College Football Playoff Rankings: First-Round Projections and Key Matchups

The second official College Football Playoff rankings were released on Tuesday and the Oregon Ducks remain atop of the list. Here is a bracket projection heading into Week 12 as none of the byes will formally be earned until a team wins a conference championship.

The updated CFP bracket projection has arrived‼️

Did your team make the cut? pic.twitter.com/V7yjMjfND1

— ESPN (@espn) November 13, 2024

First-round matchups:

For the four teams with a first-round bye, it remains unlikely that this would be the final four following conference matchups and its impact on playoff seeding. Conference championships will begin Dec. 6 through the 7th, and the official CFB Playoff selection follows on Dec. 8. Because of that, this next month is the most important time of the year when every game matters more now than ever.

With the four highest-ranked conference champions receiving the top four seeds and byes, the remaining eight teams in the bracket meet in the first round. Here are the games, played at campus sites from Dec. 20 to Dec. 21:

• No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Ohio State
• No. 11 Ole Miss at No. 6 Penn State
• No. 10 Alabama at No. 7 Indiana
• No. 9 Notre Dame at No. 8 Tennessee

As of Thursday, Georgia would be the first team left out of the 12-team playoff. Army would be the next-highest-rated conference champion behind Boise State if Boise were to fall.

Key Upcoming Matchups and Implications:

Nov. 16: No. 7 Tennessee @ No. 11 Georgia, 7:30 p.m. ET

Dawgs vs Vols#GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/sNBlEIVxOw

— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) November 14, 2024

Georgia, who fell 28-10 to No. 10 Ole Miss last week, takes on Tennessee at Sanford Stadium on Saturday in what might be a CFP elimination game for either team. The Bulldogs also look to avoid losing their first back-to-back regular season games since 2016, Smart’s first season coaching.

Nov. 16: No. 3 Texas @ Arkansas, noon ET

I have this game on the radar because this rivalry game has every chance of throwing the SEC into shambles if the Razorbacks come out with a win. The Razorbacks already took down then No. 4 Tennessee in Week 6, 19-14, in Arkansas. Not only is the Arkansas 6-foot-6 QB Taylen Green one of the most athletic QBs in the nation, but he also has one of the most electric wide receivers in the country at his disposal in Andrew Armstrong.

Nov. 23: No. 5 Indiana @ No. 2 Ohio St., noon ET

Indiana will take on the Buckeyes as underdogs for the first time in 2024. Not only are they underdogs, but the Buckeyes are also a whopping 9.5-point favorite. Despite having the first 10-0 start in school history, the Hoosiers’ strength of schedule has a lot of people skeptical about how far they would go if given a bid. Lucky for them, they have the perfect opportunity in Week 13.

Can Army Sneak In?

Nov. 23: No. 24 Army @ No. 8 Notre Dame, 7 p.m. ET

Moving up a spot in the @CFBPlayoff Rankings #GoArmy x #CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/DObLWpjZYM

— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) November 13, 2024

Although Army continues to make modern-era history in the college football rankings, the Black Knights’ have yet to face their biggest challenge. I say modern era because Army has now been ranked for four consecutive weeks for the first time since 1958 when Pete Dawkins won the Heisman Trophy. Notre Dame, however, continues to inch ever closer to a first-round home game in this year’s College Football Playoff. With Army being the final ranked opponent on the Fighting Irish’s schedule, you can expect the best from both teams.