And then there were five: LSU's unexpected loss to Texas A&M leaves five viable CFP contenders

Georgia, Michigan, TCU, USC, and Ohio State are the teams with a realistic shot of securing CFP berths. 

There are some who believe Alabama (10-2, 6-2 in SEC) remains a possible participant, but it would take a leap for the committee to choose a two-loss, non-conference champion Alabama team over Ohio State, even after the Buckeyes loss to the Michigan Wolverines.

Two teams — Georgia (12-0, 8-0 in SEC) and Michigan (12-0, 9-0 in Big Ten) — appear to have clinched spots even before conference championship weekend. 

TCU (12-0, 9-0 in Big 12) and USC (11-1, 8-1 in Pac-12) need to win to secure their spots, but it's not out of the realm of possibility that TCU can make the playoff if both the Horned Frogs and Trojans lose next weekend.

A TCU loss and USC win would mean the committee would be forced to choose between the Horned Frogs and Buckeyes for the fourth spot. After 2014, TCU fans know how that debate would unfold.

In a weekend of surprising upsets, none was bigger than Texas A&M's 38-23 win over No. 5 LSU. Eighth-ranked Clemson lost earlier in the day to South Carolina, 31-30, eliminating those Tigers' playoff hopes, too.

LSU (9-3, 6-2 in SEC) already qualified for the SEC Championship and still has a chance to make a "New Year's Six" bowl with an upset of their own next Saturday against Georgia. 

It's been a remarkable turnaround in Baton Rouge after the team won 11 games combined between 2020-21. An ugly loss doesn't ruin all the positive strides made this season, but it does show the team has improvements to make — mostly along the offensive line and interior of its defensive line.

For Texas A&M (5-7, 2-6 in SEC), the season didn't go as planned but a dominant win over the SEC West champions dulls the sting of a disappointing season. 

Talent isn't the issue in College Station; whether Fisher is capable of coalescing that talent into an SEC power is up for debate.

That question will have to wait until 2023 for an answer. Next Sunday, we'll get a resolution to the more pertinent question as to which teams will have a chance to play for a national title. 

Thanks to a wild Saturday, there are two fewer playoff hopefuls than we started the day with. The field is down to five and Ohio State needs a little bit of chaos. In this season of college football, that isn't asking for much.