Predicting the College Football Playoff Bracket After Week 3

8. Alabama Crimson Tide vs. 9. Oregon Ducks

The Alabama Crimson Tide ventured North and hammered the Wisconsin Badgers with a comprehensive performance over their Big Ten foe. Alabama is now 3-0, and Jalen Milroe had five touchdowns in the blowout. The Crimson Tide have been better than expected on defense thus far, but they have not faced an offense yet with the athletes capable of testing them. That will change after their bye week as they welcome No. 1 Georgia to Tuscaloosa for one of the season's biggest games. In this projection, Alabama would host the Oregon Ducks in the first round. After surviving the season’s first two weeks, the Ducks appear to have begun figuring things out. They hammered rivals Oregon State in Corvallis, outgaining the Beavers 546 to 309 yards in the 49-14 win. The offensive line performed much better than they had previously and began to resemble the unit most expected them to be this season. Oregon has a bye week before playing at UCLA, but everyone’s eyes are directed toward the showdown with Ohio State on October 12.

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2. Ohio State Buckeyes (Big Ten Champion)

The Ohio State Buckeyes were on a bye week, but they have done nothing to make me consider moving them from the top spot in the Big Ten. I am projecting the SEC Champion as the No. 1 seed and the Big Ten Champion as the No. 2 seed, regardless of who those teams are, so the Buckeyes grab the two seed. Ohio State put together a stretch of play against Western Michigan that was as dominant as any team has shown this season, and they look like the clear favorite in the nation’s second-best conference. The Buckeyes play Marshall this Saturday and then travel to East Lansing to play Michigan State.

Ohio State's 2024 National Championship Odds: +350

3. Miami Hurricanes (ACC Champion)

The Miami Hurricanes shook off a relatively pedestrian start to pummel Ball State, and they remain the pick to win the ACC and earn the No. 3 seed. Cam Ward is a legitimate threat to win the Heisman Trophy, and the Hurricanes have a terrific supporting cast around him. Miami might have the best offensive and defensive lines in the league, and their schedule looks unlikely to provide many speed bumps. The Hurricanes play South Florida before hosting Virginia Tech on Friday night, September 27.

Heisman Trophy Odds for Cam Ward: +480

4. Kansas State Wildcats (Big 12 Champion)

After months of selecting the UCF Knights to win the Big 12, I have switched to the Kansas State Wildcats as the pick for the Big 12 Championship and the league’s automatic bye. Kansas State put on a clinic on Friday night in a dominant win over the Arizona Wildcats. Avery Johnson showed off his dual-threat ability, and running backs Dylan Edwards and DJ Giddens terrorized Arizona’s defense. The most significant improvement and most promising thing for Kansas State was how their defense played. Arizona has a dangerous passing game, but KSU didn’t allow many explosive plays, and they largely controlled the contest on both sides of the ball. UCF survived at TCU, but Kansas State certainly looks like the more complete team, and questions around Cam Rising’s health keep Utah from being the pick.

5. Texas Longhorns vs. Memphis Tigers

The matchup between the 5 and 12 seeds is unchanged from last week's pick: Texas is the top at-large pick, and Memphis is the Group of Five’s top team. The Tigers comfortably won at Florida State as Seth Henigan controlled the proceedings, and the defense did not allow the Seminoles offense to get into any rhythm. The outcome of the Texas versus UTSA game was routine, but the drama that came out of it was anything but. Quinn Ewers left the contest with a strained abdomen injury, and Arch Manning came in and scored five touchdowns. Is there a quarterback controversy? No. Could Texas be better with Manning, thanks to his increased mobility? Maybe. Does Texas look like one of the best teams in the country, regardless of which terrific player is starting at quarterback? Absolutely.

2024 National Championship Odds: Texas (+550)

6. Tennessee Volunteers vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The Tennessee Volunteers look like an absolute wrecking machine. The Vols are 3-0 and are winning by an average score of 63.7 to 4.3 points per game. They obliterated Kent State, and star quarterback Nico Iamaleava was on the sidelines for the entirety of the second half. The Volunteers will have a sterner test this Saturday as they travel to Norman to play the Oklahoma Sooners in primetime. The projected opponent has remained: Notre Dame vaults back into my bracket after erasing Purdue in West Lafayette. It was 42-0 at halftime, and the Irish could have scored 80 if they wanted. Notre Dame needs to find consistency, but if they can go 11-1, the damaging loss to Northern Illinois will not keep them from the playoff.

Tennessee 2024 National Title Odds: +1400

7. Ole Miss Rebels vs. 10. Penn State Nittany Lions

The Ole Miss Rebels are 3-0 and have yet to be tested. They played an interesting game at Wake Forest and exorcised the Demon Deacons 40-6 in Winston Salem. The Rebels are now winning by an average score of 56 to 3, and they have yet to surrender a touchdown in any of their three contests. They play Georgia Southern this Saturday and then host the Kentucky Wildcats. The Rebels would welcome the Penn State Nittany Lions to Oxford in this projected bracket. Penn State had a bye week this past weekend, and they’ll host the severely overmatched Kent State Golden Flashes on September 21 before playing unbeaten Illinois on the 28th.

8. Alabama Crimson Tide vs. 9. Oregon Ducks

The Alabama Crimson Tide ventured North and hammered the Wisconsin Badgers with a comprehensive performance over their Big Ten foe. Alabama is now 3-0, and Jalen Milroe had five touchdowns in the blowout. The Crimson Tide have been better than expected on defense thus far, but they have not faced an offense yet with the athletes capable of testing them. That will change after their bye week as they welcome No. 1 Georgia to Tuscaloosa for one of the season's biggest games. In this projection, Alabama would host the Oregon Ducks in the first round. After surviving the season’s first two weeks, the Ducks appear to have begun figuring things out. They hammered rivals Oregon State in Corvallis, outgaining the Beavers 546 to 309 yards in the 49-14 win. The offensive line performed much better than they had previously and began to resemble the unit most expected them to be this season. Oregon has a bye week before playing at UCLA, but everyone’s eyes are directed toward the showdown with Ohio State on October 12.

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