Rivalry Week proved a festival of chaos within the college football world, both on and off the field.
Mayhem spilled from the stands to the gridiron as some of the sport’s most prominent institutions fell victim to setbacks and stupors. Ohio State lost. Clemson tumbled. Miami faltered. Tulane cratered.
Unsurprisingly, those results led to a whole lot of upheaval in the latest round of College Football Playoff polling. With conference championships approaching next week, the mayhem’s only just begun. When the dust settles, who knows where the country’s standout sides will land.
Follow below as The Sporting News tracks the latest bracket reveal for the 2024 College Football Playoff.
MORE: Seven debates giving shape to final 12-team CFP field
College Football Playoff rankings 2024
Who is in the College Football Playoff?
| Ranking | Team | Record |
| 1 | Oregon | 12-0 |
| 2 | Texas | 11-1 |
| 3 | Penn State | 11-1 |
| 4 | Notre Dame | 11-1 |
| 5 | Georgia | 10-2 |
| 6 | Ohio State | 10-2 |
| 7 | Tennessee | 10-2 |
| 8 | SMU | 11-1 |
| 9 | Indiana | 11-1 |
| 10 | Boise State | 11-1 |
| 11 | Alabama | 9-3 |
| 12 | Miami | 10-2 |
*Despite being ranked No. 12, Miami is projected to miss the 12-team field in favor of No. 16 Arizona State, who is the projected Big 12 champion and the fifth-highest conference champion.
The latest round of fixtures proved scornful for Miami, who currently finds itself on the outside looking in of playoff contention after dropping a tight contest to previously unranked Syracuse. CFP chair Warde Manuel revealed that teams not playing in conference champions (like Alabama) will not be re-evaluated for postseason consideration, as their resumes are complete.
That leaves the Hurricanes in precarious position; although they sit in the top-12 for now, they’ll surrender that placement to the winner of the Big 12 Championship game between No. 15 Arizona State and No. 16 Iowa State — the victor will be crowned the fifth-highest ranked conference champion.
Ohio State fell four spots in the rankings after its stunning defeat to unranked Michigan — representing the largest drop-off from this week’s reveals sans Miami.
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First four teams out
| Ranking | Team | Record |
| 13. | Ole Miss | 9-3 |
| 14. | South Carolina | 9-3 |
| 15. | Arizona State | 10-2 |
| 16. | Iowa State | 10-2 |
*The winner of the Big 12 Championship game between No. 15 Arizona State and No. 16 Iowa State is guaranteed a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff field as the fifth-highest ranked conference champion.
The Cyclones and Sun Devils clash with one another just got that more important: whichever side wins will secure entry into the College Football Playoff as the fifth-highest ranked conference champion.
MORE: Picks against the spread for conference title games, including Texas-Georgia, Penn-St.-Oregon
Rest of the top 25
| Ranking | Team | Record |
| 17. | Clemson | 9-3 |
| 18. | BYU | 10-2 |
| 19. | Missouri | 9-3 |
| 20. | UNLV | 10-2 |
| 21. | Illinois | 9-3 |
| 22. | Syracuse | 9-3 |
| 23. | Colorado | 9-3 |
| 24. | Army | 10-1 |
| 25. | Memphis | 10-2 |
UNLV has it all left to play for on Saturday. If the Runnin’ Rebels could somehow quell Ashton Jeanty’s impact and capture a momentous victory, they too would secure passage into the 2024 College Football Playoff. Given all the wounds they’ve inflicted upon themselves in recent months, such a result would prove especially seismic.
College Football Playoff bracket 2024
MORE: Updated college football rankings after Week 14 upsets
How new College Football Playoff format works in 2024
The new CFP format consists of 12 teams. Automatic bids are given to the top four conference champions, which are automatically seeded 1-4 regardless of Playoff ranking. The remaining eight spots will comprise at least six at-large bids and then the two highest-ranked remaining conference champs.
So, it could be seven at-large bids and then one more conference champion, or simply eight at-large bids. The CFP committee will determine the exact breakdown of the field. At the very least, this new format guarantees that at least one Group of 5 team makes the field.
Here’s a look at how the College Football Playoff seeding will play out:
First round
- No. 1 team (bye)
- No. 2 team (bye)
- No. 3 team (bye)
- No. 4 team (bye)
- No. 12 team at No. 5 team
- No. 11 team at No. 6 team
- No. 10 team at No. 7 team
- No. 9 team at No. 8 team
Quarterfinals
- No. 1 team vs. No. 8/9 team
- No. 2 team vs. No. 7/10 team
- No. 3 team vs. No. 6/11 team
- No. 4 team vs. No. 5/12 team
| Game | Date |
| First round | Dec. 20-21 |
| Fiesta Bowl (Quarterfinals) | Dec. 31 |
| Sugar, Peach, Rose Bowls (Quarterfinals) | Jan. 1 |
| Orange Bowl (Semifinals) | Jan. 9 |
| Cotton Bowl (Semifinals) | Jan. 10 |
| National Championship | Jan. 20 |
DeCOURCY: The ‘Rivalry Week’ Saturday when the winners became losers and losers stayed losers
College Football Playoff predictions
Here are The Sporting News’ latest CFP bracket projections ahead of championship week, according to Bill Bender:
| Seed | Team | Record |
| 1. | Oregon | 12-0 |
| 2. | Texas | 11-1 |
| 3 | SMU | 11-1 |
| 4. | Boise State | 11-1 |
| 5. | Penn State | 11-1 |
| 6. | Notre Dame | 11-1 |
| 7. | Georgia | 10-2 |
| 8. | Ohio State | 10-2 |
| 9. | Tennessee | 10-2 |
| 10. | Indiana | 11-1 |
| 11. | Arizona State | 10-2 |
| 12. | Alabama | 9-3 |
College Football Playoff rankings release schedule 2024
Every Tuesday night, a weekly ranking reveal show will be on ESPN. The time will vary as it moves around other sporting events on the network. The schedule is listed below.
| Date | Time (ET) | TV channel | Live stream |
| Tuesday, November 5 | 7 p.m. | ESPN | Fubo |
| Tuesday, November 12 | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN | Fubo |
| Tuesday, November 19 | 7 p.m. | ESPN | Fubo |
| Tuesday, November 26 | 8 p.m. | ESPN | Fubo |
| Tuesday, December 3 | 7 p.m. | ESPN | Fubo |
| Sunday, December 8 | 12 p.m. | ESPN | Fubo |
