ESPN Updates LSU’s College Football Playoff Outlook After Texas A&M Win

LSU's dominant win over Texas A&M helped keep the Tigers in the College Football Playoff conversation.

ESPN's Heather Dinich released her latest projection of what the CFP selection committee's Top 12 could look like after Week 4, with LSU checking in at No. 10.

Dinich broke down why the Tigers could be ranked there, what could keep them from climbing higher, and why upcoming games against Alabama and Texas could have a major impact on LSU's playoff résumé.

Here's everything ESPN had to say about LSU:

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10. LSU Tigers (3-1)
Why they could be here: The Tigers avoided a second September loss and kept their playoff hopes alive with Saturday night's convincing win against Texas A&M. It helps LSU that Clemson has won three straight since its season-opening loss to LSU. LSU is stuck behind Florida and Ole Miss in these projections because of the head-to-head results. LSU will stay behind Ole Miss after losing to the Rebels last week in Oxford, and the Tigers don't face Florida during the regular season. The committee has done this before when multiple teams have played each other (including last year in the SEC) and resorted to the head-to-head tiebreaker to help sort the pack.

Why they could be lower: There are former coaches on the selection committee who might point out LSU's struggles with turnovers in the red zone and penalties.

Need to know: Head-to-head results aren't weighted in the room, and this pecking order could change because LSU still has a chance to beat Alabama and Texas -- two teams that are ranked above it. If LSU can find ways to win those games, and Ole Miss has more losses than the Tigers, LSU can continue to climb.

Toughest remaining game: Nov. 14 vs. Texas. The November schedule is backloaded, with three of four games against ranked opponents. The home game against Texas, though, could be a must-win situation if the Rebels can't beat Alabama the week before.

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This is what the bracket would look like:

First-round byes
No. 1 Texas (SEC champ)
No. 2 Ohio State (Big Ten champ)
No. 3 Georgia
No. 4 Miami (ACC champ)

First-round games
No. 12 Boise State (highest Group of 6) at No. 5 Notre Dame
No. 11 BYU (Big 12 champ) at No. 6 Alabama
No. 10 LSU at No. 7 Indiana
No. 9 Ole Miss at No. 8 Florida

Quarterfinal games
No. 12 Boise State/No. 5 Notre Dame winner vs. No. 4 Miami
No. 11 BYU/No. 6 Alabama winner vs. No. 3 Georgia
No. 10 LSU/No. 7 Indiana winner vs. No. 2 Ohio State
No. 9 Ole Miss/No. 8 Florida winner vs. No. 1 Texas