The College Football Playoff begins this Friday with the first round. You can check out the full bracket here, but four teams—Oregon, Georgia, Boise State, and Arizona—have a bye week, while the higher seeds get to host the matchups this weekend. So these power rankings factor in the teams with byes and the matchups in the first round.
1. Oregon Ducks (13-0)
The lone unbeaten in college football this season, Oregon impressively won the Big Ten title in their first year in the conference. Dan Lanning has built a powerhouse in Eugene, as the Ducks can both overpower you and simply beat you with speed and athleticism.
2. Georgia Bulldogs (11-2)
Georgia lost to Alabama and Ole Miss but beat Texas twice en route to an SEC Championship. The status of quarterback Carson Beck, who injured his elbow at the end of the first half in the SEC title game, is one of the biggest questions surrounding the CFP.
3. Texas Longhorns (11-2)
The Longhorns’ only two losses were to the Bulldogs. While many have pointed out that Texas hasn’t come through in as big of challenges as some other squads during the fall, they did beat Oklahoma and Florida by 31+ points each and took care of Texas A&M at College Station—and they played much better with their second crack at the Dawgs.
4. Ohio State Buckeyes (10-2)
An opening round matchup with Tennessee will be a major test for the Buckeyes, but they’re situated as the No. 8 seed and get to play at home—which is undoubtedly a major benefit and plays into the -7 spread. Another disappointment in The Game left a bad taste in the mouth of the Buckeyes, but they have a talented roster that can certainly go on a run.
5. Penn State Nittany Lions (11-2)
There’s a lot of talk about how James Franklin struggled to win big games, but Penn State showed good fight in battling versus Oregon in the Big Ten Championship. The Nittany Lions must take care of business for a home contest with SMU, but things could set up nicely for them to get to the semifinals, as they might be favored over Boise State for a Fiesta Bowl showdown.
6. Boise State Broncos (12-1)
Heisman runner-up (in the closest vote since 2009) Ashton Jeanty is a difference-making running back that can hit the home run as well as pace things offensively—hopefully helping keep Boise State in every game, no matter the matchup. The Broncos were up on Oregon at halftime back in early September and ultimately lost by just three, and they should be confident they can give anyone a problem.
7. Arizona State Sun Devils (11-2)
Arizona State won six consecutive games including a convincing Big 12 title game victory to not only make the College Football Playoff but secure a first-round bye—which is a key factor in their ranking here. Kenny Dillingham has some extra time to prepare for the Clemson/Texas winner as likely underdogs.
8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-1)
Notre Dame’s lone blemish during the regular season was a stunning loss to Northern Illinois, and they were able to get a home first round game against Indiana. Quarterback Riley Leonard will make plays with his legs as the Fighting Irish look to survive and advance, but the Sugar Bowl against Georgia awaits if they win on Friday night.
9. Indiana Hoosiers (11-1)
The bottom four in the power rankings consist of the four (relatively big) underdogs this weekend—though hopefully we see an upset or two in the first-ever 12-team CFP. Indiana’s only loss this year was to Ohio State, and Curt Cignetti was Coach of the Year. If the Hoosiers can protect quarterback Kurtis Rourke, don’t count out an upset to kick things off.
10. Tennessee Volunteers (10-2)
We might not see SEC schools as touchdown underdogs in the CFP often, but it speaks to the upside Ohio State has and the game location in Columbus. Inconsistency has been an issue for the Vols’ offense in 2024, but the defense has carried a heavy load and can help keep things close and put late-game pressure on OSU.
11. Clemson Tigers (10-3)
This No. 11 ranking for Clemson is for a couple of big reasons. One, they are the only three-loss team in the CFP; and two, it’s a tough draw to have to go on the road to face Texas despite winning a conference championship. But Dabo Swinney has obviously shown an ability to win big games. An upset on Saturday would put the Tigers in the Peach Bowl versus Arizona State.
12. SMU Tigers (11-2)
Because Clemson was an automatic bid as a conference champion, SMU was basically the last team into the College Football Playoff. That said, they’ve come a long way from a 1987 “death penalty” to make the first expanded playoff—and a win over Penn State would set up a fun battle with Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. Kevin Jennings is a dynamic player that’s shown he can catch fire at quarterback to make the Mustangs tough to stop.