Oregon's thrilling win moves them to top of 12-team College Football Playoff rankings prediction
Week 7 of the 2024 college football season was hyped as one of the greatest single weekends of football that we'd have in years. Even before the season began, everyone saw matchups like Ohio State-Oregon, Penn State-USC, and Ole Miss-LSU and knew it would be appointment television. And once Week 7 arrived, those matchups and more were poised to be fantastic.
While there wasn't the same total chaos was Week 6, Week 7 still lived up the hype it was given. How has the playoff race been impacted after so many key games?
2024 College Football Playoff predictions after Week 7
We've mostly shuffled the rankings this week, but one new team did enter the Top-12. Here's a look at the latest playoff projections...
Rank | Team | Why They Are Here | Previous Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
1. | Oregon | Big Ten Champion | 7. |
2. | Texas | SEC Champion | 1. |
3. | Miami | ACC Champion | 3. |
4. | BYU | Big 12 Champion | 4. |
5. | Penn State | At-Large | 6. |
6. | Georgia | At-Large | 5. |
7. | Ohio State | At-Large | 2. |
8. | Clemson | At-Large | 9. |
9. | Alabama | At-Large | 8. |
10. | Iowa State | At-Large | 11. |
11. | LSU | At-Large | NR |
12. | Boise State | Highest Ranked G5 Champion | 12. |
Dropped Out - Tennessee (previously 10th)
Oregon and Ohio State play thriller, Penn State stays undefeated, LSU enters field
College football just keeps on delivering. Ohio State's trip to Oregon was circled by many as the potential game of the year before the season, and it entirely lived up to the hype. The Ducks and Buckeyes went back and forth throughout the game, with Oregon ultimately prevailing 32-31 after OSU QB Will Howard's scramble and slide ran out the clock before a game-winning kick could be attempted.
The Ducks played their best game of the year after previously looking suspect. They take the top-spot over Texas, who remained dominant with a blowout of Oklahoma, by now owning a better win than the Longhorns. As for the Buckeyes, they remain firmly in the picture for the Big Ten title.
Penn State almost had an extremely James Franklin-esque loss, but the Nittany Lions overcame a 14-point deficit at USC to pull out a 33-30 win in overtime. Penn State has frequently looked questionable, but at 6-0 with some solid wins, they currently deserve the top at-large bid.
Finally, LSU enters the Top-12, replacing Tennessee. The Tigers won a remarkable game in overtime against Ole Miss 29-26. Since their season-opening loss to USC (which admittedly is aging worse), all LSU has done is win. And with a better win on the resume than a presently flawed Tennessee team, they make the move into the projected playoff field.
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