Week 2 of the college football season brought plenty of chaos, and some teams in the last playoff predictions were impacted. How have the rankings changed after Saturday's action?
2024 College Football Playoff Predictions after Week 2
Let's take a look at the updated rankings...
Rank | Team | Why They Are Here | Previous Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
1. | Georgia | SEC Champion | 1. |
2. | Ohio State | Big Ten Champion | 2. |
3. | Miami | ACC Champion | 3. |
4. | Utah | Big 12 Champion | 4. |
5. | Texas | At-Large | 6. |
6. | Ole Miss | At-Large | 8. |
7. | Penn State | At-Large | 5. |
8. | Alabama | At-Large | 7. |
9. | USC | At-Large | NR |
10. | Oklahoma State | At-Large | 11. |
11. | Oregon | At-Large | 9. |
12. | Northern Illinois | Highest Ranked G5 Champion | NR |
Dropped Out - Notre Dame (previously 10th), Boise State (previously 12th)
Texas asserts dominance, playoff contenders struggling in bye games, and Northern Illinois stuns Irish
Week 2 gave us one Top-10 showdown between Texas and Michigan. The Longhorns were widely expected to handle the Wolverines, but there was some discussion that given Michigan's defense, the atmosphere in the Big House, and some questions about Texas' new pieces, a close game was certainly possible.
Texas had other plans. They rolled Michigan 31-12, and it could've been worse. They had no issues moving the ball against the Wolverine D, and Michigan's only TD came on their final drive. The Longhorns look legit, while Michigan (who I already didn't have in my rankings) look clearly behind other playoff contenders.
Saturday was a scary one for three of my playoff teams. Penn State, Alabama, and Oregon all had home tilts against G5 teams where they were heavily favored. And all three had to sweat those games to varying degrees. None more so than Oregon, who was incredibly fortunate to walk away with a win over Boise State after a 37-34 shootout. The Ducks have now looked seriously flawed in their first two games while playing FCS/G5 competition, and as a result, they've dropped all the way to my final at-large spot in the field.
But at least the Ducks (and Penn State/Alabama for that matter) got the win.
Oh, Irish...
After beating Texas A&M, all Notre Dame had to do to reach the playoffs was simply win the games they were supposed to. Apparently that was too tall a task, as the Irish were stunned at home by Northern Illinois 16-14. Their awful performance knocks them right back out of the playoff rankings, and a much-improved USC squad moves into their place.
But how about Northern Illinois? After that win, the Huskies are the clear most deserving G5 team to currently occupy the automatic bid to the playoff. And who wouldn't want to see some MACtion in the playoffs?