The 2024 College Football Playoff: Everything You Need to Know
It’s that time of the year: December has finally rolled around. Families are setting up decorations, waiting in anticipation, getting ready for…
The College Football Playoff!
As the regular season has finally come to a close, the College Football Playoff Bracket has been announced. It’s the first year for the 12-team playoff, and just the concept is already fundamentally changing the college football landscape.
For those of you who haven’t been keeping up with the crazy college football season this year, here’s everything you need to know about the championship contenders and their chances at winning it all.
Since the bracket situation is completely different this year, here’s how it works. The 1, 2, 3, and 4 seeds all get a first-round bye. These first-round byes are the highest-rated “conference champions” in the rankings. The remaining 8 spots are dedicated to the other highest-rated schools.
Since the power dynamic has completely changed since last year, here’s a review of every team and their qualities that make them a contender.
#1: Oregon Ducks:
Oregon enters the playoffs undefeated, and they’d sure like to keep it that way. Oregon is favored and predicted by almost everyone to win the whole thing, and it’ll certainly be a crazy upset to see anything otherwise. In the regular season, the Ducks faced two ranked opponents, sneaking by Ohio State 32-31 and demolishing Illinois 38-9. After a spectacular regular season, they played against Penn State in the Big Ten conference championship in an electric 45-37 win.
Most of this success can likely be attributed to the man at the helm of the offense: quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Gabriel has been one of the nation’s best QBs all year, leading the league in completions, completion percentage, yards, and TDs. He has thrown only six picks and is also able to utilize electric options such as Tez Johnson and Evan Stewart. Gabriel can also rely on consistent ground production from RB Jordan James. With the defense also very stout, Oregon certainly is the team to beat this season.
#2: Georgia Bulldogs:
Georgia… a team by which many a college football fan has had their season ruined. In the past three years, Georgia has won the championship twice behind Head Coach Kirby Smart. They have been in the rankings at least one point in the season every year since 1996. They are almost undeniably the biggest dynasty in college football. And since they don’t play the supposedly-undefeatable Oregon, there’s a high chance they will make it to the big game again.
Georgia is 11-2, with those losses coming in a close game with Alabama and a massacre against Ole Miss. However, they are barely slipping by at the back half of their season, escaping unranked Georgia Tech in a 44-42 win in 7 overtimes and beating Texas in the conference championship 22-19. In that game against Texas, star QB Carson Beck went down as the second half came to a close. Backup QB Gunnar Stockton came in and managed to lead the Bulldogs to a comeback win, but the big question is: will Beck be back for the playoffs? However, the team is certainly talented, with playmakers on both offense and defense. Despite a certain amount of uncertainty surrounding the QB, Georgia is sure to be a contender.
#3: Boise State Broncos:
Boise State will be the only non-Power 5 school in the bracket, coming from the Mountain West, so they already have a strong need to prove themselves. The Broncos are coming in at 12-1, with their only loss to the #1 Oregon Ducks. However, since they only lost to the #1 team in the country by 3 points, this loss can easily be excused. In fact, it can even be used as a sign that they can contend with the other Power 5 schools.
The big story of the year for Boise State: Ashton Jeanty, who some are saying will go down as one of the best running backs in college football history. Jeanty’s currently leads all RBs in
- Rush yards (by nearly a 900-yard margin)
- Carries
- Yards per carry
- Rushing TDs
- Yards per game
- 30+, 40+, 50+, 60+, and 70+ yard runs
- Broken tackles (single-season record)
- Yards after contact (single-season record)
- Total points
Before the playoffs have even started, he is fourth ALL-TIME as far as rushing yards in a single season.
If you couldn’t tell, he was in the running for the Heisman.
With players like Jeanty and even more interesting features (such as a unique blue field), Boise State has a chance to take some hype and surprise in the playoffs.
#4: Arizona State Sun Devils:
Arizona State is a team that many college football fans forgot existed until they appeared in the Big 12 Championship. The Sun Devils were a huge shocker in the Big 12 championship, where they demolished Iowa State, bringing their record to 11-2. The 49-19 victory was only their third-highest winning margin, sneaking by narrow games most of their schedule. The two losses came to Texas Tech and Cincinnati, neither of which had very successful seasons. The Big 12 in general was a complete mess this year, and many question if Arizona State should be in the playoffs at all, much less with a first-round bye.
The Sun Devils do have one ace up their sleeve: RB Cam Skattebo. Skattebo was generally considered to be in the Heisman race, although far, far behind Jeanty and the official award-winner: dual-threat Travis Hunter out of Colorado. Skattebo has proved a game-changer for Arizona State, posting up number 1568 yards, 6.0 yards per carry, and 22 overall TDs. The defense has also been exceptional, allowing only around 21 points per game. Arizona State may be talented, but they need to play the best they’ve ever played to keep up with the other playoff teams.
#5: Texas Longhorns:
Texas enters the playoff picture at 11-2, with those only losses coming to the same team: Georgia. The Bulldogs beat Texas once in the regular season, with a score of 15-30; and again in the SEC Championship, by a much slimmer 19-22 margin. Other than those two games (and a stumble and scare from Vanderbilt in a 27-24 win) Texas has seemed solid all year.
The Longhorns have been extremely successful on defense, with the 2nd best in the nation. The offense has struggled a bit more, although they are still far from bad. Head Coach Steve Sarkisian is talented enough to work the offense efficiently, despite the QB controversy at the start of the year between Quinn Ewers and freshman Arch Manning.
#6: Penn State Nittany Lions:
Penn State has had an outstanding year, with their only two losses coming from highly ranked teams: Ohio State and Oregon (in the conference championship), both of which were only lost by a one-score margin. The Nittany Lions have been consistently amazing, but this is the highest the school has been rated since James Franklin took over as Head Coach. The Nittany Lions have high expectations, and they will need to rely on star QB Drew Allar to take them all the way.
Allar struggled in the Big Ten championship, throwing around 50% completions and 2 crucial INTs. Allar has the weapons to work with on offense, including star tight end Tyler Warren. The real strength of the team is the defense, however, which is 8th in the nation. With strengths like these, Penn State is certainly a contender.
#7: Notre Dame Fighting Irish:
The Fighting Irish certainly opened the season interestingly, getting upset 14-16 by NIU. However, since then, Notre Dame has gone undefeated, breezing through the rest of their schedule. Being an independent (not a member of any conference), Notre Dame had no conference championship, so they currently sit at 11-1. They currently have the 3rd best offense and defense in the league. However, like Boise State, they still have a decent amount to prove. Being independent, they didn’t have to play SEC or Big Ten-level teams each week, so they might be weaker than they seem. The Irish have struggled heavily in the playoffs before. However, it appears this may be their best team in a while.
QB Riley Leonard transferred into Notre Dame this year, immediately making an impact by throwing for 66% completions and 15 TDs. Running back Jeremiyah Love is also extremely talented. On the defense, safety Xavier Watts has five picks. Notre Dame will have to use these stars efficiently to keep up with these stronger schools.
#8: Ohio State Buckeyes:
Ohio State hasn’t made it to the National Championship since 2020 with a grueling loss to Alabama (who is notably absent from the playoffs this year). The Buckeyes went 10-2, missing the conference championship due to two excruciating losses to Oregon (31-32) and Michigan (10-13). This is a very frustrating situation for the Buckeyes because should they have been in another conference, they could have very easily made the conference championship and received a higher seeding.
Ohio State certainly has the talent to keep up with the higher-seeded teams. For starters, they have the best defense in the entire league, allowing just 11 points per game in debatably the best conference in the league. The offense was also stout, headed by star QB Will Howard. Howard posts stats such as a 72% completion percentage and 27 TDs. The Buckeyes also have a star RB duo in Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, as well as a receiver core consisting of Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka for Howrard to utilize. Despite missing the conference championship, players like these certainly make Ohio State a contender.
#9: Tennessee Volunteers:
Tennessee enters the playoff picture at 10-2, with those two losses coming in an upset by Arkansas and a demolition by Georgia. Tenn is entering their best season yet under the reigns of Head Coach Josh Heupel since their amazing season in 2022, despite falling just short of the conference championship.
The Volunteers are led by QB Nico Iamaleava, who is just a redshirt freshman. Iamaleava has proved he can handle the responsibility, however, posting a 66% completion rate and 19 TDs. The real star of the Volunteer offense, however, is RB Dylan Sampson– Sampson has posted 1485 yards with 5.8 yards per carry, as well as 22 TDs. The defense is even better than the offense, with the 8th-best points per game allowed. This Tenn team seems like their best in a while, and they hope to take it all the way.
#10: Indiana Hoosiers:
Entering Week 10, Indiana was one of the only remaining undefeated teams. Unfortunately, the magic was snapped when they were devastated 15-38 by Ohio State. This one loss was enough to knock Indiana out of the Big Ten conference championship, putting a stain on an otherwise-perfect season. The Hoosiers have the 2nd best offense and 6th best defense in the league, so they are certainly contenders. They just need to prove themselves at this highest level of competition: the playoffs, where every decision matters.
QB Kurtis Rourke has thrown for 70% completions, 2827 yards, 27 TDs, and just four picks. On the other side of the ball, D-Lineman Mikhail Kamara had 10 sacks. They certainly have weapons on both sides of the ball. Their only goal: to prove themselves with all of the big dogs, and fight to sustain this great season.
#11: SMU Mustangs:
Southern Methodist was one of the biggest surprises in college football this season. This was the first time the team had been ranked in the top 15 since 1985, just one season before a scandal banned SMU from competing in college football for three seasons and devastated their program. So the Mustangs have finally made it back into the CFB spotlight, headed by HC Rhett Lashlee. This was also the team’s first season in the ACC, showing this 11-win record is much more valuable than the one they had last season in the American Conference. This year, the team’s only losses came in an early game against an at-the-time undefeated BYU, and in the conference championship against Clemson.
The main strength for SMU this year has been the offense, which is their best in decades. QB Kevin Jennings threw for 3050 yards and 22 TDs, with RB Brashard Smith picking up 1270 yards, 5.9 yards per carry, and 14 TDs. Behind Jennings, the Mustangs hope to lead themselves back to the glory days in the early 80s.
#12: Clemson Tigers:
Clemson’s win over SMU in the conference championship cemented them a spot in the playoffs. Before stepping up to kick the game-winning field goal, kicker Nolan Hauser turned to Head Coach Dabo Swinney, winked, and then drilled it right through.
Talk about audacity.
Unfortunately for Clemson, most of the losses in their 10-3 season were not within field goal range. One was an enraging 17-14 loss to South Carolina. The others were not even close, getting smacked by unranked Louisville and annihilated by Georgia.
The Tigers don’t even have the highest talent level. Their defense is 43rd in the league, and they don’t have any all-star weapons on offense. Their best asset is QB Cade Klubnik, who’s thrown for 3303 yards, with 33 TDs to only 5 picks.
However, it’s stories like that wink that encapsulate the spirit of Clemson: they have a special sort of magic or luck surrounding them. We’ll see how long that luck lasts, but behind Klubnik, there’s a chance they could make it a pretty long way.
With all of this info, here are my predictions for how the bracket will play out.
First Round
#8 Ohio St vs #9 Tennessee — Ohio State wins
#5 Texas vs #12 Clemson— Clemson wins
#7 Notre Dame vs #10 Indiana— Indiana wins
#6 Penn State vs #11 SMU— Penn State wins
Quarterfinals
#3 Boise State vs #6 Penn State— Boise State wins
#4 Arizona State vs #12 Clemson— Clemson wins
#1 Oregon vs #8 Ohio State— Ohio State wins
#2 Georgia vs #10 Indiana— Georgia wins
Semifinal
#8 Ohio State vs #12 Clemson— Ohio State wins
#2 Georgia vs #3 Boise State— Georgia wins
National Championship
#8 Ohio State vs #2 Georgia— Ohio State wins
Here’s the schedule for any of you who wants to watch the games.
