Oregon debuted at No. 1 in the College Football Playoff committee’s 2024 in-season rankings Tuesday, with Big Ten rival Ohio State right behind at No. 2.
The CFP rankings were revealed for the first time in the playoff’s 12-team era, up from four teams in previous years, leading to a new format with new ramifications.
The Buckeyes, whose only loss came by one point to Oregon, are ranked No. 2 but would be seeded No. 5 because the top four seeds (and accompanying first-round byes) are reserved for the four highest-ranked conference champions.
Automatic bids are reserved for the five highest-ranked conference champs; No. 12 Boise State, representing the Mountain West Conference, would garner the last auto bid and face fifth-seeded Ohio State for a quarterfinal game in Columbus in Tuesday’s projection.
The CFP’s top 12 teams hewed closely to this week’s AP Top 25 poll, with the only difference being the position of Georgia and Ohio State. The AP voters had Georgia second, but the Bulldogs were ranked third by the CFP.
Miami was ranked No. 4 and would get the final first-round bye. Texas was fifth, and Penn State, Tennessee, Indiana, BYU and Notre Dame rounded out the top 10.
Ohio State’s loss was BYU’s gain, as in Tuesday’s projection, the Cougars were the Big 12 champion and No. 4 seed, five spots higher than their ranking.
Two-loss Alabama was ranked No. 11 and was projected to visit SEC foe Texas for a quarterfinal playoff game. The first two teams out of the field hailed from that state: No. 13 SMU and No. 14 Texas A&M.
CFP projected first-round byes: No. 1 seed Oregon, No. 2 seed Georgia, No. 3 seed Miami, No. 4 seed BYU
CFP projected quarterfinal games (campus sites):
No. 9 seed Indiana at No. 8 seed Tennessee
No. 10 seed Notre Dame at No. 7 seed Penn State
No. 11 seed Alabama at No. 6 seed Texas
No. 12 seed Boise State at No. 5 seed Ohio State
CFP rankings (different from seed)
1. Oregon (9-0)
2. Ohio State (7-1)
3. Georgia (7-1)
4. Miami (9-0)
5. Texas (7-1)
6. Penn State (7-1)
7. Tennessee (7-1)
8. Indiana (9-0)
9. BYU (8-0)
10. Notre Dame (7-1)
11. Alabama (6-2)
12. Boise State (7-1)
13. SMU (8-1)
14. Texas A&M (7-2)
15. LSU (6-2)
16. Ole Miss (7-2)
17. Iowa State (7-1)
18. Pitt (7-1)
19. Kansas State (7-2)
20. Colorado (6-2)
21. Washington State (7-1)
22. Louisville (6-3)
23. Clemson (6-2)
24. Missouri (6-2)
25. Army (8-0)
–Field Level Media