College Football Playoff: Projected Top 4 after Week 4

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Let’s take a look at the College Football Playoff projections after the fourth week of play.

One week from Tuesday, the first College Football Playoff rankings will be released. Teams will no longer worry about the Coaches or AP polls and instead turn their focus toward the playoff rankings which decide their fate at the end of the season.

Unlike the imperfect BCS rankings from a few years back, the playoff rankings are decided by a committee instead of computers. There’s very little controversy, or at least there hasn’t been much since the introduction of the four-team playoff before the 2014 season.

The only disagreement college football fans have right now is that some believe the playoff should consist of eight teams instead of just four. That argument likely won’t be settled any time soon as the playoff committee has agreed that it will stay the way it is for the immediate future.

Four teams are sticking out already as national title contenders. Heck, more are standing out from the rest of college football, but there are a handful, in particular, who just look better than everyone else.

Even though we are a week away from the first release of the playoff rankings, it’s never too early to look at who would be in that top four if they were revealed today. Here’s a look at my projected College Football Playoff top four after Week 4. Do you disagree with any of my picks?

Sep 24, 2016; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines players celebrate after the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Michigan Stadium. Michigan 49-10. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Michigan Wolverines

4-0, Last Week: NR

This is the first time I’ve had Michigan in my College Football Playoff projections, but after its Week 4 performance against Penn State at home, it’s clear that the Wolverines are serious national title contenders.

OK, the Nittany Lions aren’t exactly considered fierce opponents, but beating a conference foe 49-10 to start Big Ten play is impressive. The Wolverines made Penn State look like an FCS opponent, racking up 326 rushing yards against the Nittany Lions and improving to 4-0 on the season.

Through four weeks, the closest game the Wolverines played was in Week 3 against Colorado in which they were down 21-7 only to come back and win by double digits.

While I believe Michigan is one of the top four teams in college football right now, I still think the Wolverines have a ton to prove. Michigan has yet to play a road game and Jim Harbaugh has yet to beat a ranked team during the regular season in his one-plus years as head coach.

No. 8 Wisconsin comes to town on Saturday and that will be the first true test for Michigan on the year. If the Wolverines win, we will know they’re for real. If Wisconsin wins, we might see the Badgers in these rankings next week.

Sep 24, 2016; Huntington, WV, USA; Louisville Cardinals running back Brandon Radcliff (23) carries the ball for a touchdown against the Marshall Thundering Herd in the second half at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. The Louisville Cardinals won 59-28. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Louisville Cardinals

4-0, Last Week: 3

Louisville is the only team currently in my projected top four that started the season outside of the top 10. The Cardinals won their biggest game of the 2016 in Week 3 over the second-ranked Florida State Seminoles, vaulting them all the way to No. 3 in the AP Poll after ranking 10th.

Bobby Petrino is doing something right in Louisville, putting together one of the most electric offenses in the country. He’s a coach known for offense, and he’s proving that after four games, posting no less than 59 points in any game.

In fact, the Cardinals beat Charlotte in Week 1 by a score of 70-14, defeated Syracuse 62-38, the took down Florida State 63-20 and most recently shellacked Marshall 59-28. It’s crazy to think that a 31-point margin is the closest that Louisville has had this entire season.

Not only is the defense shutting teams down, but the offense is putting on a show, led by Lamar Jackson. The sophomore dual-threat quarterback is one of the top Heisman contenders in the country, racking up 25 total touchdowns through four games. He’s on pace to finish the regular season with 75 total scores.

This team is really, really good.

Sep 17, 2016; Norman, OK, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back Curtis Samuel (4) during the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Ohio State Buckeyes

3-0, Last Week: 2

When a team travels to Norman, Okla., to face the Sooners, you can almost assume that Oklahoma is going to either come away with a win or make it extremely difficult on the road team to win. Ohio State came into the Week 3 contest ranked No. 3 in the country while the Sooners were 14th. That didn’t mean much by game’s end.

Ohio State took down the Sooners by a final score of 45-24, not something you usually see when Oklahoma is the home team. Especially not something you’d expect from a team that is coming off a playoff appearance and started the season No. 3.

Junior quarterback J.T. Barrett is proving to be one of the top Heisman contenders in the country and he’s primed to lead the Buckeyes back to the title game after an absence in 2015, which many believe was Ohio State’s most talented team under Urban Meyer.

The Buckeyes had a bye in Week 4 and are getting ready to open Big Ten play with home contests against Rutgers and Indiana over the next two weeks, respectively. You have to feel bad for those teams as there will likely be two casualties when the Buckeyes are done with them.

Don’t expect Ohio State to drop below No. 2 in the projections anytime soon.

Sep 24, 2016; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Tim Williams (56) and defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick (29) celebrate after tackling Kent State Golden Flashes quarterback Mylik Mitchell (not pictured) at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

Alabama Crimson Tide

4-0, Last Week: 1

The Crimson Tide got their first of two byes of the season in Week 4. Yes, Alabama still took the field against an opponent wearing opposite-colored jerseys, but the matchup with Kent State was unfair from the get-go.

If Alabama played all-out for 60 minutes, you can bet the Crimson Tide would have won by more than 48 points, but the shutout was enough to keep Nick Saban happy. A 48-0 blowout while holding the Golden Flashes to just 166 total yards is a dominating performance, to say the least.

Jalen Hurts is growing into his starting quarterback position nicely, passing for another 164 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 54 yards and a score. If he can keep that type of play up for the rest of the season, no one will beat the Tide.

Alabama is going to be No. 1 in my College Football Playoff top four projections until someone beats the Crimson Tide. No one seems good enough to do it just yet, but SEC play is just starting up.

The reigning national champions are making the rest of college football look like a bunch of runner-ups.