Ranking 7 two-loss CFP hopefuls most likely to run the table

A team has never lost three games and then earned a berth to any version of the College Football Playoff. That could change this year, for reasons ranging from the depth of the Southeastern Conference to an overall lack of playoff-worthy teams with small numbers in the loss column.

But there's no guarantee of it, so two-loss teams would be wise not to count on the committee being lenient. Besides, why put it in their hands when there's a simpler solution: Win the rest of your games.

Here are the top candidates ranked according to their chances of doing just that, along with their remaining schedules and the CFP rankings of their opponents.

And keep one more thing in mind: Two other one-loss SEC teams (Georgia and Kentucky) are 1-2 in the standings and don't play each other - so not every SEC team on this list necessarily has to worry about also surviving the conference title game.

Ohio State (6-2)

• No. 23 Oregon
• Northwestern
• At Nebraska
• Michigan

The on-the-bubble Buckeyes have the most favorable schedule of any two-loss contender. They close with three of four at the Horseshoe, a run that includes their only remaining opponent ranked by the CFP committee, Oregon. Northwestern has a formidable offense, but Ohio State's defense ranks 21st or better in each of the four main defensive stat categories.

Next up is Nebraska, but after three straight losses, the Huskers' hot start is a distant memory. And, yes, we know Ryan Day's record against Michigan - but we've also seen enough from this year's Wolverines team. And if the Buckeyes reach the Big Ten championship game, would you bet against them against No. 8 UCLA or an Indiana team they've already beaten?

Alabama (6-2)

• At No. 14 LSU
• At Vanderbilt
• Chattanooga
• Auburn

Much like Ohio State, Alabama's toughest test on paper comes this week - but it's on the road at fellow two-loss contender LSU. That means someone will come out of Death Valley with a third defeat.

Survive that, and the path is navigable - the Tide could beat Vandy and Chattanooga with their backups - until the Iron Bowl. Alex Golesh and Auburn have already pulled one top-five stunner, but what are the odds they have another one in them? In this scenario, both Georgia and Kentucky are also free to win out - sparing the Tide a trip to Atlanta and another opportunity for a third loss.

Texas (6-2)

• At No. 18 Missouri
• At No. 14 LSU
• Arkansas
• At Texas A&M

Now the paths start to get much tougher. Arch Manning and the Longhorns play three of their final four on the road, including two against two other teams on this list - Missouri and LSU - so once again, someone's taking a third L.

Let's say they get through those two. Arkansas is manageable, sure, but waiting in that regular-season finale is a Texas A&M team that would love nothing more than to salvage its bummer of a season by spoiling things for its - pun intended - Arch rival.

Mississippi (6-2)

• No. 2 Georgia
• At Oklahoma
• Wofford
• Mississippi State

The Rebels have only one CFP-ranked opponent remaining, but it's a doozy - Georgia this weekend. Find a way to win that one, and the Rebels will throw the conference race wide open and put a trip to Atlanta - and maybe even a rematch with Kirby Smart's Bulldogs - back in play. A road trip to Oklahoma, a visit from Wofford and the Egg Bowl against a Mississippi State team without Kamario Taylor all look manageable.

Tennessee (6-2)

• No. 6 Kentucky
• At Texas A&M
• No. 14 LSU
• At Vanderbilt

The Volunteers have a legitimate beef with the selection committee, which ranked them eight spots below an Alabama team they beat by 16 points. They face a tough road to making the committee eat crow. Tennessee welcomes its two remaining CFP-ranked opponents - Kentucky and LSU - to Rocky Top and has road games against teams (A&M and Vandy) that are a combined 7-9. And just like Ole Miss, winning out puts an SEC title game appearance - and another chance for a third loss - in play.

LSU (6-2)

• No. 5 Alabama
• No. 7 Texas
• At No. 13 Tennessee
• At Arkansas

Lake Kiffin's Tigers have plenty of chances to kick their SEC rivals out of the two-loss club - they play three other teams on this list in a 15-day span. Two of them (Alabama and Texas) come to Baton Rouge, and LSU wraps up on the road at Tennessee and Arkansas. Just like Alabama, the Tigers could possibly win out yet dodge the SEC title game and that extra opportunity for loss No. 3.

Missouri (6-2)

• No. 7 Texas
• At No. 2 Georgia
• No. 6 Kentucky
• Oklahoma

No two-loss team faces a tougher path than Eli Drinkwitz's Tigers. Three top-10 teams in 15 days, including the two one-loss schools that are on track for the SEC title game. With two-loss Texas coming to Columbia this week, someone is bound for a third defeat.

But let's say Missouri navigates that three-week gauntlet and musters enough emotional energy after that to get past Oklahoma. The Tigers will have the head-to-head tiebreakers with both Georgia and Kentucky and, depending on how the rest of the league shakes out, could have to then win in Atlanta to avoid that third loss.

Today's best reads

• What the first CFP rankings mean for Notre Dame, Alabama, Ohio State and more
• Predicting the College Football Playoff bracket ahead of the first rankings reveal
• Projected CFP bracket using BCS rankings sets up Ohio State-Notre Dame first-round showdown
• 4 college football pretenders most likely to fall out of the CFP field
• What every team in the projected CFP field must do to keep its spot

This article was originally published on www.fansided.com as Ranking 7 two-loss CFP hopefuls most likely to run the table.