College football is here.
With games on the schedule next weekend and the official week 1 slate beginning the following week, fans from all over the country are so close to watching their favorite teams play that they almost can taste it.
The 2024 college football season will be unlike anything the sport has seen before as conference realignment has shaken the foundations of amateur athletics and the College Football Playoff has expand from 4 participants to 12.
Preseason camps are underway, and coaching staffs are all doing their best to convince fanbases that their teams are heading to the College Football Playoff with a chance to play for a national title.
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 current preseason College Football Playoff prediction from Garnet and Cocky:
2024 College Football Playoff prediction: Preseason
Rank | Team | Why are they here | Previous Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Georgia Bulldogs | SEC Champions | N/A |
2 | Ohio State Buckeyes | Big Ten Champions | N/A |
3 | Florida State Seminoles | ACC Champions | N/A |
4 | Utah Utes | Big 12 Champions | N/A |
5 | Oregon Ducks | At-Large | N/A |
6 | Texas Longhorns | At-Large | N/A |
7 | Kansas State Wildcats | At-Large | N/A |
8 | Alabama Crimson Tide | At-Large | N/A |
9 | Ole Miss Rebels | At-Large | N/A |
10 | Missouri Tigers | At-Large | N/A |
11 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | At-Large | N/A |
12 | Liberty Flames | Conference USA Champions | N/A |
In these projections, the SEC gets another opportunity to upset the rest of the country by placing five representatives from the conference into the College Football Playoff, including an undefeated Georgia Bulldogs team that likely would have to beat Texas, Alabama, or Ole Miss twice. With how strong the league is, 1-loss teams will be guaranteed a spot, and 2-loss teams have to feel pretty good about their chances.
Ohio State-Oregon likely will play twice this season, and whichever won wins the Big Ten will be back in the field. If the two teams take care of business otherwise, the first meeting of the year (in Eugene, by the way) won't be of much consequence as the two squads feel destined for a Big Ten Championship Game collision course. Don't fully count out the defending champs Michigan or the Penn State Nittany Lions, either.
Florida State is the best team in the ACC again, and unless NC State, Miami, Louisviile, or Clemson can cause a disruption (and FSU only has to play two of them), the 'Noles should make their way to the Playoff with a chance to avenge last season's snub.
The Big 12 will be extremely competitive this season, but Utah seems to be the cream of the crop in their first year in the league. Behind them, Kansas State gets their three toughest games at home, and the winner of their matchup with the Oklahoma State Cowboys could be positioning themselves for an at-large bid.
Marcus Freeman's Notre Dame group will have to play Florida State but should be favored to win their rest of their schedule, meaning a Playoff spot is theirs to lose. The Liberty Flames have a clear path to another undefeated regular season record, so it seems likely that the Conference USA Champs will be the highest-ranked Group of 5 team in the land.