2024 Post-Week 3 12-team College Football Playoff prediction and seeding

Week 3 of the college football season saw some major moves made for College Football Playoff contention.

The Texas Longhorns, even with backup quarterback Arch Manning getting a lot of work in place of a banged-up Quinn Eweres, dismantled a good UTSA squad, the Georgia Bulldogs nearly lost to the Kentucky Wildcats, Kansas State crushed Arizona, Arizona State ended Texas State's Group of 5 bid, and there was plenty of other action.

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 3 edition:

Teams Falling Out of Rankings: Missouri Tigers (Previously 9th), Liberty Flames (Previously 12th)
Teams New to Rankings: Memphis Tigers (Previously Unranked all season), Alabama Crimson Tide (Previously Unranked for one week)
Biggest Movers in Rankings: Texas Longhorns (from 5th to 1st), Georgia Bulldogs (from 1st to 5th), Alabama Crimson Tide (From Unranked to 10th), Memphis Tigers (from Unranked to 12th)

There are plenty of changes from last week's prediction, and with the season only being one-third of the way complete, even more changes are still to come.

With Georgia's subpar showing against Kentucky, and Texas continuing to roll, the Longhorns have supplanted the 'Dawgs for the SEC's top spot. The two teams meet in the regular season and, potentially, could play in the SEC Championship Game, too, so there is plenty of time left in this race.

Ohio State, Utah, and Miami continue hold their spots as conference champs in their respective leagues, but the Utes better watch over their shoulder for the Kansas State Wildcats, and the Buckeyes surely didn't love that Oregon appeared to get back on track on Saturday.

The at-large bids most likely will be gobbled up first by the 2nd place teams in the SEC, BIG Ten, and Big 12, but several other SEC teams and Independent Notre Dame have clear avenues to 11-1 or 10-2 records.

The Group of 5 representative is no longer the Liberty Flames. Memphis knocked off Florida State, and unless they are beaten by Tulane late in the year, they should win all of their games. A 12-0 Tigers squad certainly would make the College Football Field over a 12-0 Liberty team.

Every week on the schedule from here on out will have tremendous implications for the CFP, and college football fans should cherish every minute of the season before it is behind them.