Projecting the 2024 12-team College Football Playoff field after week two
Week two of the college football season was not a good one for the Big 12. In fact, the conference did nothing to change the perception that it is a one-bid league.
Conference favorites No. 11 Utah did put away Baylor in a non-conference game. The 23-12 win in Salt Lake City was methodical despite the fact that the Utes were without starting QB Cam Rising for the second half of the game.
However, No. 17 Kansas State looked less than impressive despite handling Tulane on the road. The Wildcats needed a late fumble return for a touchdown to secure a 34-27 win.
The 16th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys needed double overtime to take down one of the teams projected to finish near the bottom of the S.E.C., Arkansas. In the 39-31 win, the Cowboys had to overcome a 21-7 deficit, in fact.
Then, there was the awful night for No. 19 Kansas. Falling 23-17 to unranked Illinois, the Jayhawks did nothing to help the Big 12 prove that it is on par with a league like the Big Ten.
If there was a bright spot for the conference, it was Iowa State's last-second road win over No. 21 Iowa. The 20-19 triumph was the second-straight win for the Cyclones in Iowa City.
Still, it is looking more and more like the only way a Big 12 team is going to find a way into the playoff is by winning the league. So with that in mind, let's look at our updated College Football Playoff projections.
Rank | Team | Bid | Previous Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Georgia | SEC Champ | 1 |
2 | Ohio State | Big Ten Champ | 2 |
3 | Miami | ACC Champ | 3 |
4 | Utah | Big 12 | N/A |
5 | Texas | At-large | 7 |
6 | Alabama | At-large | 6 |
7 | Ole Miss | At-large | 9 |
8 | USC | At-large | 10 |
9 | Penn State | At-large | 8 |
10 | Tennessee | At-large | N/A |
11 | Oregon | At-large | 11 |
12 | Boise State | MWC Champ | N/A |
Week three of the season could be a bit less exciting with No. 20 Arizona vs. No. 17 Kansas State being the only matchup of ranked teams. Still, as we saw Saturday when No. 5 Notre Dame fell to Northern Illinois at home, anything can happen in college football. So check in next week to see how the rankings shake out after another round of games.
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