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Projected CFP Rankings: College Football Bracket Predictions

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The return of the College Football Playoff rankings hasn’t helped maintain the status quo.

Ahead of the second edition of the CFP Selection Committee’s rankings, two of the teams that finished in the top five last week suffered losses in Week 11 of the 2024 college football season. That means there’s guaranteed to be some movement on Tuesday evening when the new CFP Top 25 is officially announced.

Oregon will almost certainly remain at No. 1, but how the selection committee sorts through the plethora of two-loss SEC teams right now, how unbeaten Indiana is treated and how the ACC’s Miami and SMU fare are among the fascinating storylines to watch. With an expanded playoff field this year, there are many more teams competing in November than ever before.

Before the new CFP rankings are released, here are national forecasts and predictions for what the rankings and playoff round could look like, as well as information about the 12-team playoffs and how to watch the rankings release show:

CFP Rankings Predictions

ESPN

  1. Oregon
  2. Ohio State
  3. Texas
  4. Penn State
  5. Tennessee
  6. Indiana
  7. BYU
  8. Notre Dame
  9. Alabama
  10. Georgia
  11. Miami
  12. Boise State
  13. Ole Miss

The athlete

  1. Oregon
  2. Ohio State
  3. Penn State
  4. Texas
  5. Indiana
  6. Tennessee
  7. BYU
  8. Notre Dame
  9. Alabama
  10. Ole Miss
  11. Georgia
  12. Miami
  13. SMU

Sports Illustrated

  1. Oregon
  2. Ohio State
  3. Texas
  4. Penn State
  5. Tennessee
  6. Indiana
  7. BYU
  8. Notre Dame
  9. Alabama
  10. Ole Miss
  11. Miami
  12. Georgia

College Football Playoff Predictions

USA TODAY

  • Oregon*
  • Texas*
  • BYU*
  • Miami*
  • Ohio State
  • Tennessee
  • Penn State
  • Indiana
  • Notre Dame
  • Alabama
  • Georgia
  • Boise State**

*Receives a first round bye, automatic bid; **Receives an automatic bid

Bracket – First round games

  • No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 12 Boise State
  • No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 11 Georgia
  • No. 7 Penn State vs. No. 10 Alabama
  • No. 8 Indiana vs. No. 9 Notre Dame

ESPN

A selection of some of the network’s experts:

Andrea Adelson: 1.Oregon. 2.Texas. 3.BYU. 4.Miami. 5.Indiana. 6. Ohio State. 7. Penn State. 8. Tennessee. 9.Alabama. 10. Ole Miss. 11. Notre Dame. 12. Boise State.

Adam Rittenberg: 1.Oregon. 2.Texas. 3.BYU. 4.Miami. 5. Ohio State. 6.Indiana. 7. Tennessee. 8.Alabama. 9. Notre Dame. 10. Penn State. 11. Ole Miss. 12. Boise State.

Paolo Uggetti: 1.Oregon. 2.Texas. 3.BYU. 4.Miami. 5. Ohio State. 6.Indiana. 7. Tennessee. 8. Penn State. 9.Alabama. 10. Notre Dame. 11. Ole Miss. 12. Boise State.

CBS Sports

Bye in the first round:

  • #1 Oregon
  • No. 2 Texas
  • No. 3 Miami
  • No. 4 Boise State

Bracket – First round games

  • No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 12 Ole Miss
  • No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 Notre Dame
  • No. 7 Indiana vs. No. 10 Georgia
  • No. 8 Penn State vs. No. 9 Alabama

When will the College Football Playoff rankings be released?

The second College Football Playoff rankings of the 2024 season will be released on Tuesday, November 12th at approximately 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. The exact time is listed between games during ESPN’s college basketball broadcast of the Champions Classic.

The CFP Selection Committee releases a new top 25 ranking every Tuesday through December 3rd. There will be a CFP selection show on December 8th to announce the 12-team playoff field.

What time are the CFP rankings?

The College Football Playoff rankings will be released each week via a CFP rankings show airing every Tuesday on ESPN from November 5th to December 3rd. This week’s broadcast is scheduled to air between games during ESPN’s broadcast of the Champions Classic on Tuesday, November 3rd. 12, starting approximately 8:30 p.m. ET.

Here’s how to watch the CFP rankings reveal

The College Football Playoff rankings show airs on ESPN. Broadcast begins Tuesday, November 12th at approximately 8:30 p.m. ET. The rankings will be released between games during the college basketball broadcast of the Champions Classic on ESPN. Fans can also stream the rankings show on Fubo, which offers a free trial.

View the CFP rankings with Fubo

How many teams are participating in the 2024 College Football Playoff?

For the first time this season, 12 teams will participate in the College Football Playoff after college football adopted the CFP with a four-team format in 2014. The expansion to 12 teams is planned for the 2024 and 2025 college football seasons. Those responsible for the sport have not yet agreed to the playoffs’ scope beyond this at this point.

How does the College Football Playoff format work?

The 12 participating teams in the College Football Playoff round are the five highest ranked conference champions by the CFP Selection Committee and the next best seven teams.

The top four ranked conference champions are seeded one through four and receive a bye in the first round. The fifth conference champion will be seeded where they were ranked among the top 12 teams, or No. 12 if they are outside the top 12 in the CFP rankings. Non-conference champions placed in the top four will be seeded starting at No. 5.

“For this reason,” the CFP warns on its website, “the rankings of Nos. 1 through 12 could look different than the final ranking.”

In the first round, the higher ranked team from each pairing (5v12, 6v11, 7v10, 8v9) will serve as on-campus hosts. The winners advance to the quarterfinals and face the corresponding top four conference champion based on seeding. Quarterfinal games will be played on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day in the Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl. 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 on January 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

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