU is in if it beats LSU. I expect Texas Tech to beat BYU again, which would likely leave the Big 12 as a one-bid league. As for what happens in the ACC? Who the heck knows. I like the Mustangs, though. And give me North Texas as my Group of Five rep.

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Jeff Patterson, sports editor

1. Ohio State*

2. Georgia*

3. Indiana

4. Oregon

5. Ole Miss

6. Texas A&M

7. Oklahoma

8. BYU*

9. Alabama

10. Notre Dame

11. Virginia*

12. Tulane*

Let's try to be an agent of chaos, just like Heath Ledger's Joker. Wouldn't it be the most Texas A&M thing ever to lose its next two games after an 11-0 start? Even if the Aggies lose at Texas on Friday and to Georgia in the SEC championship game next Saturday, they won't drop out of the 12-team field. These are blessed times in College Station. Just ask Shane Beamer, whose South Carolina squad lost 31-30 after heading to the Kyle Field locker rooms with a 28-3 halftime lead a few weeks back.

Still, let's get nuts. Texas Tech is having a fantastic season, but so is BYU. The Cougars get their revenge on the Red Raiders in the Big 12 championship game. This throws the CFP into chaos mode with having to chose between an 11-2 Texas Tech team with only two ranked wins and a 10-2 Notre Dame with two ranked wins (but two ranked losses). The Fighting Irish make the cut in that scenario.

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Colton Sulley, OU beat writer

1. Ohio State*

2. Indiana

3. Texas A&M*

4. Texas Tech*

5. Georgia

6. Oregon

7. Ole Miss

8. Oklahoma

9. Alabama

10. Notre Dame

11. SMU*

12. North Texas*

Ohio State, Indiana and Texas A&M are absolute locks. I consider Texas Tech and Georgia as near-locks, with the ACC and highest-ranked non-power league champion in the field as well, which leaves us with five bubble teams. For Oregon, Ole Miss and Oklahoma, this week is a win-and-you're-in scenario. Alabama and Notre Dame will likely be debated against teams like BYU, Miami and others. But I give the blue bloods the edge in those discussions.

More: CFP bracket projections: Could OU football face Notre Dame in first round?

College Football Playoff schedule

First Round

• Friday, Dec. 19

  • Game 1: 7 p.m. CT | ABC and ESPN (Fubo)

• Saturday, Dec. 20

  • Game 1: 11 a.m. CT | ABC and ESPN (Fubo)

  • Game 2: 3:30 p.m. CT | TNT and truTV (Sling TV)

  • Game 3: 6:30 p.m. CT | TNT and truTV (Sling TV)

Quarterfinals

• Wednesday, Dec. 31

  • Cotton Bowl: 6:30 p.m. CT | ESPN (Fubo)

• Thursday, Jan. 1

  • Orange Bowl: 11 a.m. CT | ESPN (Fubo)

  • Rose Bowl: 3 p.m. CT | ESPN (Fubo)

  • Sugar Bowl: 7 p.m. CT | ESPN (Fubo)

Semifinals

• Thursday, Jan. 8

  • Fiesta Bowl: 6:30 p.m. CT | ESPN (Fubo)

• Friday, Jan. 9

  • Peach Bowl: 6:30 p.m. CT | ESPN (Fubo)

Championship

• Monday, Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium (Miami): 6:30 p.m. CT | ESPN (Fubo)

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: CFP bracket projections entering Week 14: Where will OU football land?