We are officially at the halfway point of the college football regular season. The 12-team playoff has made the season exciting, with plenty of teams with two losses still fighting to make it in. It's precisely what the majority of fans wanted. That being said, with five or six games left, some teams have zero margin for error.
2024 College Football Playoff Predictions after Week 7
I knew several games in Week 7 would affect my 12-team playoff prediction after Week 6. However, the Big 12 Conference teams made their moves. Here is my playoff prediction after Week 7.
Rank | Team | Why are they here | Previous rank |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Texas | SEC Champion | 1 |
2 | Ohio State | Big Ten Champion | 2 |
3 | Miami | ACC Champion | 3 |
4 | Iowa State | Big 12 Champion | N/A |
5 | Oregon | At-large | 5 |
6 | Georgia | At-large | 6 |
7 | Penn State | At-large | 7 |
8 | Alabama | At-large | 8 |
9 | Tennessee | At-large | 9 |
10 | BYU | At-large | N/A |
11 | Notre Dame | At-large | 11 |
12 | Boise State | Mountain West Champion | N/A |
Big 12 teams make moves as SEC teams cling to top 12 spots
My 12-team playoff prediction had three new entries after Week 7, two from the Big 12 Conference and a different Group of 5 team. I originally had Utah as my Big 12 Champion, but after their loss to Arizona State, I dropped them out of the picture. Quarterback Cam Rising looks like he is still playing through pain, which is costing them.
I have Iowa State as the team that will receive an automatic bid as the Big 12 champion. I can't ignore them anymore, with their latest win at West Virginia to go with their road wins at Iowa and Houston. BYU is the other team from the conference who could challenge the Cyclones. Like Iowa State, the Cougars are unbeaten and sit at 6-0. They don't play each other during the regular season but could face off in the Championship game.
You may have noticed that I still have Ohio State as my Big Ten Champion despite losing 32-31 to one of my top 12 teams, Oregon. If quarterback Will Howard slides down quicker, Ohio State can kick a walk-off field goal for the win. I still believe in Ryan Day's team if the game is played at a neutral stadium.
Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee are still in the top 12, but they are clinging on. All three teams won in Week 7 but stuttered over the line against non-ranked teams from the SEC. They will need to find extra gears as they all play much tougher games down the stretch, with the Vols playing both Bama and Georgia.
Another team I can't ignore is Boise State, who I've always had as the Mountain West champion, but they have impressed me more each week. They have a tough game in Week 9 after their bye week against UNLV, but right now, they are my best Group of 5 team. Liberty is still there alongside Army and Navy, so it's still very open for that one guaranteed spot.