2024 Week Two 12-team College Football Playoff rankings prediction

Week Two brought some dominant wins, big-time upsets, and a lot of shakeups in the 2024 12-team College Football Playoff rankings prediction.

Last week, we released our first rankings prediction for the season and will continue to update our prediction every week throughout the season of what we believe the field of 12 will look like in December. 

Tennessee football jumped a couple of spots in the rankings prediction with its 51-10 win over No. 24 NC State. The Vols came into the week ranked No. 14 but moved to No. 7 in the AP Poll after its dominant win. 

They also moved up to No. 6 in my prediction rankings for the College Football Playoff, meaning they will host Round One of the Playoff at Neyland Stadium against Louisville if the season ended today. 

Notre Dame was upset by Northern Illinois, and Penn State was nearly upset by Bowling Green, who dropped both teams out of the top 12 in the rankings predictions, while Louisville continues to quietly take care of business and sneak into the No. 11 spot. 

Before we look at the Week Two 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.

Biggest Riser

Ole Miss is the biggest riser after Week Two, moving up three spots from No. 11 to No. 8 after their 49-point win over Middle Tennessee State. The Rebels have one of the best offenses in the country, led by Lane Kiffin, but it looks like the defense has stepped up as well so far this season. 

The Rebels defense looks much better than we've seen in the past and could help them earn a spot in the CFP for the first time in program history. 

Biggest Faller

Notre Dame is this week's biggest faller, going from No. 5 in the rankings to out of the top 12. The Fighting Irish opened the season with a win against Texas A&M, bringing the hype to South Bend, but that ended one week later. 

They lost to Northern Illinois in a shocker at home, which put them in a tough spot two weeks into the season. Notre Dame isn't eliminated from the CFP, but one more loss could prevent them from getting back into the top 12 this season. 

Top Four Seeds

I'm sure I will say this often this year, but Georgia will remain at the top of my rankings prediction until proven otherwise. They've been the best team in the country the past three seasons and already look to be one of the top teams in 2024, too. 

After another dominant win, Ohio State remains at No. 2 in the rankings prediction. The Big Ten is the Buckeyes to lose, and I don't see them dropping many games this season with their schedule. 

Miami is still the top team in the ACC, which could be shaken up a lot this year. The conference is wide open, and virtually anyone could come out of the ACC as the champion, but for now, the top spot goes to the Hurricanes. 

Utah is in its first season as a member of the Big 12, but they're already one of the best teams in the conference. The Utes are the predicted conference champions after Week Two and earn a spot in the CFP for the first time in program history. 

First Four Out

Missouri is the first team out of this week's rankings prediction. The Tigers are considered one of the country's top teams, but with the top-12 already SEC-heavy with five teams, someone has to miss out on the Playoffs, and I believe that will be Mizzou. 

Oklahoma State is the next team out, but could very well earn a spot on the list once they begin Big 12 play. They are one of the best teams in their conference this season but survived the Arkansas Razorbacks, who are projected to be one of the bottom feeders in the SEC. 

Penn State also struggled in its Week Two matchup. The Nittany Lions survived Bowling Green, which is not expected to be a competitive program in the grand scheme of college football. Penn State is going to have to improve drastically if they want to earn their spot in the top 12. 

Boise State almost pulled off the upset in Eugene, Oregon, against the Ducks but fell short. Their season isn't over, though, and they could go on a run to win the Mountain West and earn a bid in the CFP, but UNLV holds that spot right now. They could still win ten or more games this season, but the Mountain West runs through Vegas. 

Last Four In

UNLV is still the highest-ranked Group of Five school after Week Two, which clinches their spot in the Playoff. UNLV and Boise State will likely be competing for the Mountain West title and a spot in the CFP, but UNLV still has the upper hand on the Broncos two weeks into the season. 

Louisville makes its first appearance in the rankings prediction. They are the second ACC team in the top 12 and the only other team to join Miami out of the ACC so far. Jeff Brohm is looking to take advantage of a wide-open race for the conference title and is ahead of schedule. 

USC is also in the rankings prediction for the first time this season. The Trojans had a statement win in Week One against LSU and followed that up with a 48-point win against Utah State. They will take a week off before beginning Big Ten play against Michigan. 

Oregon has survived Idaho and Boise State in the first two weeks of the season and will be tested again in Week Three against Oregon State. It's hard to tell where Oregon or USC will fit in the Big Ten this year, but until someone else proves they're more deserving, the Ducks remain in the Playoff. 

Week Three of College Football

Week Three won't bring us too many exciting games as most programs prepare for conference play to begin in the next couple of weeks. Tennessee will host Kent State at 6:45 PM ET on the SEC Network, while many other programs also prepare for "tune-up" games this weekend. 

College Gameday will be in Columbia, South Carolina, for LSU vs South Carolina. The Gamecocks will hope to continue building momentum after crushing Kentucky's hopes and dreams in Lexington this past Saturday.