2024 Post-Week 2 12-team College Football Playoff prediction and seeding

The week 2 college football slate was full of surprising outcomes. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish lost at home to Northern Illinois, the South Carolina Gamecocks demolished the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington, the Texas Longhorns manhandled defending National Champions Michigan (was that surprising?), and Illinois knocked off the offseason darling Kansas Jayhawks.

There's still plenty of time for serious changes in the CFP field as the regular season is less than one-quarter of the way through for most teams.

For the first time, the 2024 college football season will see 12 teams make the College Football Playoff instead of the 4-team invitation that fans have seen in the last decade.

The new 12-team format will require the four conference champions ranked the highest to be the CFP's top-4 seeds (getting a 1st-round bye), a 5th conference champion to make the field (seeded wherever), and a Group of 5 representative to be included (likely the very same 5th conference champion). The rest of the College Football Playoff field will be comprised of at-large invitees.

Here is the updated College Football Playoff prediction from Garnet and Cocky, Week 2 edition:

Teams Falling Out of Rankings: Alabama Crimson Tide (Previously 8th)
Teams New to Rankings: Tennessee Volunteers (Previously Unranked)
Biggest Movers in Rankings: Ole Miss Rebels (from 10th to 7th), Tennessee Volunteers (from Unranked to 10th), and Alabama Crimson Tide (from 8th to Unranked) ****

****This is a prediction for the end-of-year rankings, not a current standings

The conference champions and top-4 teams (who all will receive a Bye in the first round of the College Football Playoff) are unchanged from the Week 1 prediction.

The Texas Longhorns are an elite team, as well, and if weren't for Georgia, they would be the favorites in the SEC. Behind the 'Dawgs and 'Horns sit three more SEC squads who have real chances to finish the regular season with just 1 or 2 losses. Alabama clearly is in that hunt, too, but they have the hardest schedule of the conference's top group, hence why they have been moved out of this projection.

Oregon had another close call with a non-Power 4 opponent, but only the matchup with Ohio State seems like a loss the rest of the way, and they will get into the CFP with a loss to the Buckeyes and a second defeat in the BIG Ten Championship game.

Oklahoma State didn't have a good day in a win over Arkansas, so Kansas State still seems like the most likely #2 team in the Big 12, pending a win over the Arizona Wildcats this weekend.

Notre Dame lost an embarrassing game to Northern Illinois, but unless the Southern Cal Trojans can beat them in the season finale, the Irish will make the Playoff. (Speaking of, Southern Cal and Penn State could challenge for an at-large out of the BIG Ten, especially if the Trojans do beat Notre Dame).

The Liberty Flames hold as the fifth conference champion and Group of 5 representatives, but they aren't the best team from outside of a power conference. Boise State and Tulane (and potentially others) are better than Liberty, but with a loss each on their record, it would seem a difficult road to the Playoff over an undefeated Flames team. Texas State has a chance to finish unbeaten, as well, but they have a harder schedule than Liberty.

The next two weekends have tons of games that hold College Football Playoff implications, so fans of the sport can expect there to be lots of changes in the projection coming soon.