The BCS is officially in the rearview mirror and the new College Football Playoff is just down the road. Statements were made by several teams this past weekend, but which teams are for real? Here’s the contenders and pretenders at the halfway point of the season.

CONTENDERS

Mississippi State Bulldogs
Week 8 result: Bye week

Mississippi State was off last week but maintained its No. 1 ranking even after No. 2 Florida State handed Notre Dame its first loss of the season. The Bulldogs have six games remaining in 2014, but only two against ranked opponents (Alabama and Ole Miss). Both of those games are on the road, but if MSU can split that pair of games it will maintain a great chance to crack the four-team playoff field.

Florida State Seminoles
Week 7 result: Defeated Notre Dame 31-27

Florida State may have benefitted from a questionable pass interference call to beat Notre Dame, but it extended its winning streak to 23 games dating back to 2012 by taking down a top 5 opponent on a national stage. The Seminoles continue to find ways to win tight games, an asset to any playoff team, and with the Irish in the rearview it should be smooth sailing for FSU from now until the end of the regular season. As long as Florida State can win the ACC Championship Game, it’s a lock to make the playoff.

Ole Miss Rebels
Week 7 result: Defeated Tennessee 34-3

Ole Miss maintained its unbeaten record with a 31-point win over Tennessee last weekend, but it wasn’t pretty. The Rebels defense was spectacular once again, limiting the Vols to three points while forcing four turnovers, but the offense was subpar for most of the night. Bo Wallace completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes and the Rebels were just 7 of 20 on third downs. Ole Miss now has the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense, but it must survive remaining games at LSU and at home against Auburn and Mississippi State in order to reach the playoff. The Rebels can afford one loss, but it must go at least 2-1 in those games to remain a top 5 team with playoff aspirations.

Alabama Crimson Tide
Week 7 result: Defeated Texas A&M 59-0

The Crimson Tide is one of 18 one-loss teams in the FBS, but none looked as impressive as the Tide did in a 59-0 whitewash of Texas A&M last weekend. Alabama silenced any doubt regarding its top 10 ranking, ripping apart an Aggies team free falling from the top of the SEC West standings. The Tide still has work to do with games remaining against Mississippi State, LSU and Auburn, and it will likely need to win all three games to maintain its current playoff hopes, but if we learned anything last weekend it was to never count out a Nick Saban-coached team.

PRETENDERS

Baylor Bears
Week 7 result: Lost to West Virginia 41-27

Baylor had more momentum than any team in America after a huge 61-58 win over TCU two weeks ago, but it lost all of that momentum in a 14-point loss to unranked West Virginia. The Bears managed just 318 yards of total offense one week after breaking 60 points, and they were shutout in the fourth quarter as West Virginia puled away for good. The Big 12 still boasts three teams in the top 15 of this week’s AP Top 25, allowing Baylor an opportunity to redeem itself in upcoming games against Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Kansas State. However, unless the Bears can avoid a second loss between now and the end of the season, their playoff hopes are hanging by a thread.

Oklahoma Sooners
Week 7 result: Lost to Kansas State 31-30

The Sooners remain the highest ranked two-loss team in the nation following a loss to Kansas State, but it seems near impossible that Oklahoma reaches the four-team playoff with more than one loss. Oklahoma had plenty of chances to avoid the loss to K-State, allowing a potential game-tying extra point to be blocked in the fourth quarter only to follow it by missing a 19-yard field goal later in the quarter. The Sooners had their chances to earn a victory, and Kansas State was a quality opponent ranked in the top 15 at game time. However, there are 22 FBS teams with one loss of fewer through eight weeks, leaving OU very little chance to reach the four-team playoff field.