Bowl projections: Georgia remains ahead of Alabama in race for College Football Playoff's top seed

Sometimes college football weekends bring more validation than change. Week 5 was a perfect example as the predicted winners in the biggest games Saturday all followed through with victories.

That means this edition of the USA TODAY Sports bowl projections look exactly the same at the top with the exact four teams in the College Football Playoff as last week and no adjustments made to the New Year's Six.

The lone consideration of movement came at the top with Georgia's struggle against Missouri on the road that required a fourth-quarter comeback. The Bulldogs were the top seed for the playoff entering the weekend and maintained that position.

Unlike the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll, which moved Alabama past Georgia at No. 1, there's still enough faith in the Bulldogs to be considered the favorites to finish the regular season unbeaten and win the SEC championship. That could change if last week was the start of a trend rather than a one-off bobble.

The race for the top seed is going to be worth watching going forward with the two conference rivals and Ohio State a clear top three. The team that enters the playoff No. 1 will avoid a more-difficult semifinal and have a clearer path to the title game.

Note: An asterisk indicates a school that has replaced a conference pick.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football bowl projections: Georgia, Alabama lead playoff seeds