Projecting the College Football Playoff top 12 after Week 3 - ESPN

One of the biggest questions heading into this season was if the SEC could snap the Big Ten's streak of three national titles, and with the SEC earning three of the top four spots this week, it appears there's no shortage of options to try.

And Ole Miss is now one of them.

With Saturday's statement win against LSU, the Rebels' College Football Playoff hopes have skyrocketed, but how far has LSU dropped? (Hint: not as far as Texas A&M after its loss to Kentucky).

While Miami and Notre Dame remain in a tight race, and BYU and Texas Tech are still carrying the Big 12 banner, they're all still looking up at the SEC. Based on historical knowledge and an understanding of the criteria and protocol, here's a look at what the selection committee might do if the rankings were today.

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Why they could be here: Committee members could still view the Longhorns' Week 2 win against Ohio State as the best win in the country. It helped Texas that Ohio State didn't come out flat against Kent State on Saturday and showed no signs of a letdown in a 59-3 win. The same could be said for Texas in its win against UTSA. Texas ranks among the best in the country in ESPN's Strength of Record metric, and in total efficiency as well, so it's not only passing the eye test, it's also backing it up statistically.

Why they could be lower: Some selection committee members could argue that the Ole Miss win against LSU was bigger, and that the Rebels' overall résumé is stronger because of the win against Louisville. It helped Ole Miss that Louisville beat a ranked SMU team Saturday.

Need to know: If Ohio State goes on to win the Big Ten, which it is currently projected to do according to ESPN Analytics, the Longhorns' Week 2 win