New No. 1 in 2024 Week Three 12-team College Football Playoff rankings prediction
Tennessee football continues its dominance with a 71-0 route of Kent State. The Vols are 3-0 and one of five SEC teams in the top 12 after Week Three. Tennessee has a big test coming up, though, as they face No. 15 Oklahoma to kick off their conference schedule.
Week Three also nearly brought one of the biggest upsets of the season with No. 1 Georgia surviving 13-12 in Lexington against Kentucky.
The Dawgs survive, but they won't hold on to the top spot as a result of their Saturday night scare. I still think Georgia makes it to Atlanta for the SEC Championship, but they will have to earn the No. 1 spot back after a poor showing in their SEC opener.
Oklahoma State makes its first appearance in rankings prediction after starting the season 3-0. The Cowboys have a chance to win the Big 12 Championship and earn a Round 1 BYE. They've closed the gap between them and Utah, but aren't quite ready to overtake the Utes yet.
Oregon also found its rhythm after struggling with Idaho and Boise State in the first two weeks of the season. The Ducks beat Oregon State 49-14 and finally look like the Playoff team everyone expected them to be before the season.
Before we look at the Week Three College Football Playoffs rankings prediction, here's a reminder of how the expanded 12-team Playoff will look: 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 | Texas Longhorns | SEC Champion | 5 (+4) |
2 | Ohio State Buckeyes | Big Ten Champion | 2 (-) |
3 | Miami Hurricanes | ACC Champion | 3 (-) |
4 | Utah Utes | Big 12 Champion | 4 (-) |
5 | Georgia Bulldogs | At-Large | 1 (-4) |
6 | Tennessee Volunteers | At-Large | 6 (-) |
7 | Alabama Crimson Tide | At-Large | 7 (-) |
8 | Ole Miss Rebels | At-Large | 8(-) |
9 | Oregon Ducks | At-Large | 10 (+1) |
10 | USC Trojans | At-Large | 9 (-1) |
11 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | At-Large | Not Ranked |
12 | UNLV Rebels | MW Champions | 12 (-) |
The biggest change in the rankings prediction this week is Georgia and Texas flipping spots. Texas is now the No. 1 team in the country and the presumable SEC Champion, while Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and Ole Miss chase the Longhorns for one of the top four spots.
On The Bubble
Louisville is the first team on the bubble. Oklahoma State had a great week so they jumped the Cardinals in the rankings but the race for the last spot could be neck and neck between a few different teams. I think Louisville and OSU could win their conference, but will they?
Notre Dame is an interesting team. They won in College Station in Week One, were upset in Week Two and beat Purdue by 59 points in Week Three. The expanded Playoff gives the Irish a fighting chance to get back into the race if they can win out.
Penn State is another team that is a College Football Playoff contender. The Nittany Lions dropped out of the rankings after their close win over Bowling Green in Week Two but could easily jump back into the top 12.
Oklahoma has the chance to earn a spot in the top 12 earlier than anyone expected them to in the Brent Venables era. Tennessee comes to town this Saturday and the Sooners will hope to upset the Vols to earn a spot inside the top 12.
Week Four of College Football
There are a lot of ranked matchups this week with College Football Playoff implications. Nebraska or Illinois will have a chance to build their CFP resume in their ranked matchup, while Tennessee and Oklahoma both look to make a statement of their own.
USC is in the top-12 but Michigan could take their spot if they can beat the Trojans in their matchup in Ann Arbor, while the winner of Utah and Oklahoma State will likely be the favorite to win the Big 12 Championship after this week.