Usually playing against Mercer doesn't result in a team improving its College Football Playoff seeding. But this week's bowl projections see Alabama rise into the No. 2 spot in the field as the Crimson Tide are forecasted as the SEC champions.

The team Alabama replaces is Texas. While the Longhorns beat Arkansas, there are questions whether they can defeat both Texas A&M and the Crimson Tide away from home to secure the conference title. And the lack of quality wins on the Texas resume means its seeding slot should fall behind other contenders Georgia and Mississippi

The other big news in the projection sees Colorado enter the CFP field as the Big 12 champions. The Buffaloes are the hottest team in the league and need only two more wins to reach the title game. Meanwhile, BYU falls completely out of the field with little chance for an at-large berth should it not win out the rest of the way.

Heading into the final two weeks before championship weekend, there still could be some twists and turns. The Ohio State-Indiana showdown in the Big Ten should bring some clarity to that conference race. The SEC will be muddled until Week 14 results. The ACC and Big 12 also have some sorting out to do. But it feels like several of the at-large spots are set unless there are some major upsets.

CALM DOWN: The five biggest overreactions from Week 12

RE-RANK: Alabama moves up among SEC teams in NCAA 1-134

Note: Legacy Pac-12 schools in other conferences will fulfill existing Pac-12 bowl agreements through the 2025 season.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football bowl projections: Alabama rises, Colorado joins CFP