College Football Power Rankings: College Football Playoffs (2024)

The College Football Playoff committee has finished selecting 12 teams following Conference Championship weekend, setting the stage for the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. The biggest question lingering was whether or not a three-loss Alabama team would clinch a playoff berth despite not qualifying for the SEC Championship game.

Clemson’s walk-off field goal against SMU wound up getting both ACC opponents into the College Football Playoff, excluding three-loss Alabama and two-loss Miami from punching their ticket. Texas was unable to beat Georgia for the second time this season, losing 22-19 in overtime, while Oregon flashed its potent offense in a high-scoring game that the Ducks won 45-37 over Penn State.

In the Big 12, Arizona State clinched a first-round bye with a resounding 45-19 win against No. 16 Iowa State. Meanwhile, RB Ashton Jeanty led the Boise State Broncos to a first-round bye, clinching the 3-seed with a 12-1 record. The Broncos are the lone Group of 5 representatives after going undefeated in the Mountain West and losing narrowly to Oregon on the road earlier in the season.

Here are my updated college football power rankings ahead of the First Round of the 12-team College Football Playoff. Follow me on X at Matt_MacKay_ for more college football free bets and weekly analysis.

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College Football Power Rankings: College Football Playoffs

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1. Oregon

Oregon hung 31 points on Penn State in the 1st half, as QB Dillon Gabriel threw for 283 yards and four touchdowns to keep the Ducks’ undefeated record intact. Oregon clinches the No. 1 seed in the playoff and will face the winner of Tennessee (9) vs. Ohio State (8) at the Rose Bowl on January 1st.

2. Notre Dame

Notre Dame is one of the most balanced teams in the College Football Playoff. Deploying a run-centric offense featuring QB Riley Leonard and RB Jeremiyah Love, the Fighting Irish also roster the nation’s third-best scoring defense, allowing 13.6 points per game. Notre Dame is a matchup-nightmare for most teams in the playoff and will host a one-loss Indiana team in South Bend during Friday’s standalone game at 8 p.m. ET on December 20th.

3. Georgia

Georgia lost QB Carson Beck for most of the second half and into overtime following a huge hit delivered from a Texas defender. The Bulldogs proved to be the Longhorns’ kryptonite, handing them both of their losses in 2024. Now, Georgia rests after clinching the No. 2 seed in the playoff and will face the winner of Notre Dame vs. Indiana at the Allstate Sugar Bowl on January 1st.

4. Texas

Texas’ offense has been struggling down the stretch, despite QB Quinn Ewers putting up big numbers through the air. The Longhorns have held opponents to 12.5 points per game in 2024, second-best in the country, which has bailed out Texas’ inconsistent offense. If Texas can unlock RB Tre Wisner against Clemson’s run defense, which presents a good matchup, then the Longhorns should be able to win their home game in Austin against the Tigers to advance to the Second Round against No. 4 Arizona State at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

5. Ohio State

Ohio State’s inability to move the football against Michigan’s porous pass defense is concerning. The Buckeyes benefit from having the nation’s top-ranked scoring defense, holding opponents under 11 points per game this season. QB Will Howard needs to improve and get off to a fast start against Tennessee, since the Volunteers also have an elite run defense. Ohio State’s offense prefers to establish the run with RB Quinshon Judkins and RB TreVeyon Henderson, but this game will rely on Howard and the Buckeyes’ loaded wide receiving corps to get the job done at home in prime time against Tennessee on Saturday night. A rematch against Oregon awaits Ohio State if they are successful in beating the Volunteers.

6. Penn State

Penn State’s offense looked like the best version of itself against Oregon in the Big Ten Championship game. An untimely interception returned for a touchdown in the second quarter proved to be the difference-maker in the Nittany Lions’ eight-point loss to the Ducks. QB Drew Allar played a very good game overall though but the narrative of head coach James Franklin not getting his team to win the big game sits atop this program like a rain cloud. The Nittany Lions get a chance to host SMU, the nations’ sixth-ranked scoring offense, and can silence critics with a statement win over the Mustangs in the First Round.

7. Arizona State

Head coach Kenny Dillingham completely flipped the Arizona State Sun Devils around in two years. The Sun Devils were 3-9 in 2023 but improved to 11-2 in 2024, winning six straight games entering the College Football Playoff. It’s the first time Arizona State competed in the Big 12 and they played very well, relying on RB Cam Skattebo and QB Sam Leavitt on offense, while shutting down opposing passing attacks with consistency. Arizona State clinched a first-round bye with an 11-2 record and winning the Big 12 Championship game in dominant fashion against Iowa State. They’ll face either Clemson or Texas at the Peach Bowl in the Quarterfinals.

8. Tennessee

QB Nico Iamaleava has made significant strides in his development as a passer during his first year as a full-time starter in head coach Josh Heupel’s system. The Volunteers’ offense still flows through RB Dylan Sampson, but Iamaleava will be tasked with finding a way to beat Ohio State’s top-ranked offense on the road in the First Round. Fortunately for Iamaleava, the Volunteers’ defense is ranked fourth in the nation, holding opponents to 2.8 YPC and a 56.9 percent completion rate. Tennessee should be involved in a low-scoring slugfest against the Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium in prime-time during the final playoff game in the First Round.

9. Indiana

Head coach Curt Cignetti has completely flipped Indiana’s football program around during his first year with the Hoosiers. Adding QB Kurtis Rourke definitely helped, as the Hoosiers’ QB1 tossed six touchdowns against a one-win Purdue team to build up confidence after getting shuttered 38-15 by Ohio State. Indiana’s defense is no slouch either, ranked sixth in scoring, holding opponents under 15 points per game. A couple of special teams miscues allowed the Buckeyes to grab an early lead and gain momentum, so Cignetti will need to make sure Indiana plays with less mistakes on the road against Notre Dame in the First Round.

10. SMU

QB Kevin Jennings and RB Brashard Smith are going to pose a big problem for Penn State’s defense when SMU travels to face the Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium in the First Round. The Mustangs fell into multiple big deficits against Clemson during the ACC Championship game but never gave up, rallying several times to ultimately tie the game with less than a minute remaining. The Mustangs went 8-0 in the regular season during their first year in the ACC and earned their way into the College Football Playoff by scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter to narrowly lose on a walk-off field goal, snapping their nine-game winning streak.

11. Clemson

Clemson QB Cade Klubnik finished the ACC Championship game 24-41 for 262 yards and four touchdowns, building a lead just big enough for the Tigers to hold onto with their walk-off field goal from 56 yards out against SMU. The Tigers’ run defense is their biggest vulnerability and their rushing attack was shut down by SMU, so Clemson will have its hands full on both sides of the line of scrimmage when they travel to Austin to play Texas in the First Round. Klubnik needs another multi-touchdown outing with his arm to give Clemson a realistic shot of beating Texas’ stout defense.

12. Boise State

Boise State’s 12-1 record and Mountain West title over UNLV gave the Broncos a first-round bye as the No. 3 seed in the College Football Playoff. RB Ashton Jeanty is a Heisman Trophy finalist and leads Boise State with 344 rush attempts, 2,497 rushing yards, and 29 rushing touchdowns, matched only by Army QB Bryson Daily. Broncos QB Maddux Madsen deserves credit too, finishing with 22 passing touchdowns and only three interceptions, heading into Boise State’s quarterfinals matchup against either SMU or Penn State at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.