Predicting the College Football Playoff Bracket After Week 6

#9 - Alabama Crimson Tide at #8 - Oregon Ducks

The Oregon Ducks remain unbeaten after overwhelming the Michigan State Spartans on Friday night in Eugene. The Ducks have stumbled in the red zone on offense and Dillon Gabriel has yet to show that he can perform for sixty minutes against a strong opponent. We’ll learn a whole lot more about that on Saturday night as Oregon hosts Ohio State in Autzen Stadium. Even with a loss, as projected, I think Oregon is in a good spot to land a first-round home game and host the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Crimson Tide have a huge home win over Georgia and the loss to Vanderbilt, while painful, will not keep them out of the playoff by itself. The defeat does eliminate any margin for error for the Tide and they’ll need to win at Tennessee on October 19 and at LSU on November 9 to feel comfortable about their chances. The winner would play Texas in the Sugar Bowl.

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#2 - Ohio State Buckeyes (Big Ten Champion)

The Ohio State Buckeyes waltzed past the Iowa Hawkeyes with a strong defensive performance and a dominant third quarter, rolling to a 35-7 victory. After leading only 7-0 at the half, the Buckeyes opened things up in the third quarter and cruised to a strong finish. OSU is now 5-0 and they have allowed only 34 points but they face their first serious test of the season with a clash at Oregon in Eugene. The Ducks are one of the few teams that have the athletes to test whether or not Will Howard can perform under pressure and whether or not the Ohio State defense can be had.

Ohio State 2024 National Title Odds: +290

#3 - Miami Hurricanes (ACC Champion)

The Miami Hurricanes flirted with disaster for the second straight week and survived. The Hurricanes trailed the Cal Golden Bears 35-10 in the second half and roared back for a thrilling 39-38 win in Berkeley to remain unbeaten and reach 6-0. Miami’s defense is now a genuine concern after getting gashed repeatedly for explosive plays by Cal but the ‘Canes continue to find a way to win. They have a bye week before playing at Louisville. I am still projecting them to win the ACC but SMU and Clemson have to feel they would have a real shot if given the chance to face Miami in the ACC Championship Game.

Miami's 2024 National Title Odds: +2000

#4 - Iowa State Cyclones (Big 12 Champion)

What to do with the wild Big 12? The new expanded College Football Playoff format guarantees the conference a first-round bye, so someone from the league gets one of the top four seeds and Iowa State knocked off Baylor to remain unbeaten. That gets them the nod as the four-seed in this projection. They will get a test this weekend as they play at West Virginia in Primetime. The Mountaineers are suddenly hot but the Cyclones remain 3.5-point favorites. Iowa State would play the winner of the 5 versus 12 game in the quarterfinals.

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#12 - Boise State Broncos at #5 - Georgia Bulldogs

The Georgia Bulldogs are the projected five seed after a comfortable win over Auburn and losses by Alabama and Tennessee. Georgia is certainly vulnerable and they are not as dominant on the line of scrimmage as many assumed they would be this season. That said, as of now, their only loss is a close defeat at Alabama and they have a dominant win over Clemson that looks better by the week. UGA has Mississippi State this weekend and then they travel to Austin to play Texas. If they lose that game, the Bulldogs would need to beat Ole Miss and Tennessee in November to wrap up a 10-2 record and then see where the chips fall. A resume with losses at Alabama and Texas and wins over Clemson, Ole Miss and Tennessee would still be really strong.

Boise State grabs the Group of Five spot in this projected bracket after waxing Utah State. Ashton Jeanty is a bonafide star, and the Broncos look like the best Group of Five team thanks to their explosive offense. UNLV's loss to Syracuse does not impact their standing in the Mountain West, but it does elevate Boise State to the 12 seed in this projected bracket.

Georgia National Title Odds: +450

#11 - Notre Dame Fighting Irish at #6 - Clemson Tigers

After a disappointingly one-sided loss to the Georgia Bulldogs in Atlanta in Week 1, the Clemson Tigers have been steadily climbing back into the mix and quietly flying under the radar as they have dominated opponents. Clemson has not trailed since losing to Georgia and they outgained Florida State by more than 300 yards in a comfortable win. The score was not lopsided thanks to poor red zone offense from the Tigers but Cade Klubnik has unquestionably improved and the wide receiver corps looks better and better each week. Clemson running the table in the ACC, finishing 11-1 in the regular season and then playing Miami in the ACC Championship Game gives them a real chance to host a playoff game as teams around them continue to drop games.

They would be hosting the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Yes, Notre Dame has the ugly loss to Northern Illinois but they also have a road win at Texas A&M that looks really good right now. If they go 11-1, there is no way the playoff committee leaves the Irish out.

Clemson 2024 National Title: +2700

#10 - Penn State Nittany Lions at #7 - Ole Miss Rebels

Ole Miss lost last week and was quickly dismissed from the playoff conversation. Then Alabama and Tennessee followed suit this weekend and Missouri and Michigan both likely eliminated themselves with defeats on Saturday as the Rebels destroyed South Carolina. One week changes a lot in college football and Ole Miss is right back in the projected field.

They would be hosting the Penn State Nittany Lions, a matchup I have not swayed off of. Penn State has not been particularly impressive but they are unbeaten and will finally be tested with a very interesting game at USC on Saturday night. What will happen if Penn State loses to USC and Ohio State but wins comfortably in the remaining ten games? Is that good enough to get in the field? The winner of this game would play the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl.

#9 - Alabama Crimson Tide at #8 - Oregon Ducks

The Oregon Ducks remain unbeaten after overwhelming the Michigan State Spartans on Friday night in Eugene. The Ducks have stumbled in the red zone on offense and Dillon Gabriel has yet to show that he can perform for sixty minutes against a strong opponent. We’ll learn a whole lot more about that on Saturday night as Oregon hosts Ohio State in Autzen Stadium. Even with a loss, as projected, I think Oregon is in a good spot to land a first-round home game and host the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Crimson Tide have a huge home win over Georgia and the loss to Vanderbilt, while painful, will not keep them out of the playoff by itself. The defeat does eliminate any margin for error for the Tide and they’ll need to win at Tennessee on October 19 and at LSU on November 9 to feel comfortable about their chances. The winner would play Texas in the Sugar Bowl.

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