2024 12-team College Football Playoff rankings prediction after Week 8
Ole Miss entered their first bye week of the season and sat back and watched to see if any carnage unfolded that would make their playoff ambitions more challenging. Talk before the season was, would the SEC dominate the playoff spots? However, the Big Ten and Big 12 Conferences are having their say in recent weeks. Six more weeks remain, meaning things are getting tense for teams in and around the playoff picture.
2024 College Football Playoff Predictions after Week 8
Some high-profile games would shake up my 12-team college football predictions like last week. Five teams stayed unbeaten (Penn State on a bye week), and there is no margin for error for many teams from here on out.
Rank | Team | Why are they here | Previous rank |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ohio State | Big Ten Champion | 2 |
2 | Georgia | SEC Champion | 6 |
3 | Miami | ACC Champion | 3 |
4 | Iowa State | Big 12 Champion | 4 |
5 | Oregon | At-large | 5 |
6 | Texas | At-large | 1 |
7 | Penn State | At-large | 7 |
8 | Tennessee | At-large | 9 |
9 | BYU | At-large | 10 |
10 | LSU | At-large | N/A |
11 | Notre Dame | At-large | 11 |
12 | Boise State | Mountain West Champion | 12 |
Alabama the big loser in playoff picture after Week 8
Alabama lost its second game of the season to my No. 9 ranked team from last week, Tennessee. It was the second time the Vols had beaten the Crimson Tide in three seasons. However, Kalen DeBoer's team had plenty of chances to secure another statement win on the season. Thanks to their win over Arkansas in Fayetteville, LSU benefited from Alabama dropping out. Tennessee jumped a couple of places with the win, but with one loss, they are still vulnerable to dropping out.
The top-five-ranked match-up between Georgia and Texas was a dominant defensive display from the former. The Bulldogs finally showed the world what they are capable of on defense, pulling quarterback Carson Beck out of a hole and throwing three interceptions. It's not guaranteed that these two teams will meet in the SEC Championship game, but that is the feeling with six weeks remaining. If that were the case, I'd be picking Georgia, with Kirby Smart knowing how to win these big games.
Penn State and Ohio State were on Week 8 byes, with Oregon taking care of a Purdue side with a history of toppling top-ranked opponents. That said, I still believe Ohio State would beat Oregon in the Big 12 Championship game if they meet again. A team not in my top 12 that needs a mention is Indiana. They crushed Wisconsin 56-7 to move to 7-0 on the season.
Boise State stayed as my best Group of 5 team despite not playing. Honestly, I'm not sure who will end up as that team, with Army, Navy, and Liberty all pushing hard. UNLV faces the Broncos in Week 9, which could be a preview of the Mountain West Championship game.
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