Thanks to past conference realignment, Week 3 of college football saw several early rivalry games. One of my top 12 teams after Week 2 was involved in a rivalry game and came out on top. There were also plenty more teams on bye weeks this week, resulting in teams slipping a few spots.
2024 College Football Playoff Predictions after Week 3
No results hugely affected my 12-team playoff prediction after Week 3, with one team falling due to inactivity. Here are my updated playoff predictions.
Rank | Team | Why are they here | Previous rank |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Georgia | SEC Champion | 1 |
2 | Ohio State | Big Ten Champion | 2 |
3 | Utah | Big 12 Champion | 3 |
4 | Miami | ACC Champion | 4 |
5 | Texas | At-large | 5 |
6 | Ole Miss | At-large | 6 |
7 | Missouri | At-large | 7 |
8 | Tennessee | At-large | 8 |
9 | Alabama | At-large | 10 |
10 | Oregon | At-large | 11 |
11 | Penn State | At-large | 9 |
12 | Northern Illinois | MAC Champion | 12 |
Georgia stutter but hang on to No.1 spot
The big news regarding playoff teams from Week 3 was Georgia stuttering past Kentucky, who had been blown away by South Carolina a week earlier. The Bulldogs scored a fourth-quarter touchdown, and with the score at 13-12, they held off a Wildcats late surge to grab the victory. Despite the below-par performance, I still have Georgia as the SEC Champion over Texas because if they met today, I believe the Bulldogs would come out on top.
The only mover in my top 12 was Penn State, which was on a bye week, as were their conference rivals, Ohio State. The Buckeyes stay at No. 2 as my predicted Big Ten champions, with the Nittany Lions dropping two places thanks to significant road wins for Alabama over Wisconsin and Oregon over rival Oregon State.
My Big 12 champion, Utah, managed a close win over Utah State, one of their rivals. They face an important test in the scale of their playoff aspirations when they face Oklahoma State next. My other Power Conference champion, Miami, stayed unbeaten, defeating Ball State 62-0.
My Group of 5 team in the top 12 is still Northern Illinois, despite being on a bye week. Despite Memphis beating Florida State to move to 3-0, I still believe the Huskies will be MAC champions, which will mean a playoff spot thanks to their win over Notre Dame, especially if the Fighting Irish finish with 10 or 11 wins.
Several games in Week 4 could affect my 12-team college football playoff predictions, with AP Poll No. 6 Tennessee taking on No.15 Oklahoma in a key game.