College football always delivers. I've often felt the idea that "the weeks of the season that appear to be the least exciting always end up being the craziest" is overblown by fans and media, but this time, it was entirely the case. Five highly-ranked teams, including #1, lost on Saturday with four of those losses coming to unranked teams.
Three of those teams had been included in my last 12-team playoff field projection, so naturally, we've got some major shakeups this week.
2024 College Football Playoff predictions after Week 6
Here's my latest 12-team playoff field after all the upsets from the weekend...
Rank | Team | Why They Are Here | Previous Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
1. | Texas | SEC Champion | 5. |
2. | Ohio State | Big Ten Champion | 2. |
3. | Miami | ACC Champion | 3. |
4. | BYU | Big 12 Champion | 4. |
5. | Georgia | At-Large | 7. |
6. | Penn State | At-Large | 8. |
7. | Oregon | At-Large | 9. |
8. | Alabama | At-Large | 1. |
9. | Clemson | At-Large | 11. |
10. | Tennessee | At-Large | 6. |
11. | Iowa State | At-Large | NR |
12. | Boise State | Highest Ranked G5 Champion | 12. |
Dropped Out - Michigan (previously 10th)
SEC contenders suffer horrific losses, Miami pulls-off comeback
That was quite a two-week stretch for the Tide. They go from taking down the then #1 team in the country to losing to none other than Vanderbilt. And it wasn't at all a fluke. The 'Dores were clearly the better team in that game. As a result, Alabama had to fall in the rankings, but how far? In this case, just on the edge of hosting a playoff game.
There was the conundrum of how to rank Alabama relative to Georgia considering the Tide literally just defeated UGA, and they have the same record. Ultimately, I did the thing that infuriates most college football fans, putting the Dawgs at 5 with Bama down at 8. Look, Bama had to drop significantly for the loss, and seeing as how insane the game between them and Georgia was, I don't feel bad for thinking UGA is better and should be higher.
The Tennessee fans that laughed at Bama's misery only got to do so briefly, as they too would lose to an unranked opponent on Saturday night. Arkansas took down the Vols, and again, there was no fluke here. In fact, had the Hogs not wasted three-straight possessions deep in Tennessee territory, this game may not have gone down to the wire. The Vols fall down to 10 with the loss.
Elsewhere, Miami somehow managed to avoid being yet another victim to upset. After trailing 35-10 in the second-half and 38-18 in the fourth quarter, the Canes found a way to get a win at Cal. That's two questionable and, frankly, lucky wins for The U in a row, but at 6-0, they stay high in the ranks. Michigan drops out after a loss at Washington, and that allowed undefeated Iowa State to make its debut in the rankings, adding to the madness that is the Big 12's playoff picture.