Well, the 2024 college football season continues to entertain after a hectic Week 8. The Alabama Crimson Tide lost its second game of the season, no undefeated teams in the SEC and the Oregon Ducks have managed to take over the top spot.
When looking across the college football landscape, nothing appears to be as it seemed heading into the season.
In the SEC, it’s a toss-up as to which two teams will be the top two to qualify for the SEC championship in Atlanta. Alabama defeated the Georgia Bulldogs, but then went on to lose to Vanderbilt and the Tennessee Volunteers. Those same Bulldogs nearly lost to the Kentucky Wildcats and did lose to Alabama, but went on to decisively beat the top-ranked Texas Longhorns on the road. As for Texas, the loss to Georgia resulted in a steep slide from No. 1 all the way down to No. 6, leaving the Longhorns sitting outside the top five.
As has been the case in seasons prior, the Big Ten is one of the strongest conferences in the nation. Oregon, in its first season with the conference, has been impressive so far against in-conference opponents and holds claim to the top spot in the latest rankings. Beyond the Ducks, the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Ohio State Buckeyes are positioned just behind Oregon, ranked no. 3 and No. 4, respectively. Additionally, the Indiana Hoosiers continue to creep up the rankings, coming in at No. 13 in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll.
Regarding the ACC, the conference’s hopes of winning a national championship rest on the backs of the No. 5 Miami Hurricanes and the No. 9 Clemson Tigers. Outside of those two programs, who have their fair share of weaknesses, the conference has not fared well in the first half of the season.
The new-look Big 12 has a handful of teams scattered across the latest US LBM Coaches Poll, with the highest-ranked program from the conference being Iowa State, clocking in at No. 10 in the latest rankings. A team to keep an eye on is the electric No. 12 BYU Cougars, who have garnered plenty of national attention in their competitive games so far this season.
Outside of the four aforementioned conferences, the Boise State Broncos have become a fan favorite, with running back Ashton Jeanty leading the charge by putting up jaw-dropping stats in every game. Jeanty and the Broncos are looking to make a push to be included in the new College Football Playoff, which expands to 12 teams this season and is much more welcoming to teams like the Broncos, who would not have been thought of as a playoff contender at this point in the season.
This season being full of change was bound to come with excitement, especially with mass conference realignment and the expansion of the College Football Playoff. However, no one could have predicted that there would be this many upsets against top-10-ranked programs this early in the season. Not only is it surprising to see teams like Alabama and Georgia stumble, but it is fascinating to see teams like BYU, Indiana and Iowa State make such strong statements and assert themselves as competitors worthy of not just being highly ranked, but to be involved in the playoff conversation, as well.
When thinking about which teams could possibly reach the College Football Playoffs, its nearly impossible to paint a clear picture of the field of teams that can make it. For all we know, the current top 10 could be made up of all new teams in the next two or three weeks. At this point, all 12 spots are up for grabs.
It’s imperative that teams, coaches, players and fans don’t use metrics from previous seasons to determine whether their team is meeting expectations. What was subpar last season may be enough to walk into the playoffs with ease. Because this is the first year with the new format, it would not be surprising to see a two-loss team make the playoffs. In fact, it is not outside the realm of possibilities to see a three-loss team make the playoffs.
The constant fluctuation in rankings within the US LBM Coaches Poll each week shows that not even the coaches are too sure how to rank each team.
What makes this all even more wild? The fact that we have just eclipsed the midpoint of the 2024 season. A lot can, and likely will, change in the next few weeks.
For now, let’s take a look at the latest US LBM Coaches Poll:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | 7-0 | 1,323 (51) |
| 2 | Georgia | 6-1 | 1,238 (2) |
| 3 | Penn State | 6-0 | 1,197 |
| 4 | Ohio State | 5-1 | 1,107 |
| 5 | Miami (FL) | 7-0 | 1,087 |
| 6 | Texas | 6-1 | 1,082 |
| 7 | LSU | 6-1 | 946 |
| 8 | Tennessee | 6-1 | 916 |
| 9 | Clemson | 6-1 | 907 |
| 10 | Iowa State | 7-0 | 829 |
| 11 | Notre Dame | 6-1 | 809 |
| 12 | BYU | 7-0 | 740 |
| 13 | Indiana | 7-0 | 651 |
| 14 | Texas A&M | 6-1 | 641 |
| 15 | Alabama | 5-2 | 554 |
| 16 | Kansas State | 6-1 | 488 |
| 17 | Missouri | 6-1 | 486 |
| 18 | Ole Miss | 5-2 | 444 |
| 19 | Boise State | 5-1 | 379 |
| 20 | Pittsburgh | 6-0 | 359 |
| 21 | Illinois | 6-1 | 347 |
| 22 | SMU | 6-1 | 249 |
| 23 | Army | 7-0 | 185 |
| 24 | Navy | 6-0 | 115 |
| 25 | Vanderbilt | 5-2 | 37 |
Schools Dropped Out
No. 22 Michigan; No. 25 Nebraska;
Others Receiving Votes
UNLV 28; Syracuse 27; Washington State 25; Duke 7; Memphis 6; Liberty 6; Wisconsin 3; Tulane 3; Cincinnati 2; Nebraska 1; Arizona State 1;
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