Projected College Football Playoff rankings: Predictions for who’s in, who’s out

Posted by Admin November 19, 2024 Football

The debate is raging already now that the first 12-team College Football Playoff field is less than three weeks away from being finalized. More schools are in the mix to compete for a national championship later into the 2024 season than any in recent memory, which means more fans are making their case, which makes the weekly release of the CFP selection committee top 25 rankings all the more intriguing.

The third set of rankings will be announced Tuesday as uncertainty and potential drama loom over the end of college football’s regular season and into championship weekend.

Nobody in the CFP top five lost last week, but where Indiana is slotted — and whether it can (or should) make the playoff if its loses to Ohio State this Saturday — is becoming a hot topic because of the Hoosiers‘ tame schedule. The same conversation is lingering around Texas, too. As is where the selection committee positions the SEC’s five two-loss teams: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas A&M. No matter how this shakes out, somebody is bound to feel left out.

Before the new CFP rankings release, here are national projections and predictions about what the rankings and playoff bracket might look like, as well as information on the 12-team playoff and how to watch the rankings release show:

CFP rankings projections

These are national projections for what the College Football Playoff top 25 will look like on Tuesday, November 19 following Week 12 college football action:

Heather Dinich, ESPN

Oregon
Ohio State
Texas
Penn State
Indiana
Notre Dame
Miami
Alabama
Mississippi
Georgia
Tennessee
Boise State
BYU
SMU
Texas A&M
Colorado
Clemson
South Carolina
Missouri
Arizona State
Army
Tulane
UNLV
Iowa State
Washington State

Jerry Palm, CBS Sports

Oregon
Ohio State
Texas
Penn State
Indiana
Notre Dame
Miami
BYU
Georgia
Alabama
Tennessee
Mississippi
Boise State
SMU
Texas A&M
Colorado
Clemson
South Carolina
Arizona State
Kansas State
Tulane
Army
UNLV
Illinois
Missouri

College Football Playoff predictions

Here’s what USA TODAY experts predict the first 12-team College Football Playoff bracket will look like:

Erick Smith, USA TODAY

Oregon (Big Ten champion)*
Alabama (SEC champion)*
Miami (ACC champion)*
Colorado (Big 12 champion)*
Ohio State
Mississippi
Georgia
Texas
Penn State
Notre Dame
Indiana
Boise State

Bracket – first round games

No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 12 Boise State
No. 6 Mississippi vs. No. 11 Indiana
No. 7 Georgia vs. No. 10 Notre Dame
No. 8 Texas vs. No. 9 Penn State

*Receives first-round bye, automatic bid; **Receives automatic bid

Bracket – first round games

No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 12 Boise State
No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 11 Indiana
No. 7 Mississippi vs. No. 10 Texas
No. 8 Notre Dame vs. No. 9 Georgia

When do College Football Playoff rankings come out?

The third College Football Playoff rankings of the 2024 season will be released Tuesday, Nov. 19 during an hour-long ESPN broadcast beginning at 7 p.m. ET.

A new top 25 ranking is released by the CFP selection committee every Tuesday through Dec. 3. There is a CFP selection show on Dec. 8 to announce the 12-team playoff field.

What time is CFP rankings?

The College Football Playoff rankings are released each week through a CFP rankings show broadcasted by ESPN every Tuesday, from Nov. 5 through Dec. 3. This week’s show is slated to air starting at 7 p.m. ET and ends at 8 p.m. ET.

How to watch CFP rankings reveal

The College Football Playoff rankings show will air on ESPN, with the broadcast starting at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 19. Fans can also stream the rankings show on Fubo, which is offering a free trial.

Date: Tuesday, Nov. 19
Time: 7 p.m.-8 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Stream: Fubo

Watch CFP rankings show with Fubo

How many teams in College Football Playoff 2024?

There are 12 teams in the College Football Playoff for the first time this season, after college football introduced the CFP in 2014 with a four-team format. The expansion to 12 teams is set in place for the 2024 and 2025 college football seasons. Leaders within the sport have not agreed to the framework of the playoff beyond that at this point.

How does College Football Playoff format work?

The 12 participating teams in the College Football Playoff bracket will be the five conference champions ranked highest by the CFP selection committee, and the next seven highest-ranked teams.

The four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded one through four and receive a first-round bye. The fifth conference champion will be seeded where it was ranked among the top 12 teams, or at No. 12 if it is outside the top 12 in the CFP rankings. Non-conference champions ranked in the top four will be seeded beginning at No. 5.

“Because of this,” the CFP warns on its website, “the seeding, 1 through 12, could look different than the final rankings.”

For the first round, the higher-ranked team in each pairing (5 vs. 12, 6 vs. 11, 7 vs. 10, 8 vs. 9) will serve as host on campus. The winners advance to the quarterfinals and match up with the corresponding top-four conference champion based on seeding. Quarterfinal games will played at the Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The semifinals – played at the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl Classic – will take place Jan. 9-10.

The two semifinal winners will play for the national championship Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

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