Week 9 College Football Playoff prediction: Oregon takes over No. 1 spot
Week 8 of the 2024 college football season is in the books and it's hard to believe that we're just a couple of weeks away from the first edition of the College Football Playoff rankings.
We saw some interesting Week 8 action that shook up the top of the rankings, including a double-digit home loss by No. 1 Texas against No. 5 Georgia which could be enough to push the Bulldogs over the No. 2 Oregon Ducks atop the playoff projections.
But I'm not willing to say the Bulldogs should be ahead of the Ducks just yet.
Tennessee also made a solid bid for the top four to represent the SEC, beating No. 7 Alabama and jumping to that No. 7 spot in the AP Top 25.
Right now, however, the Big Ten is dominating the top four in the AP Poll with Oregon at No. 1, Penn State at No. 3, and Ohio State at No. 4. It's been a minute since the Big Ten had three teams in the top four and the Ducks are the current class of their new conference.
So without further ado, let's project the College Football Playoff field after Week 8 action.
Rank | Team | Bid type | Last projection |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Oregon | Big Ten champ | 1 |
2 | Georgia | SEC champ | 6 |
3 | Miami | ACC champ | 3 |
4 | Iowa State | Big 12 champ | 4 |
5 | Ohio State | At-large | 5 |
6 | Texas | At-large | 2 |
7 | Penn State | At-large | 7 |
8 | Tennessee | At-large | 9 |
9 | Clemson | At-large | 8 |
10 | LSU | At-large | 11 |
11 | Notre Dame | At-large | NR |
12 | Boise State | Top G5 team | 12 |
The rankings are getting more interesting by the week and I think we're going to see Oregon at No. 1 in the first playoff poll as long as it takes care of Illinois this weekend and Michigan on Nov. 2.
Boise State remains in that top 12 because, well, Ashton Jeanty is carrying the Broncos to the playoff on his legs. He's on pace to have the best single season by a running back since Barry Sanders -- Duck fans saw this firsthand in Week 2.
Oregon has beaten two teams in the playoff projections and could add another ranked win to the resume this weekend with Illinois coming to town.