Alabama, South Carolina, and Ole Miss are on the bubble, with Texas, Tennessee and Georgia likely three of the 12 teams. The highest-ranked three-loss SEC team that misses the CFP will likely play in the Citrus Bowl, with other SEC teams playing in the other eight bowls with conference affiliations.

On Saturday afternoon in the bowels of Memorial Stadium, Beamer sat behind the podium after South Carolina’s 17-14 win over No. 12 Clemson, having earned the chance to make his case for the Gamecocks as a College Football Playoff team.

Here's a closer look at why South Carolina, coach Shane Beamer may make the College Football Playoffs or why they may not.