The College Football Playoff is so close you can almost smell the overreactions wafting from the football kitchen. Tuesday was another aperitif to get us going until the final bracket selection is drawn.
This week’s CFP rankings answered a lot of questions that the most recent week of play brought on. Particularly, what was going to happen to contenders like Alabama, Ole Miss, and Indiana after each of them lost. As it turns out, only Indiana remains in the projected bracket this week.
Elsewhere, the Big 12’s projected champion continues to fall down the rankings with No. 16 Arizona State now projected to claim the 12th and final spot of the College Football Playoff.
Keep it here for all of the latest and how to watch the latest CFP release.
College Football Playoffs 2024: Fourth CFP Rankings
* – projected first-round bye
No. 1 Oregon (11-0)*
No. 2 Ohio State (10-1)
No. 3 Texas (10-1)*
No. 4 Penn State (10-1)
No. 5 Notre Dame (10-1)
No. 6 Miami (10-1)*
No. 7 Georgia (9-2)
No. 8 Tennessee (9-2)
No. 9 SMU (10-1)
No. 10 Indiana (10-1)
No. 11 Boise State (10-1)*
No. 12 Clemson (9-2)
No. 13 Alabama (8-3)
No. 14 Ole Miss (8-3)
No. 15 South Carolina (8-3)
No. 16 Arizona State (9-2) – would earn 12th and final spot in CFP as projected Big 12 champion
No. 17 Tulane (9-2)
No. 18 Iowa State (9-2)
No. 19 BYU (9-2)
No. 20 Texas A&M (8-3)
No. 21 Missouri (8-3)
No. 22 UNLV (9-2)
No. 23 Illinois (8-3)
No. 24 Kansas State (8-3)
No. 25 Colorado (8-3)
CFP Bracket
Based on latest CFP rankings and projections.
First Round:
No. 16 Arizona State at No. 2 Ohio State
No. 8 Tennessee at No. 7 Georgia
No. 10 Indiana at No. 4 Penn State
No. 9 SMU at No. 5 Notre Dame
Quarterfinals:
(Winner of Arizona State vs. Ohio State) vs. No. 11 Boise State
(Winner of Tennessee vs. Georgia) vs. No. 1 Oregon
(Winner of Indiana vs. Penn State) vs. No. 6 Miami
(Winner of SMU vs. Notre Dame) vs. No. 3 Texas
2024 College Football Playoff Bracket: First teams out
This week’s rankings have Clemson and Alabama as the first teams out. Clemson holds their fate in their own hands with a matchup against South Carolina this week. That would be a strong win that should push Clemson into the playoff if any team above them either loses or struggles in any of their final games.
Alabama, meanwhile, has a tougher road to the playoff. After their embarrassing loss to Oklahoma, it will be hard for the selection committee to put the Crimson Tide in that 12-team pool. With only Auburn left on their schedule, the Crimson Tide will likely need multiple teams above them to collapse in order for them to sneak into the CFP.
2024 CFP schedule
All times Eastern.
First Round:
Game 1: Friday, December 20 at 8 p.m. | ABC, ESPN
Game 2: Saturday, December 21 at 12 p.m. | TNT Sports
Game 3: Saturday, December 21 at 4 p.m. | TNT Sports
Game 4: Saturday, December 21 at 8 p.m. | ABC, ESPN
Playoff Quarterfinals Round:
Vrbo Fiesta Bowl: Tuesday, December 31 at 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl: Wednesday, January 1 at 1 p.m. | ESPN
Rose Bowl: Wednesday, January 1 at 5 p.m. | ESPN
Allstate Sugar Bowl: Wednesday, January 1 at 8:45 p.m. | ESPN
Playoff Semifinals Round:
Capital One Orange Bowl: Thursday, January 9 at 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
Goodyear Cotton Bowl: Friday, January 10 at 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
National Championship:
National Championship: Monday, January 20 at 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
CFP Rankings release show delayed
ESPN is currently showing the end of the Maui Invitational game between Memphis and Michigan State. As of this writing, the network has not announced coverage on another network. The game is currently in the final four minutes with Memphis leading, 66-55.
How to watch CFP Rankings release show: Time, TV, streaming
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 26
Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Stream: Fubo
Watch the CFP Rankings Show on ESPN with a Fubo subscription
What time is CFP rankings show?
The College Football Playoff rankings are released each week through a CFP rankings show broadcasted by ESPN every Tuesday, from Nov. 5 through Dec. 3. This week’s show is slated to air starting at 8 p.m. ET and ending at 9 p.m. ET.
How many teams in College Football Playoff 2024?
This season, there are 12 teams in the College Football Playoff for the first time. College football previously introduced the CFP in 2014 with a four-team format. The expansion to 12 teams is set in place for the 2024 and 2025 college football seasons. Leaders within the sport have not agreed to the framework of the playoff beyond that at this point.
How does College Football Playoff format work?
The 12 participating teams in the College Football Playoff bracket will be the five conference champions ranked highest by the CFP selection committee, and the next seven highest-ranked teams.
The four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded one through four and receive a first-round bye. The fifth conference champion will be seeded where it was ranked among the top 12 teams, or at No. 12 if it is outside the top 12 in the CFP rankings. Non-conference champions ranked in the top four will be seeded beginning at No. 5.
‘Because of this,’ the CFP warns on its website, ‘the seeding, 1 through 12, could look different than the final rankings.’
For the first round, the higher-ranked team in each pairing (5 vs. 12, 6 vs. 11, 7 vs. 10, 8 vs. 9) will serve as host on campus. The winners advance to the quarterfinals and match up with the corresponding top-four conference champion based on seeding. Quarterfinal games will played at the Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The semifinals – played at the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl Classic – will take place Jan. 9-10.
The two semifinal winners will play for the national championship Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. – Mark Giannotto
College Football Playoff predictions
Erick Smith, USA TODAY
Oregon (Big Ten champion)*
Georgia (SEC champion)*
Miami (ACC champion)*
Arizona State (Big 12 champion)*
Ohio State
Texas
Penn State
Notre Dame
Indiana
Tennessee
SMU
Boise State (Group of Five champion)**
*Receives first-round bye, automatic bid; **Receives automatic bid
Bracket – first round games
No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 12 Boise State
No. 6 Texas vs. No. 11 SMU
No. 7 Penn State vs. No. 10 Tennessee
No. 8 Notre Dame vs. No. 9 Indiana
The Athletic
Oregon (Big Ten champion)*
Georgia (SEC champion)*
Miami (ACC champion)*
Boise State (Group of Five champion)*
Ohio State
Penn State
Texas
Notre Dame
Indiana
Tennessee
SMU
Iowa State (Big 12 champion)**
*Receives first-round bye, automatic bid; **Receives automatic bid
Bracket – first round games
No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 12 Iowa State
No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 11 SMU
No. 7 Texas vs. No. 10 Tennessee
No. 8 Notre Dame vs. No. 9 Indiana
*Receives first-round bye, automatic bid; **Receives automatic bid
CFP rankings projections
Blake Toppmeyer, USA TODAY
Oregon
Ohio State
Texas
Penn State
Notre Dame
Miami
Georgia
Tennessee
SMU
Indiana
Boise State
Arizona State
Heather Dinish, ESPN
Oregon
Ohio State
Texas
Penn State
Notre Dame
Miami
Georgia
Tennessee
SMU
Boise State
Indiana
Alabama
Mississippi
South Carolina
Texas A&M
Clemson
Arizona State
BYU
Tulane
Colorado
Iowa State
UNLV
Missouri
Illinois
Army
College Football Playoff championship odds
As of Nov. 26, here are the latest College Football Playoff title odds from BetMGM:
Ohio State (+275)
Georgia (+350)
Oregon (+400)
Texas (+450)
Notre Dame (+1400)
Penn State (+1800)
Tennessee (+2000)
Miami (+2500)
Alabama (+4000)
SMU (+4000)
Clemson (+5000)
Indiana (+5000)
Arizona State (+8000)
Boise State (+12,500)
South Carolina (+15,000)
Texas A&M (+20,000)
Colorado (+20,000)
Tulane (+20,000)
Iowa State (+25,000)
BYU (+25,000)
UNLV (+100,000)
When do College Football Playoff rankings come out?
The fourth College Football Playoff rankings of the 2024 season will be released Tuesday, Nov. 26. A new top 25 ranking is released by the CFP selection committee every Tuesday through Dec. 3. This is followed by a CFP selection show on Dec. 8 to announce the 12-team playoff field.
Here is the schedule for the College Football Playoff rankings show. All times are Eastern:
Ranking 4: Tuesday, Nov. 26, 8 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Ranking 5: Tuesday, Dec. 3, 7 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Selection Day: Sunday, Dec. 8, noon – 4 p.m.
What were last week’s rankings, and how did each team fare?
No. 1 Oregon (11-0) – BYE
No. 2 Ohio State (9-1) – W v. Indiana, 38-15
No. 3 Texas (9-1) – W v. Kentucky, 31-14
No. 4 Penn State (9-1) – W @ Minnesota, 26-25
No. 5 Indiana (10-0) – L @ Ohio State, 38-15
No. 6 Notre Dame (9-1) – W v. Army, 49-14
No. 7 Alabama (8-2) – L @ Oklahoma, 24-3
No. 8 Miami (9-1) – W v. Wake Forest, 42-14
No. 9 Ole Miss (8-2) – L @ Florida, 24-17
No. 10 Georgia (8-2) – W v. UMass, 59-21
No. 11 Tennessee (9-2) – W v. UTEP, 56-0
No. 12 Boise State (9-1) – W @ Wyoming, 17-13
No. 13 SMU (9-1) – W @ Virginia, 33-7
No. 14 BYU (9-1) – L @ Arizona State, 28-23
No. 15 Texas A&M (8-2) – L @ Auburn, 43-41
No. 16 Colorado (8-2) – L @ Kansas, 37-21
No. 17 Clemson (8-2) – W v. Citadel, 51-14
No. 18. South Carolina (7-3) – W v. Wofford, 56-12
No. 19 Army (9-0) – L @ Notre Dame, 49-14
No. 20 Tulane (9-2) – BYE
No. 21 Arizona State (8-2) – W v. BYU, 28-23
No. 22 Iowa State (8-2) – W @ Utah, 31-28
No. 23 Missouri (7-3) – W @ Mississippi State, 39-20
No. 24 UNLV (8-2) – W @ San Jose State, 27-16
No. 25 Illinois (7-3) – W @ Rutgers, 38-31
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