In last week’s rankings, the committee slotted the trio in this order: No. 13 Alabama, No. 14 Ole Miss and No. 15 South Carolina. Since then, the Gamecocks were the only team to beat a ranked opponent, knocking off No. 12 Clemson.

South Carolina's athletic director was the latest AD to make a Playoff pitch on behalf of his football program.

Alabama, South Carolina, and Ole Miss are on the bubble, with Texas, Tennessee and Georgia likely three of the 12 teams. The highest-ranked three-loss SEC team that misses the CFP will likely play in the Citrus Bowl, with other SEC teams playing in the other eight bowls with conference affiliations.