Tag: College Football Playoff Rankings

College Football Playoff disrespects Clemson with ranking behind SMU after ACC Championship

Make it make sense.

I would love to sit down and talk to the College Football Playoff committee about this decision.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers landed at No. 12 in latest College Football Playoff rankings, locking them into a first round matchup at No. 5 Texas. I don’t have any problems with Clemson not getting a bye… It was a tough argument to make, even if I do believe the Tigers have more talent than Boise State and Arizona State.

My question is this: How do you put SMU over Clemson after the Tigers just beat them in the ACC Championship to secure their spot in the playoff?

Let’s start with the actual rankings. Clemson jumped one spot from No. 17 to No. 16. Earning the 12 seed, Clemson didn’t come close to the Top 12 in their rankings. SMU on the other hand, from No. 8 to No. 10. So, Clemson jumps one spot for winning the conference, but SMU staying in the Top 11 if you want to keep them in the CFP and keep Alabama out, that makes sense. What doesn’t make sense is them being ranked higher than a team they just lost to on a massive stage such as the ACC Championship.

I don’t see the logic behind this decision unless it was the absolutely only way to knock out the Crimson Tide. Clemson winning the ACC Championship saved their season and they’ll look to earn more respect when they face off against the Longhorns.

Ohio State’s fate revealed in final CFP rankings, bracket

How do you feel? #GoBucks

We finally know what seed the Ohio State football team will be, and who it will be playing in the new 12-team College Football Playoff. On Sunday, a day after the conference championship games were revealed, the Buckeyes were awarded the No. 8 seed and will play against No. 9 Tennessee.

That’s probably a little lower than most thought with Penn State’s loss to Oregon in the Big Ten Championship game and all the data points the Buckeyes had over the Nittany Lions, but it at least means that Ohio State will host a playoff game in the ‘Shoe, so that should be good news for all of Buckeye Nation.

If OSU were to win that matchup, it would go on to play a rematch with No. 1 seed Oregon where it’ll get a chance to make good on the heartbreaking loss in Eugene earlier this season.

The complete CFP seedings had Oregon (1), Georgia (2), Boise State (3), and Arizona State (4) as the four highest rated conference champions that receive first-round byes.

The rest of the seeding has No. 5 Notre Dame playing No. 12 Clemson, No. 6 seed Penn State playing No. 11 SMU, and No. 7 Notre Dame playing No. 10 Indiana. Alabama was — somewhat surprisingly — left out of the fray in favor of SMU.

We’ll have ton more on this as we react and analyze because it’s definitely something.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.

Clemson is heading to Texas for the first round of the College Football Playoff

Clemson is heading to Texas.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers did not earn a first round bye, but they do now know where they will be heading for their first matchup of the College Football Playoff.

The Tigers are the lowest seed in the 12-team playoff, ranked No. 16 but earning their spot in the playoff after beating the Texas Longhorns. Clemson was hoping for the bye, but Boise State was given the No. 3 seed and Arizona State the No. 4 seed. It doesn’t seem Clemson was considered very much for either of these byes with their ranking.

This is the Tigers seventh College Football Playoff appearance under Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, with Clemson winning two National Championships during the CFP era.

Check out the full rankings below:

  1. Oregon 13-0
  2. Georgia 11-2
  3. Boise State 12-1
  4. Arizona State 11-2

First Round

No. 12  Clemson at No. 5 Texas

No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State

No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State

No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame

Where’s Oregon in final College Football Playoff bracket? Full playoff picture

Oregon landed 1st in the final College Football Rankings. Here’s a playoff picture for the Ducks.

Way back when the first batch of College Football Playoff rankings were released midway through the 2024 season, the Oregon Ducks were ranked No. 1 in the nation. That didn’t change over the course of the season, with Dan Lanning’s team taking care of business each and every week, culminating in a Big Ten Conference Championship win over the Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday night.

This victory earned Oregon the No. 1 overall seed in the final playoff rankings of the year, clinching a first-round bye in the postseason and a game in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.

Here’s a look at how the rest of the playoff field shook out beyond the Ducks.

College Football Playoff bracket: Who’s in, who’s out

For the most part, we left Saturday night with a pretty good idea of which teams would be in the playoffs, and which teams would be on the outside looking in. However, the major question was if the committee would give the nod to a three-loss Alabama Crimson Tide team, or a two-loss SMU Mustangs team that lost to the Clemson Tigers in the ACC Championship on Saturday.

The committee ended up shucking the ESPN/SEC narrative and including SMU in the bracket, rather than the Crimson Tide.

Latest CFP seeds

  1. Oregon Ducks*
  2. Georgia Bulldogs*
  3. Boise State Broncos*
  4. Arizona State Sun Devils*
  5. Texas Longhorns
  6. Penn State Nittany Lions
  7. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
  8. Ohio State Buckeyes
  9. Tennessee Volunteers
  10. Indiana Hoosiers
  11. SMU Mustangs
  12. Clemson Tigers

Oregon’s projected CFP opponent

As the No. 1 overall seed, the Ducks get a first-round bye in the playoffs, followed by a game vs. the winner of the No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 seed. In this case, that means that Oregon would play either the Ohio State Buckeyes or the Tennessee Volunteers on New Year’s Day at the Rose Bowl, in Pasadena, California.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Where can I watch the final release of the CFP rankings for Ohio State football?

2024’s final CFP rankings will set the playoff bracket for Ohio State football. Here’s how to watch.

OK. Here. We. Go.

It’s time to finally understand the fate of Ohio State after all of the conference championship games took place this weekend. There’s no doubt the Buckeyes will be in the College Football Playoff field and most likely hosting a first-round game inside Ohio Stadium, but what seed they receive and what opponent will be traveling to frigid Columbus, Ohio, in December remains to be seen.

What we do know is that Ohio State has an opportunity to wash that sour taste from losing to Michigan for the fourth-straight year out of its mouth and go out there with a shot at winning a national championship.

If you landed here, there’s a good chance you are looking for a way to find and watch the final CFP rankings that set this whole thing in motion and tell us all what OSU and other teams have in front of them so we are happy to oblige.

How to watch College Football Playoff rankings show

TV Channel: ESPN

A day that is unprecedented.
A day we’ve been waiting for all season.
A day we’ve been waiting for for years.

IT’S SELECTION DAY!

➡️ College Football Playoff Selection Show
📅 Sunday, December 8
⏰ Noon ET
📺 ESPN
📱 ESPN app

#CFBPlayoff 🏈🏆

[image or embed]

— College Football Playoff (@cfbplayoff.bsky.social) December 8, 2024 at 8:00 AM

College Football Playoff rankings release date:

Date: Sunday, November 8

What time is CFP rankings release?

Start Time: Noon ET

Ohio State football CFP rankings projection

That’s a good question. We went into detail on what we believe the entire field will look like and where we think the Buckeyes will land, but it really depends on a couple of factors. Does the CFP Committee honor the head-to-head win Ohio State had over Penn State? Where does Texas fall after its second loss? We believe OSU will rise up to be the No. 7 seed, but we’ll wait for the tap-dancing the committee does.

How many teams in College Football Playoff 2024?

For the first time, there will be 12 teams participating in the College Football Playoffs. There are five automatic bids for each of the Power Four conference champions and one to the highest-ranked non-Group of Four champion. The remaining seven slots are given to the seven at-large teams.

How does the College Football Playoff format work?

The top four seeds will be on a bye as the CFP kicks off. The next four highest-seeded teams will host on-campus playoff games as follows:

  • No. 5 vs No. 12, winner will play No. 4
  • No. 6 vs No. 11, winner will play No. 3
  • No. 7 vs No. 10, winner will play No. 2
  • No. 8 vs No. 9, winner will play No. 1

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.

How does Alabama’s CFP resume compare to SMU?

How do Alabama’s and SMU’s resumes stack up against one another?

As the Alabama Crimson Tide sat idle Saturday, multiple ranked teams from across college football were in action during conference championship week, with some of those games having College Football Playoff implications.

Among the most notable of those games came was for the ACC title, which featured the SMU Mustangs colliding with the Clemson Tigers in a Top 25 showdown.

Clemson would also go on to win the game as well by a final score of 34-31, setting up a decision for the College Football Playoff committee for the final spot between the Crimson Tide and SMU for the final spot in the field.

An argument that is likely to take place throughout Sunday morning leading up to the CFP bracket release, let’s compare the resumes for both Alabama and SMU.

Alabama Crimson Tide vs. SMU Mustangs Record Comparison

  • Alabama: 9-3 overall (5-3 in SEC)
  • SMU: 11-2 overall (8-0 in ACC), ACC Championship Game loser

Alabama Crimson Tide vs. SMU Mustangs Stats Comparison

  • Alabama: 35.5 PPG (No. 17 in NCAA), 17.2 PPG Allowed (No. 11 in NCAA)
  • SMU: 39.2 PPG (No. 4 in NCAA), 19.8 PPG Allowed (No. 19 in NCAA) – Prior to ACC Championship Game

Alabama Crimson Tide vs. SMU Mustangs Ranking Comparison

  • Alabama: No. 11 in College Football Playoff Rankings, No. 11 in AP Poll, No. 11 in US LBM Coaches Poll
  • SMU: No. 8 in College Football Playoff Rankings, No. 8 in AP Poll, No. 7 in US LBM Coaches Poll

Alabama Crimson Tide vs. SMU Mustangs ESPN FPI Comparison

  • Alabama: No. 4 in NCAA
  • SMU: No. 13 in NCAA

Alabama Crimson Tide vs. SMU Mustangs Strength of Schedule Comparison

  • Alabama: No. 18 in NCAA
  • SMU: No. 75 in NCAA

Alabama Crimson Tide vs. SMU Mustangs Best Wins Comparison

  • Alabama: 41-34 vs. Georgia (11-2 overall, SEC Champion), 27-25 vs. South Carolina (9-3 overall), 34-0 vs. Missouri (9-3 overall)
  • SMU: 28-27 at Duke (9-3 overall), 34-27 at Louisville (8-4 overall), 66-42 vs. TCU (8-4 overall)

Alabama Crimson Tide vs. SMU Mustangs Losses Comparison

  • Alabama: 40-35 at Vanderbilt (6-6 overall), 24-17 at Tennessee (10-2 overall), 24-3 at Oklahoma (6-6 overall)
  • SMU: 18-15 vs. BYU (10-2 overall), 34-31 vs. (N) Clemson (10-3 overall, ACC Champion)

Alabama Crimson Tide vs. SMU Mustangs Record Against Current Top 25 Teams Comparison

  • Alabama: 3-1 overall (Wins vs. Georgia, South Carolina, Missouri – Loss at Tennessee)
  • SMU: 0-2 overall (Loss vs. BYU, Clemson)

Alabama Crimson Tide vs. SMU Mustangs Record Against Bowl-Eligible Teams Comparison

  • Alabama: 6-3 overall (Wins vs. Western Kentucky, South Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Missouri, at LSU – Loss at Vanderbilt, at Tennessee, at Oklahoma) – Also defeated 11-2 FCS Mercer
  • SMU: 6-2 overall (Wins vs. TCU, at Louisville, at Duke, Pittsburgh, Boston College, California – Loss vs. BYU, Clemson)

Alabama Crimson Tide vs. SMU Mustangs Record Against Then Top 25 Teams Comparison

  • Alabama: 3-1 overall (Wins vs. Georgia, Missouri, at LSU – Loss at Tennessee)
  • SMU: 2-1 overall (Wins at Louisville, vs. Pittsburgh – Loss vs. Clemson)

Alabama Crimson Tide vs. SMU Mustangs Combined Opponent Record Comparison

  • Alabama: 94-53 overall
  • SMU: 83-75 overall

Alabama Crimson Tide or SMU Mustangs? CFP Prediction

In conclusion, it’s clear to see why this could be a tough decision for the CFP committee, as Alabama has some advantages when it comes to the caliber of their resume compared to the Mustangs, but SMU holds the edge when it comes to prior ranking, as they were ranked higher than the Crimson Tide, as well as having just played in a conference championship game Saturday.

As to what I think happens, I believe the CFP committee will end up going with SMU over Alabama for the final spot, meaning that the Crimson Tide miss the College Football Playoff.

How to watch College Football Playoff bracket reveal on Selection Sunday

Penn State fans will be glued to their screens on Sunday as the College Football Playoff bracket is finally revealed.

The first 12-team College Football Playoff bracket will officially be unveiled Sunday afternoon, and it will be very interesting to see how it all is put together following an eventful conference championship weekend. Big Ten champion Oregon and SEC champion Georgia are the easiest two teams to figure out in the seeding process, but just about everything else will be a bit of a guessing game. That includes exactly what is in store for Penn State, who came up short despite a valiant effort to keep pace with Oregon on Saturday night.

The College Football Playoff selection committee will be put under a microscope with its decision-making on Selection Sunday. The first year of the expanded playoff is full of debates over which teams should be hosting first-round games and conferences stumping for its members to be included. Penn State just wants to know who will be making a visit to Happy Valley for a first-round playoff game in Beaver Stadium, assuming the Nittany Lions are still in line for a home game.

Here is how and when to catch the reveal of the College Football Playoff bracket on Sunday.

How to watch College Football Playoff rankings show

TV Channel: ESPN

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch CFP rankings reveal live on Fubo” link=”https://www.fubo.tv/welcome/leagues/191261?irad=399332&irmp=1205322&subId1=SMG&subId2=NCAAF&subId3=2024″]

College Football Playoff rankings release date:

Date: Sunday, Dec. 8

What time are CFP rankings released?

Start Time: 12:00 p.m. ET

Penn State football CFP rankings projection

Penn State was ranked no. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings and slotted into the no. 5 seed in last week’s ranking. Texas losing in the SEC championship will likely move Penn State down a spot in the seeding, and where Penn State is seeded compared to 11-1 Notre Dame will be an interesting development to watch. Regardless of how it plays out, Penn State may still be in a position to host a first-round playoff game.

How many teams in College Football Playoff 2024?

For the first time, there will be 12 teams participating in the College Football Playoffs. There are five automatic bids for each of the Power Four conference champions and one to the highest-ranked Group of Five champion. The remaining seven slots are given to the seven at-large teams.

How does the College Football Playoff format work?

The top four seeds will be on a bye as the CFP kicks off. The next four highest-seeded teams will host on-campus playoff games as follows:

  • No. 5 vs No. 12, winner will play No. 4
  • No. 6 vs No. 11, winner will play No. 3
  • No. 7 vs No. 10, winner will play No. 2
  • No. 8 vs No. 9, winner will play No. 1

Big Ten champion Oregon and SEC champion Georgia will take on the top two seeds in the College Football Playoff. The other conference champions punching tickets to the playoff will include Big 12 champion Arizona State, ACC champion Clemson, and Mountain West Conference champion Boise State. Clemson’s last-second victory in the ACC championship game may have elevated Boise State and Arizona State into a first-round bye.

Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

How to watch CFP rankings for Alabama football fans: Time, live stream, channel

Alabama football will soon learn their fate in the College Football Playoff. Here’s how to watch.

Alabama football fans, it’s officially time for the College Football Playoff (CFP) selection show.

Yes, in only a matter of hours, the Alabama Crimson Tide will learn their CFP fate when the latest rankings are released, which will officially decide whether or not the program makes the inaugural 12-team field.

If they do make it, this will also show just who the Crimson Tide will play against in the first round, as well as their potential road ahead through the CFP.

Here is everything you need to know about how to watch the CFP rankings selection show Sunday afternoon:

How to watch College Football Playoff rankings show

TV Channel: ESPN

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch CFP rankings reveal live on Fubo” link=”https://www.fubo.tv/welcome/leagues/191261?irad=399332&irmp=1205322&subId1=SMG&subId2=NCAAF&subId3=2024″]

College Football Playoff rankings release date:

Date: Sunday, Dec. 8

What time is CFP rankings release?

Start Time: 12 p.m. ET

Alabama football CFP rankings projection

Alabama’s CFP hopes likely rested on the outcome of the ACC title game Saturday night, a game in which Clemson upset SMU by a final score of 34-31. Because of the result, it’s down to Alabama and SMU for the final spot in the CFP field, with whoever receives the spot likely slotted in as the No. 11 seed.

How many teams in College Football Playoff 2024?

For the first time, there will be 12 teams participating in the College Football Playoffs. There are five automatic bids for each of the Power Four conference champions and one to the highest-ranked Group of Five champion. The remaining seven slots are given to the seven at-large teams.

How does the College Football Playoff format work?

The top four seeds will be on a bye as the CFP kicks off. The next four highest-seeded teams will host on-campus playoff games as follows:

  • No. 5 vs No. 12, winner will play No. 4
  • No. 6 vs No. 11, winner will play No. 3
  • No. 7 vs No. 10, winner will play No. 2
  • No. 8 vs No. 9, winner will play No. 1

Early College Football Playoff projection for Penn State on Selection Sunday

Guessing what the College Football Playoff will look like after conference championship game weekend.

The College Football Playoff may be expanding to 12 teams this season, but there will be plenty of scrutiny over who gets in, who gets left out, and where teams are seeded by the selection committee. Penn State’s situation, for instance, could go a number of different ways after losing in the Big Ten championship game to Oregon. Trying to figure out how the committee operates on a week-to-week basis is a mighty challenge, and you never know exactly how they will handle certain situations until they reveal their updated rankings.

The selection committee will make its final decisions on Sunday with the final rankings and seeding for this year’s College Football Playoff. Penn State will be in the field, but where and who will they be playing?

Here is a guess as to how the playoff will be seeded.

The Top 4 Seeds

  1. Oregon (Big Ten champion)
  2. Georgia (SEC champion)
  3. Boise State (Mountain West Conference champion)
  4. Arizona State (Big 12 champion)

This is the easy part to figure out, starting with the top two seeds. Oregon will be the top seed after completing a 13-0 season with the Big Ten championship. They are the only undefeated team in the field and are a lock to be the top team going into the playoff. Georgia, as SEC champion, will be the easy pick for the second overall seed after taking down no. 2 Texas in Atlanta on Saturday.

I do believe Boise State will hold off the surging Big 12 champion Arizona State Sun Devils for the third seed, but I would not argue if you wanted to put Arizona State ahead of the Mountain West Conference champion.

First-round matchups

  • 5. Texas vs. 12. Clemson (ACC champion)
  • 6. Penn State 11. SMU
  • 7. Notre Dame vs. 10. Indiana
  • 8. Ohio State vs. 9. Tennessee

I have had lingering doubts about whether I trust the selection committee to keep SMU in the playoff if they lost the ACC championship game. I hesitated to keep them in my final projection because of where the committee put Alabama in their rankings last week. But I think the way SMU stormed back and was clipped by a ridiculous last-second field goal by Clemson for the ACC title may help the cause for the Mustangs. But if there is one team I think I’ll be most wrong about here, it will be SMU.

Texas will take the fifth seed after losing in the SEC title game, and I think a matchup with Clemson is the matchup to look forward to. Or, if the committee rewards Clemson for the head-to-head conference title victory, pairing Texas with SMU and sending Clemson to Happy Valley could work out.

I think Penn State will manage to stay just ahead of Notre Dame for the sixth seed, but I can see a scenario where the committee flips these two. I’ll take Penn State’s two losses to Oregon and Ohio State over Notre Dame’s loss to Northern Illinois though.

The matchup I am most confident in is the Ohio State-Tennessee matchup, and I do think the Buckeyes manage to get that one at home.

We’ll find out the bracket once and for all Sunday afternoon to see how accurate, or how off base, this projection ends up being.

Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

When do CFP rankings come out? Date, time for Penn State football

Penn State football will soon learn its place in the College Football Playoff this season.

The wait is nearly over as Penn State and every other College Football Playoff contender will learn their fate in this season’s first expanded playoff field. After coming up short on Saturday night in the Big Ten championship game, and with some other developments in the playoff hunt on championship weekend, there is some uncertainty over what is next for the Nittany Lions. But soon those questions will be answered as the College Football Playoff selection committee makes the final call on this season’s playoff bracket.

There will be some uneasy feelings going around for Penn State as they wait to learn who they will face next. Is a home game still a near guarantee? Will the Nittany Lions host the ACC champion? A fellow Big Ten program? A school from the SEC? There is a lot to sort through but soon enough we will get it all ironed out for us.

Penn State football College Football Playoffs projection

Penn State was ranked no. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings and slotted into the no. 5 seed in last week’s ranking. Texas losing in the SEC championship will likely move Penn State down a spot in the seeding, and where Penn State is seeded compared to 11-1 Notre Dame will be an interesting development to watch. Regardless of how it plays out, Penn State may still be in a position to host a first-round playoff game.

How to watch CFP rankings reveal

TV Channel: ESPN

Start time: 12 p.m. ET

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch CFP rankings reveal live on Fubo” link=”https://www.fubo.tv/welcome/leagues/191261?irad=399332&irmp=1205322&subId1=SMG&subId2=NCAAF&subId3=2024″]

How many teams are in CFP 2024?

For the first time, there will be 12 teams participating in the College Football Playoffs. There are five automatic bids for each of the Power Four conference champions and one to the highest-ranked Group of Five champion. The remaining seven slots are given to the seven at-large teams.

How does the College Football Playoff format work?

The top four seeds will be on a bye as the CFP kicks off. The next four highest-seeded teams will host on-campus playoff games as follows:

  • No. 5 vs No. 12, winner will play No. 4
  • No. 6 vs No. 11, winner will play No. 3
  • No. 7 vs No. 10, winner will play No. 2
  • No. 8 vs No. 9, winner will play No. 1

Big Ten champion Oregon and SEC champion Georgia will take on the top two seeds in the College Football Playoff. The other conference champions punching tickets to the playoff will include Big 12 champion Arizona State, ACC champion Clemson, and Mountain West Conference champion Boise State. Clemson’s last-second victory in the ACC championship game may have elevated Boise State and Arizona State into a first-round bye.

Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.