With Week 7 of the 2024 college football season in the books, it's time to project how the new 12-team playoff will look by December. And after seven weeks of the season, projections and predictions on how the bracket could look in December have changed significantly from August.
After a loaded Saturday of big-time matchups, the projected playoff field looks significantly different than last week's edition. Texas remains the No. 1 overall seed, but Oregon's win over Ohio State moved the Ducks to No. 2. Miami and Kansas State round out the highest-rated projected conference champions. Although the Buckeyes lost on Saturday, coach Ryan Day's squad will have a shot at revenge and returning to a first-round bye if it can win the Big Ten Championship in December. Tennessee, Texas A&M, Iowa State, and BYU headline the top teams on the bubble after Week 7.
Although the season is just seven weeks old, the impact of every game isn't limited to just the top four. Instead, each contest takes on an increased role due to eight additional spots in the playoff, as well as seeding, and the automatic bids for conference champions.
As a refresher: 12 teams -- the five highest-rated conference champions and seven highest-ranked at-large selections by the selection committee -- will receive berths to the College Football Playoff. The top four teams receive a bye, with the first-round games slated to be played at the home sites of the higher seed. Beginning with the quarterfinals, all games through the national championship will be played at bowl or neutral sites.
Related: College Football Bowl Projections for 2024
With Week 7 completed, Athlon Sports projects the CFP field for 2024:
College Football Playoff 12-Team Preseason Projections for 2024
The Projected Field for 2024-25
Ranking All 134 College Football Teams for 2024
1. Texas (Projected SEC Champion)
2. Oregon (Projected Big Ten Champion)
3. Miami (Projected ACC Champion)
4. Kansas State (Projected Big 12 Champion)
5. Ohio State
6. Georgia
7. Penn State
8. Alabama
9. Clemson
10. LSU
11. Notre Dame
12. Boise State (Projected Highest G5 Champion)
Bubble Watch After Week 7
Tennessee (5-1)
Iowa State (6-0)
Texas A&M (5-1)
BYU (6-0)
Ole Miss (5-2)
Missouri (5-1)
Indiana (6-0)
Michigan (4-2)
Illinois (5-1)
Pitt (6-0)
SMU (5-1)
G5 Playoff Contenders
Projected Conference Champions: Memphis, Boise State, Liberty, Texas State, and Toledo
Other G5 Teams in the Mix: Northern Illinois, Army, Navy, Tulane, James Madison, Louisiana, Miami (Ohio), and UNLV.
College Football Playoff First Round
First-round games will be placed on campus sites of highest seed. Matchups will take place from Dec. 20-21.
No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 12 Boise State
No. 6 Oregon vs. No. 11 Notre Dame
No. 7 Alabama vs. No. 10 Ole Miss
No. 8 Penn State vs. No. 9 Tennessee
Related: Ranking All 134 College Football Teams for 2024
College Football Playoff Quarterfinals
Second-round games will be played at bowl sites and will take place from Dec. 31-Jan. 1.
Fiesta Bowl (Dec. 31)
Projection: No. 4 Kansas State vs. No. 5 Georgia
Peach Bowl (Jan. 1)
Projection: No. 3 Miami vs. No. 6 Oregon
Rose Bowl (Jan. 1)
Projection: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 7 Alabama
Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1)
Projection: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 9 Tennessee
College Football Playoff Semifinals
Semifinal games will be played at bowl sites. Matchups are scheduled for Jan. 9-10.
Orange Bowl (Jan. 9)
Projection: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 6 Oregon
Cotton Bowl (Jan. 10)
Projection: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 5 Georgia
National Championship
Jan. 20, 2025 in Atlanta, Ga.
Projection: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 2 Ohio State
Steven Lassan is the senior college football writer and editor for AthlonSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Related: College Football Bowl Projections for 2024-25
Related: College Football Top 134 Team Rankings for 2024