CFP Rankings: Alabama barely hangs on, Miami on outside looking in
There is big movement in the final College Football Playoff ranking before the conference championships and Dan Wolken is here to break it down.
Sports Pulse
The College Football Playoff entered its final phase this Tuesday, marking the last time the committee would release its projections ahead of Selection Sunday’s definitive rankings.
That is when we get the final bracket and clarity on the teams that will make up the first 12-team College Football Playoff bracket.
Bowl season will look a great deal different this year, and Tuesday’s rankings reveal offered plenty of intrigue with upsetting losses this past weekend for the likes of Miami and Ohio State.
Here is everything that went down during the final CFP rankings release show.
CFP RANKINGS GRADES: How committee fared
*-projected first-round bye
- No. 1 Oregon (12-0)*
- No. 2 Texas (11-1)*
- No. 3 Penn State (11-1)
- No. 4 Notre Dame (11-1)
- No. 5 Georgia (10-2)
- No. 6 Ohio State (10-2)
- No. 7 Tennessee (10-2)
- No. 8 SMU (10-2)*
- No. 9 Indiana (11-1)
- No. 10 Boise State (11-1)*
- No. 11 Alabama (9-3)
- No. 12 Miami (10-2)
- No. 13 Ole Miss (9-3)
- No. 14 South Carolina (9-3)
- No. 15 Arizona state (10-2) – would earn final spot in CFP as fifth-highest ranked projected champion
- No. 16 Iowa State (10-2)
- No. 17 Clemson (9-3)
- No. 18 BYU (10-2)
- No. 19 Missouri (9-3)
- No. 20 UNLV (10-2)
- No. 21 Illinois (9-3)
- No. 22 Syracuse (9-3)
- No. 23 Colorado (9-3)
- No. 24 Army (10-1)
- No. 25 Memphis (10-2)
Based on latest CFP rankings and projections.
First Round:
- No. 12 Arizona State at No. 5 Penn State
- No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State
- No. 11 Alabama at No. 6 Notre Dame
- No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Georgia
Quarterfinals:
- (Winner of Arizona State vs. Penn State) vs. No. 4 Boise State
- (Winner of Tennessee vs. Ohio State) vs. No. 1 Oregon
- (Winner of Alabama vs. Notre Dame) vs. No. 3 SMU
- (Winner of Indiana vs. Georgia) vs. No. 2 Texas
In the fifth and final rankings before Selection Sunday, the first teams out were Miami and Ole Miss. While both teams have a strong case for a playoff bid, neither team will be participating in their conference championship, meaning their seasons are likely done. It would take a massive collapse, injury, or something similar in order for any team with no more games on their schedule to be moved up in the rankings.
During the reveal show, a member of the CFP Rankings committee noted that Alabama (3-1 against currently ranked teams) has done better against ranked teams than Miami (0-1 against currently ranked teams), which ultimately gave them the edge in the rankings despite their three losses.
All times Eastern.
First Round:
- Game 1: Friday, December 20 at 8 p.m. | ABC, ESPN
- Game 2: Saturday, December 21 at 12 p.m. | TNT Sports
- Game 3: Saturday, December 21 at 4 p.m. | TNT Sports
- Game 4: Saturday, December 21 at 8 p.m. | ABC, ESPN
Playoff Quarterfinals Round:
- Vrbo Fiesta Bowl: Tuesday, December 31 at 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
- Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl: Wednesday, January 1 at 1 p.m. | ESPN
- Rose Bowl: Wednesday, January 1 at 5 p.m. | ESPN
- Allstate Sugar Bowl: Wednesday, January 1 at 8:45 p.m. | ESPN
Playoff Semifinals Round:
- Capital One Orange Bowl: Thursday, January 9 at 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
- Goodyear Cotton Bowl: Friday, January 10 at 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
National Championship:
- National Championship: Monday, January 20 at 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
How to watch CFP Rankings release show: Time, TV, streaming
- Date: Tuesday, Dec. 3
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN
- Stream: Fubo
Watch the CFP Rankings Show on ESPN with a Fubo subscription
Erick Smith, USA TODAY
- Oregon (Big Ten champion)*
- Texas (SEC champion)*
- SMU (ACC champion)*
- Arizona State (Big 12 champion)*
- Notre Dame
- Ohio State
- Georgia
- Penn State
- Tennessee
- Boise State**
- Indiana
- Alabama
*Receives first-round bye, automatic bid;Â **Receives automatic bid
Bracket – first round games
- No. 5 Notre Dame vs. No. 12 Alabama
- No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 11 Indiana
- No. 7 Georgia vs. No. 10 Boise State
- No. 8 Penn State vs. No. 9 Tennessee
R.J. Young, FOX Sports
- Oregon (Big Ten champion)*
- Texas (SEC champion)*
- SMU (ACC champion)*
- Arizona State (Big 12 champion)*
- Notre Dame
- Penn State
- Indiana
- Georgia
- Ohio State
- Tennessee
- Alabama
- Boise State**
*Receives first-round bye, automatic bid;Â **Receives automatic bid
Bracket – first round games
- No. 5 Notre Dame vs. No. 12 Boise State
- No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 11 Alabama
- No. 7 Indiana vs. No. 10 Tennessee
- No. 8 Georgia vs. No. 9 Ohio State
Blake Toppmeyer, USA Today
- Oregon
- Texas
- Penn State
- Notre Dame
- Georgia
- Ohio State
- Tennessee
- SMU
- Indiana
- Boise State
- Alabama
- South Carolina
- Arizona State
Heather Dinich, ESPN
- Oregon
- Texas
- Penn State
- Notre Dame
- Georgia
- Ohio State
- Tennessee
- SMU
- Indiana
- Boise State
- Miami
- Alabama
- Ole Miss
- South Carolina
- Arizona State
- Iowa State
- Clemson
- BYU
- Missouri
- UNLV
- Colorado
- Illinois
- Syracuse
- Memphis
- Texas A&M
The fifth College Football Playoff rankings of the 2024 season will be released Tuesday, Dec. 3. This is followed by a CFP selection show on Dec. 8 to announce the 12-team playoff field.
Here is the schedule for the College Football Playoff rankings show. All times are Eastern:
- Ranking 5:Â Tuesday, Dec. 3, 7-7:30 p.m.
- Selection Day:Â Sunday, Dec. 8, noon-4 p.m.
The College Football Playoff rankings are released each week through a CFP rankings show broadcasted by ESPN every Tuesday, from Nov. 5 through Dec. 3. This week’s show is slated to air starting at 7 p.m. ET and ending at 8 p.m. ET.
The College Football Playoff rankings show will air on ESPN, with the broadcast starting at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Dec. 3. Fans can also stream the show on Fubo, which is offering a free trial.
As of Dec. 3, here are the latest College Football Playoff title odds from BetMGM:
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