COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- This college football season is already one for the history books, and it's making the first 12-team College Football Playoff difficult to project.
Week 6 was the first time five teams ranked in the top 11 lost in the same week, with four of those losses coming to unranked opponents. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes cruised to another victory, 35-7 over Iowa at Ohio Stadium.
Although most of the highly ranked teams that lost Saturday are not out of the playoff conversation, where they could sit in the seedings could certainly be affected.
NBC4 is providing a look at a projected 12-team playoff bracket every week before the first rankings are revealed on Nov. 5. Here is how the playoff bracket looks based on the Associated Press rankings and what changes we could see by next week.
Ohio State's No. 2 spot in the mock playoff bracket remains safe, but that could change this week. The second-ranked Buckeyes are facing a ranked team for the first time, playing at No. 3 Oregon at 7:30 p.m. Saturday on NBC4. The winner will likely end up as the No. 2 seed next week.
The Ducks moved up in the projected playoff field from the No. 8 seed to the highest at-large team at No. 5. The upsets around the Southeastern Conference that move, with former No. 1 Alabama plummeting to the eight seed after its loss to unranked Vanderbilt.
Tennessee dropped to the No. 9 seed after falling to Arkansas, setting up a possible first-round game between the Volunteers and Crimson Tide. The winner's prize? A quarterfinal against No. 1 Texas.
Missouri and Michigan also lost in Week 6, and are both out of the playoff picture, making way for Mississippi to return and for Clemson, which is in the projected field for the first time.
Another aspect to keep an eye on is the competition for the No. 4 seed. Iowa State (11th in the AP poll) is barely hanging on to that spot over No. 12 seed Boise State (17th in the AP poll). Running back Ashton Jeanty could lead the Broncos of the Mountain West Conference to a bye if they run the table and Big 12 teams continue to play roulette.
No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Oregon: This game will determine the team to beat in the Big Ten, and it could determine the new No. 1 team in the country.
No. 1 Texas vs. No. 18 Oklahoma: This season has offered up surprises, so do not count out the Sooners when they face No. 1 Texas in the first SEC edition of the Red River rivalry. No matter where these teams are ranked, this game tends to remain close.
No. 9 Mississippi vs. No. 13 LSU: Ole Miss has constantly been moving within our bracket, but LSU has yet to earn a spot. A win for the Tigers at home gets them in that mix, competing for an at-large bid, and the Rebels will try to move up its seeding once again.
