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On Tuesday, the College Football Playoff Selection Committee released its Week 15 rankings -- its last before announcing the official playoff bracket at lunch time next Sunday. Georgia Tech is ranked #11 in those rankings, up 5 spots from their #16 ranking last week after defeating then-#9 georgia, who fell to #14 this week.
In order to make it into the playoff as the #4 seed, Georgia Tech will need to jump 7 spots in the final weekend -- very unlikely, but potentially possible. The lineup is as follows:
| Ranking | Last Week | Team | This Week |
| 1 | 1 | Alabama Crimson Tide | #16 Missouri |
| 2 | 2 | Oregon Ducks | #7 Arizona |
| 3 | 5 | TCU Horned Frogs | Iowa State |
| 4 | 3 | Florida State Seminoles | #11 Georgia Tech |
| 5 | 6 | Ohio State Buckeyes | #13 Wisconsin |
| 6 | 7 | Baylor Bears | #9 Kansas State |
| 7 | 11 | Arizona Wildcats | #2 Oregon |
| 8 | 10 | Michigan State Spartans | --- |
| 9 | 12 | Kansas State Wildcats | #6 Baylor |
| 10 | 4 | Mississippi State Bulldogs | --- |
| 11 | 16 | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | #4 Florida State |
A win over #4 Florida State would certainly give the Jackets some heavy upward mobility in the polls. They would almost certainly jump Mississippi State, and possibly Michigan State. The problem lies in the heavy load of high-profile games left this weekend that feature teams ranked higher. With #2 Oregon vs #7 Arizona and #6 Baylor vs #9 Kansas State, one has to figure that those games will produce a playoff team should enough losing occur to move Georgia Tech into the conversation. Also worth considering is the scenario where 14.5-point favorite #1 Alabama loses to #16 Missouri -- would that loss drop them out of the playoff, and is there a way for Georgia Tech to pass up the Crimson Tide from so far down?
With people at the helms calling the shots, anything is possible, but at this point it's almost a guarantee that Georgia Tech will not be playing in the College Football Playoff.
The good news? Working off that logic, no matter what happens in this weekend's ACC Championship Game, Georgia Tech is Orange Bowl-bound. You now have an extra week to book flights, hotel rooms, and buy tickets!
Can Georgia Tech make it into the playoff? What's the scenario where they do?