Week 14 games most likely to shake up the College Football Playoff rankings

There will still be some potential shakeup to the College Football Playoff picture next week with the conference championship games, but it could be minor.

If Texas Tech wins the Big 12, it's going to be the lone representative from that conference on the 12-team playoff bracket. The winner of the ACC will be its only entrant. If Ohio State and Indiana meet in the Big Ten championship game as expected, both still undefeated and ranked No. 1-2, neither will be affected much by the outcome.

The AAC champion (or potential James Madison in the Sun Belt) is going to get the Group of Five automatic playoff berth. Really, the biggest variable will be the team that loses the SEC championship game, especially if it's Alabama picking up a third loss and how the CFP committee views that.

All of that is to say that this week -- Week 14 on the college football schedule -- is where the real chaos can still ensue.

Here are the six games that could really shake up the CFP rankings this week.

(All point spreads via ESPN Bet. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.)

No. 12 Miami (9-2, 5-2 ACC) at No. 22 Pittsburgh (8-3, 6-1)

Miami has become a cause celebre for CFP committee critics who can't get over the No. 12 Hurricanes being ranked three spots behind a No. 9 Notre Dame they beat head-to-head way back in Week 1.

The committee has made it clear it doesn't view the Hurricanes and Irish as being close enough overall for that one game to even come into the equation, and as of now, it looks like the Irish are going to be in the playoffs as an at-large, while Miami misses out.

But that can still change.

First, if Miami and its supporters (or bandwagon supporters) want to continue contending, they deserve to be ranked over Notre Dame. Here's one more relevant data point, to borrow the lingo of CFP chair Hunter Yurachek.

Just two weeks ago, Notre Dame demolished this Pitt team 37-15 (while going up 28-3). That stands as the Panthers' only loss in seven games since installing true freshman Mason Heintschel at quarterback. So, Miami now gets its chance to measure up against Pitt. Can it beat the Panthers as convincingly as the team it contends should be ranked above it? Can it beat Pitt, period?

That's the better question, perhaps. All the Miami-Notre Dame controversy could be rendered moot if the Hurricanes lose Saturday.

Pitt is a very good team that just made easy work of former ACC favorite/playoff contender Georgia Tech last week, 42-28 on the road after going up 28-0. Miami's best win since that Week 1 victory over the Irish is ... against South Florida two weeks later? The Hurricanes lost to Louisville and SMU, both unranked at the time, and the Panthers may well be better than both.

Nonetheless, Miami is a 6.5-point favorite, but it will need to win by much more than that to move the needle with the committee.

No. 3 Texas A&M (11-0, 7-0 SEC) at No. 16 Texas (8-3, 5-2)

It's hard to say if upsetting Texas A&M would be enough to get Texas high enough in the CFP rankings for an at-large playoff berth, but it's possible depending on how the rest of the dominoes tumble nationally.

That would give the Longhorns wins over the No. 3 Aggies, the current No. 8 team in the CFP rankings (Oklahoma) and No. 14 Vanderbilt, with losses on the road at now-No. 1 Ohio State and No. 4 Georgia, plus the loss at Florida that haunts Texas' season now.

No three-loss team made the cut for an at-large invite to the playoffs last year, but Texas would raise an interesting case if it topples unbeaten Texas A&M -- especially if it does so with any added style points.

Texas A&M, a 2.5-point favorite, would be knocked out of the SEC championship game with a loss but probably wouldn't fall more than 2-3 spots in the CFP rankings.

No. 1 Ohio State (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) at No. 15 Michigan (9-2, 7-1)

Ohio State may have won the national championship last season, but it didn't win the rivalry game against Michigan, and Wolverines fans have taken every opportunity to bring it up as often as possible over the last year.

Buckeyes coach Ryan Day is just 1-4 all-time vs. the arch-rival Wolverines with four straight losses, and if a then-6-5 Michigan team could come into Columbus last year and stun then-No. 2 Ohio State, 13-10, then who is to say what can or can't happen this week in Ann Arbor.

The Big House will be rocking as the Wolverines look to keep that rivalry win streak going and vault themselves into the playoff picture and possibly the Big Ten championship game (if Washington also upsets Oregon).

Right now, there are three Big Ten teams very clearly headed to the CFP if everything holds. If Michigan wins this and Oregon beats Washington, then there is a case to be made for four -- which would likely have to come at the expense of the SEC's bevy of playoff hopefuls.

Things will get really interesting if the Wolverines prove they do indeed have some power over Day's Buckeyes. Ohio State is a 9.5-point favorite.

No. 7 Ole Miss (10-1, 6-1 SEC) at Mississippi State (5-6, 1-6)

Just imagine the fallout if No. 7 Ole Miss loses the Egg Bowl on Friday under the backdrop of coach Lane Kiffin's uncertain future with the program as LSU (and Florida) aggressively pursue him for their openings.

Kiffin and the players have downplayed any distraction, while college football pundits have taken aim at Kiffin for being exactly that during what should be one of the biggest moments in Ole Miss' program history.

The thing is, this was already an interesting final hurdle for the Rebels, as Mississippi State is home Friday, the cowbells will be clanging in Starkville, and this Bulldogs team has been more competitive than its record indicates. Mississippi State took Tennessee and Texas to overtime, lost by 2 at Florida and won at Arkansas.

But if this game is even remotely close now, the critics will attribute it directly to Kiffin, who allowed himself to be courted by other SEC schools during a playoff push. And if the Rebels actually lose, don't be surprised if the CFP committee factors in the Kiffin drama and uncertainty when deciding how far to move Ole Miss down in the rankings.

Ole Miss is a 7.5-point favorite.

No. 14 Vanderbilt (9-2, 5-2 SEC) at No. 19 Tennessee (8-3, 4-3)

Vanderbilt is presently on the outside looking in of the playoff picture, especially while slotting two spots behind No. 12 Miami (which also looks to be outside the bracket as of now), but if the Commodores add another ranked win (on the road), then they will further strengthen their case for at-large consideration.

It's also very possible Miami loses at Pittsburgh, BYU will drop down if it loses a rematch to Texas Tech in the Big 12 championship game, and Vandy could leapfrog No. 13 Utah with a win this week. So the potential is still there.

Tennessee may be a 3.5-point favorite in this game, but the Vols haven't beaten a team anywhere near the caliber of the Diego Pavia-led Commodores. The Vols are the most overrated team in college football, with their wins coming against Syracuse, East Tennessee State, UAB, Mississippi State, Arkansas, Kentucky, New Mexico State, and Florida, while they lost their three games against ranked opponents.

No. 4 Georgia (10-1) at No. 23 Georgia Tech (9-2), in Atlanta

It was clear all along that Georgia Tech's 8-0 start (and high ranking) was largely a product of a very favorable schedule, but the Yellow Jackets were nonetheless a tough opponent with dual-threat QB Haynes King consistently rising to the occasion in clutch moments.

Well, they've kind of fallen apart the last three games, losing at NC State, barely getting past lowly Boston College 36-34 and then getting blown out by Pittsburgh last week.

But King is a real talent and dynamic playmaker who can cause fits for any opponent, even No. 4 Georgia.

Georgia Tech really needs the upset Friday to salvage a positive finish to this season, so while the Bulldogs may be 13.5-point favorites, there is at least some degree of upset potential here.

Would beating Georgia be enough to get Georgia Tech back into the CFP picture? Probably not, but that depends on what else happens around college football. What would a loss for Georgia do to its ranking, though?