Bowl Predictions 2022: Projecting College Football Playoff Field After Week 7

Last season, there were two SEC schools in the four-team College Football Playoff Field. Alabama and Georgia both made it, and then the programs faced off in the CFP National Championship Game, with the Bulldogs prevailing over the Crimson Tide.

It's possible that two SEC teams will make it to the CFP again this season. Only this time, the vaunted Tide may not be there.

The playoff landscape was shaken up on Saturday, when Tennessee handed Alabama its first loss of the season. The Vols won a thriller 52-49, and they put themselves in the CFP picture in the process.

Of course, there's a lot of season still to play. The top conference championship games won't take place until Dec. 3, and early CFP front-runners could fall out of the mix.

However, the playoff picture is beginning to take shape. So let's take a look at how the CFP field might look when the regular season is complete and conference titles have been won.

College Football Playoff Semifinals (Dec. 31)

Peach Bowl: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 4 Tennessee

Fiesta Bowl: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Clemson

CFP National Championship Game (Jan. 9)

Semifinal winners will face off at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.

Not only are Georgia and Tennessee both in the SEC, but they're both in the conference's East Division. So the two teams will face off during the regular season, as the Bulldogs are set to host the Vols on Nov. 5 in what could be a thrilling matchup.

If that's a close game (and it's clear that the two programs are even), there's no reason to think that both couldn't reach the College Football Playoff this season. But it may require one of these two teams to go undefeated with the other suffering only that one loss.

It's not a given that will happen. Georgia has a pair of challenging road matchups in back-to-back weeks, when it faces Mississippi State on Nov. 12 and Kentucky on Nov. 19. Tennessee's schedule is a bit easier down the stretch, but it will also have to get past Kentucky on Oct. 29.

Because the Bulldogs and Vols are both in the SEC East, only one can even get to the SEC Championship Game, where that team will likely face either Alabama or Ole Miss. But Georgia and Tennessee can each control its own destiny and can ensure a spot in the CFP by staying undefeated.

At this point, though, it's quite possible that Georgia and Tennessee could both be playoff teams this season.

Ohio State and Michigan are both undefeated and ranked in the top five of the AP Top 25 poll. The Buckeyes and Wolverines are two of the best teams in the country, and they've each rolled through the early part of their schedules.

Could both of these Big Ten teams reach the CFP? That seems a bit less likely than a pair of SEC schools making it, partially due to strength of schedule. Ohio State and Michigan won't have played as many ranked teams, which could give the edge to the SEC teams from the selection committee.

If that's the case, the Nov. 26 regular-season finale between the Buckeyes and Wolverines could be huge in determining in a playoff spot. If they're both undefeated at that point, that one game may decide which of the two teams ends up in the CFP.

Like Georgia and Tennessee, Ohio State and Michigan are in the same division, as both are in the Big Ten East. So, what happens if one goes undefeated and wins the conference championship while the other loses only that one game in a competitive matchup?

It seems less likely that the Buckeyes and Wolverines both go to the CFP, but it would certainly make for an interesting debate if things shook out in that fashion.

Clemson has faced some quality opponents this season, as several of its ACC rivals are solid teams. The Tigers own two wins over ranked programs, having defeated Wake Forest and NC State, and they have a matchup against unbeaten Syracuse coming up this Saturday.

After that meeting with the Orange, though, Clemson doesn't have too challenging of a schedule down the stretch. There will be some teams in the Big 12, Pac-12 and other conferences playing tougher games, trying to push their way into the CFP conversation.

So Clemson needs to play well and has to rack up some big wins. If the Tigers have any missteps or close calls, it could greatly impact how they're viewed by the CFP selection committee, especially if teams with stronger resumes emerge.

At this point, Clemson is in a playoff position. But it needs to keep racking up victories and win the ACC championship to ensure another team doesn't bump it out of the CFP.