2024 Week One 12-team College Football Playoff rankings prediction
Week One is in the books after Florida State lost to Boston College on Labor Day. Some college football powerhouses dominated their season opener as expected, while other programs have emerged as potential College Football Playoff and conference championship contenders.
Tennessee football handled business against Chattanooga and went from CFP outsiders to CFP contenders after winning 69-3 in the season opener.
After Week One, the Vols proved to be potential CFP contenders, along with a few other unexpected programs. Miami made a statement in the Swamp and looks to be the favorite to win the ACC, while UNLV could be the G5 representative as the Mountain West Champions.
Other teams, like Florida State, Texas A&M, and LSU, are already on the fringe of CFP elimination after early-season losses. Their season isn't over, and they could still make the playoffs, but they will need to work a little harder to earn their spot.
Before we look at All for Tennessee's initial CFP rankings prediction, here's a reminder of how the new-look 12-team College Football Playoff will work: P4 conference champions will receive automatic bids and the top four rankings. The top group of five champion will be the fifth team to automatically qualify, while seeds six through 12 will be at-large bids. Seeds five through eight will host seeds nine through twelve in the first round of the playoff.
Rank | Team | Why they are here | Previous rank |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Georgia Bulldogs | SEC Champion | N/A |
2 | Ohio State Buckeyes | Big Ten Champion | N/A |
3 | Miami Hurricanes | ACC Champion | N/A |
4 | Utah Utes | Big 12 Champion | N/A |
5 | Alabama Crimson Tide | At-large | N/A |
6 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | At-large | N/A |
7 | Texas Longhorns | At-large | N/A |
8 | Tennessee Volunteers | At-large | N/A |
9 | Oregon Ducks | At-large | N/A |
10 | Penn State Nittany Lions | At-large | N/A |
11 | Ole Miss Rebels | At-large | N/A |
12 | UNLV Rebels | MW Champions | N/A |
Georgia will remain at the top of the prediction rankings until proven otherwise. The Bulldogs have been the best team in college football for the past three seasons, and I don't expect them to take a step back this season with the new SEC scheduling format.
Ohio State, Miami, and Utah are the other predicted Power 4 champions after Week One. All three teams dominated their season-opening games as they began their 2024 campaign.
The ACC and Big 12 could be unpredictable as we dive into the 2024 season, so Miami and Utah could sit at the top of the conference after Week One, but anything is possible in the current state of college football.
All four conference champions sit in the top four spots of the predicted College Football Playoff rankings for now, but things could shake up in the next couple of weeks as most national championship contenders face their first tests of the season.
Alabama, Notre Dame, Texas, and Tennessee are the current at-large bids to host the first round of the College Football Playoff. Each of those four teams had impressive wins to open the 2024 season, and all but Notre Dame showed explosiveness on offense. The Irish battled Texas A&M to earn a hard-fought, gritty win in College Station.
The rest of the CFP field rounds out with Oklahoma State, Penn State, Ole Miss, and UNLV, who I predict will be the fifth-highest-ranked conference champion in the Mountain West.
After week one, the SEC has the most predicted playoff bids, with five teams in the top 12. The Big Ten has three bigs, and the Big 12 has two bids, while the ACC only has one bid. Notre Dame and the Mountain West have the final two bids.
Week Two of College Football
Week Two will give us a better idea of which teams are contenders and pretenders early in the season. Ranked matchups like No. 4 Texas vs. No. 9 Michigan and No. 15 Tennessee vs. No. 24 NC State will headline the weekend, while teams like Oregon and Oklahoma State will face tough opponents looking to get upset.
The College Football Playoff predictions will be updated after every college football weekend as teams rise and fall throughout the season. Keep an eye on how the Vols move around the top 12 and what other teams make appearances on the predictions list.
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