12-Team College Football Playoff Bracket Predictions | CFP Predictor

9. Ohio State Buckeyes at 8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The Ohio State Buckeyes get the nine seed and would play at eighth-seeded Notre Dame. Ohio State’s running game continues to be a bit of a disappointment, and the Nebraska Cornhuskers mostly outplayed them on Saturday in Columbus. That performance certainly sets off some alarm bells as Ohio State now must travel to Penn State. I am projecting Ohio State to lose to the Nittany Lions but then beat Indiana and Michigan to finish at 10-2 and squeak into the playoff. They would not have a home game and would have to travel to South Bend in a rematch of a regular season contest in 2023. Notre Dame maturely dispatched of Navy, handing the Midshipmen their first loss as they forced six turnovers. The winner would play Oregon in the Rose Bowl.

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2. Georgia Bulldogs - SEC Champion

The Georgia Bulldogs grab the projected two-seed as the SEC Champion. 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 Title Odds: Georgia +360

3. Clemson Tigers - 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, but Clemson likely has the better defense, and the Tigers are far from inept on offense as Cade Klubnik continues to play very well. This projection has Clemson going 11-1 in the regular season and then beating Miami in the ACC Championship Game to snag the three-seed.

2024 National Title Odds: Clemson (+1400)

4. Iowa State Cyclones - Big 12 Champion

BYU keeps winning, and they deserve a spot in the conversation, but the Iowa State Cyclones maintain the projection as the league’s champion. The Cyclones have games remaining against Texas Tech, Kansas, Cincinnati, Utah, and Kansas State. They’ll be favored in each, but it will not be a walk in the park. Iowa State would play the 12 versus five seed winner in the quarterfinal.

Week 10: Texas Tech at Iowa State (-12.5)

12. Boise State Broncos at 5. Penn State Nittany Lions

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. Still, I project Penn State winning that game and then losing to Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game. The winner would play Iowa State in the Fiesta Bowl.

Week 10: Ohio State -3.5 at Penn State

11. Texas A&M Aggies at 6. Texas Longhorns

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. I think Texas wins in College Station to finish the regular season at 11-1 and then loses to Georgia again to be 11-2. Texas A&M beat LSU and would be in line for a playoff spot if they can take care of business down the stretch.

10. Indiana Hoosiers at 7. Miami Hurricanes

Welcome the Indiana Hoosiers to the projected playoff bracket. Despite playing without starting quarterback Kurtis Rourke, the Indiana Hoosiers beat Washington 31-17 and advanced to 8-0 on the season and 5-0 in the Big Ten. IU has still not trailed in any game this season, and they have won every contest by double-digits. They splattered Nebraska, and the Huskers then turned around and nearly beat Ohio State in Lincoln. Indiana has a very tricky test at Michigan State, and if Rourke does not return soon, they may not have the passing firepower to keep on winning, but Curt Cignetti’s crew has been extremely impressive. They would play at Hard Rock Stadium against the Miami Hurricanes. Cam Ward and the ‘Canes blasted Florida State and are now projected to go 12-0 before losing to the Clemson Tigers. They would have a home game and a chance to earn a spot, matching up with Georgia.

Week 10: Indiana (-6.5) at Michigan State

9. Ohio State Buckeyes at 8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The Ohio State Buckeyes get the nine seed and would play at eighth-seeded Notre Dame. Ohio State’s running game continues to be a bit of a disappointment, and the Nebraska Cornhuskers mostly outplayed them on Saturday in Columbus. That performance certainly sets off some alarm bells as Ohio State now must travel to Penn State. I am projecting Ohio State to lose to the Nittany Lions but then beat Indiana and Michigan to finish at 10-2 and squeak into the playoff. They would not have a home game and would have to travel to South Bend in a rematch of a regular season contest in 2023. Notre Dame maturely dispatched of Navy, handing the Midshipmen their first loss as they forced six turnovers. The winner would play Oregon in the Rose Bowl.

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