Projecting the College Football Playoff top 12 at midseason - ESPN

At the midpoint of the season, the No. 1 team in the country is open for the College Football Playoff selection committee to debate.

Texas has a strong case with a true road win at Michigan, and now a neutral-site win against rival Oklahoma. The Longhorns are also looking the part of an SEC and national title contender. But here comes Oregon, flying high after what is now the best win in the country, against Ohio State.

The one thing we do know after seven weeks of results? The Big Ten and SEC are still leading the playoff pack — just not necessarily the teams you might have expected at this point. As Alabama fades and Penn State rises, here's the weekly prediction of what the committee's top 12 might look like if its rankings were released today.

Remember, this is NOT a projection of what it will look like on Selection Day. Rather, it's a snapshot of who's in the driver's seat now, based on what they have done to this point.

The 12-team playoff seeding will look different from this ranking as well. The top four highest-ranked conference champions receive byes, and the top five conference champions receive entry into the field.

Why they could be here: The Longhorns dismantled rival Oklahoma with no hint of an upset, adding what could be a win against a second ranked opponent to their résumé in addition to Michigan. Even if neither are ranked on Selection Day, as long as both opponents finish .500 or better, the committee will still consider them respectable wins, and a nonconference road win in Ann Arbor is still better than what multiple other contenders have in their nonconference lineup. OU entered the game ranked in the top 20 in both defensive and special teams efficiency, and Texas was able to run the ball against