NCAAF · 11 months ago

12-Team College Football Playoff Bracket Based on AP Poll

TJ Inman

Host · Writer

9. Notre Dame at 8. Tennessee
The Tennessee Volunteers had a bye week, remaining at No. 7 in both polls and resting at the eighth seed in this projected bracket. Tennessee gets to host Kentucky and Mississippi State in the next two weeks before a gigantic clash at Georgia, and then they finish with UTEP and at Vanderbilt. If the Volunteers lose to UGA and finish 10-2, would they squeak into the field? The resume would be light with a home win against Alabama and not much else. In this projection, they would be hosting the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Notre Dame leaped four spots after waxing Navy and is now eighth in the AP Poll. The winner would play Oregon in the Rose Bowl.

Week 10: Kentucky at Tennessee (-15.5)

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1. Oregon Ducks - Big Ten Champion
The Oregon Ducks took a few weeks to settle into the 2024 campaign. Still, they have been a buzzsaw during October, adding a dominant victory over Illinois to their resume on Saturday at Autzen Stadium. The Ducks have a solid running game and the ultra-accurate Dillon Gabriel at quarterback. Gabriel has done an excellent job of getting the ball into his playmakers' hands, and the offense is humming. The thing that makes Oregon a legitimate title contender is their defense. The pass rush is a strength, and Oregon has a clear path to the No. 1 seed: beat Michigan, Maryland, Wisconsin, and Washington and then win the Big Ten Championship Game. It will not be easy, but they will have the clearest trip forward. The Ducks are the No. 1 team in both polls and the projected No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. Oregon would play the winner of the eight versus nine game in the Rose Bowl.

2024 National Championship Odds: Oregon +450

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2. Georgia Bulldogs - SEC Champion
The Georgia Bulldogs grab the projected two-seed as the SEC Champion and the current No. 2 team in the AP and Coaches Poll. Georgia had a bye week after a dominant victory at Texas. UGA’s pass rush was the story of that game, and if they can consistently unleash it, the Bulldogs will have a real chance to fulfill their potential and capture another national championship. UGA would get a bye and play the winner of the ten at seven matchup.

2024 National Championship Game: Georgia +360
3. Miami Hurricanes - ACC Champion
The ACC Championship and the likely first-round bye that comes with it looks like a four-team race between Pitt, SMU, Miami, and Clemson. Miami and Clemson look like the best teams, but Pitt and SMU are both unbeaten in the league and have hope. The Miami Hurricanes have the best offense, and Cam Ward is one of the best players in the country. The Miami Hurricanes are the No. 3 seed in this projection and the No. 5 team in both polls. The Hurricanes throttled the Florida State Seminoles to improve to 8-0. Miami will be heavily favored in each of their remaining games.

2024 National Title Odds: Miami +1600
4. BYU Cougars - Big 12 Champion
The BYU Cougars improved to 8-0 with a comfortable win over the UCF Knights in Orlando. Iowa State was on a bye week, and BYU leaped two spots in the ninth spot in the AP Poll and into the projected College Football Playoff bracket. BYU grabs the automatic selection for the Big 12 and the four-seed in the bracket. The Cougars have a bye week before games with Utah, Kansas, Arizona State, and Houston. The Big 12 could shock everyone and land two teams in the College Football Playoff.
12. Boise State at 5. Penn State
Things get very interesting at this point in the bracket. Boise State took a big step toward securing the Group of Five’s spot in the field with a close victory at UNLV and having Navy get blown out by Notre Dame. The Broncos have only one defeat, a tight game at No. 1 Oregon. Their overall strength of schedule is not great, but if the Broncos win out, they will be in the field. This projection has Boise State playing at No. 5 seed Penn State. The Nittany Lions won at Wisconsin because of an outstanding performance by the defense and a strong enough second half from backup quarterback Beau Pribula. The status of Drew Allar looms as a significant question heading into the matchup against Ohio State, but the Nittany Lions are the five-seed in this projection and the No. 3 team in both polls at 7-0.

Week 10: Ohio State (-3.5) at Penn State
11. Iowa State at 6. Ohio State
The Ohio State Buckeyes survived at home against the Nebraska Cornhuskers and improved to 6-1, but that was not the performance they hoped for. Coming off a bye week and going into the matchup with Penn State, Ohio State fans were hoping to see the running game click, but the Huskers slowed them and shut down the offense outside of a pair of explosive pass plays. The Buckeyes are still ranked fourth in both polls but have yet to play like the team everyone believes them to be capable of being. Ohio State would host the Iowa State Cyclones, as the other favorite in the Big 12 sits at 11th in the poll and just ahead of Clemson and Indiana for the final at-large spot.

Week 10: Texas Tech at Iowa State (-14.5)
10. Texas A&M at 7. Texas
The Texas Longhorns escaped Nashville with a 27-24 win over Vanderbilt. That win was a solid rebound after getting beaten soundly by Georgia in Austin. Texas must keep winning to make the SEC Championship Game, as all signs point to a massive clash during the last week of the regular season in College Station against the Texas A&M Aggies. That game would occur with a spot in the SEC Championship Game on the line. For now, Texas is sixth in both polls, and this bracket would result in an entertaining rematch of the regular season finale. This time, it would be in Austin, with a trip to meet Miami in the quarterfinals on the line.

2024 National Championship Odds: Texas +650
9. Notre Dame at 8. Tennessee
The Tennessee Volunteers had a bye week, remaining at No. 7 in both polls and resting at the eighth seed in this projected bracket. Tennessee gets to host Kentucky and Mississippi State in the next two weeks before a gigantic clash at Georgia, and then they finish with UTEP and at Vanderbilt. If the Volunteers lose to UGA and finish 10-2, would they squeak into the field? The resume would be light with a home win against Alabama and not much else. In this projection, they would be hosting the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Notre Dame leaped four spots after waxing Navy and is now eighth in the AP Poll. The winner would play Oregon in the Rose Bowl.

Week 10: Kentucky at Tennessee (-15.5)

Stay ahead of the game and elevate your sports betting experience with SportsGrid.
1. Oregon Ducks - Big Ten Champion
The Oregon Ducks took a few weeks to settle into the 2024 campaign. Still, they have been a buzzsaw during October, adding a dominant victory over Illinois to their resume on Saturday at Autzen Stadium. The Ducks have a solid running game and the ultra-accurate Dillon Gabriel at quarterback. Gabriel has done an excellent job of getting the ball into his playmakers' hands, and the offense is humming. The thing that makes Oregon a legitimate title contender is their defense. The pass rush is a strength, and Oregon has a clear path to the No. 1 seed: beat Michigan, Maryland, Wisconsin, and Washington and then win the Big Ten Championship Game. It will not be easy, but they will have the clearest trip forward. The Ducks are the No. 1 team in both polls and the projected No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. Oregon would play the winner of the eight versus nine game in the Rose Bowl.

2024 National Championship Odds: Oregon +450

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12-Team College Football Playoff Bracket Based on AP Poll

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