College Football Playoff Rankings: Which Teams Are Getting Screwed, Earning Respect, Gaining Control?

The second edition of the 2024 College Football Playoff Rankings has been released and, to the surprise of nobody, Oregon remains at the top of the list after an emphatic 39-19 win over Maryland. 

EUGENE, Ore. - Quarterback Dillon Gabriel of the Oregon Ducks warms up before the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Autzen Stadium on October 26, 2024. (Photo by Ali Gradischer/Getty Images)

Ohio State stays put at No. 2 after a 45-0 win over Northwestern, with the Buckeyes only loss coming on October 12 against the top-ranked Ducks.

Behind them, there is total chaos.

Georgia and Miami dropped out of the ranks of the top five after losses last week to Ole Miss and Georgia Tech, respectively.

Reminder: The top five conference champions get the top five seeds. Therefore, a team’s ranking is not necessarily its seed in the bracket once it’s finalized

Let’s take a look at the rankings (*= in the playoffs)

1. Oregon*

2. Ohio State*

3. Texas*

4. Penn State*

5. Indiana*

6. BYU*

7. Tennessee*

8. Notre Dame*

9. Miami*

10. Alabama*

11. Ole Miss*

12. Georgia

13. Boise State*

14. SMU

15. Texas A&M

16. Kansas State

17. Colorado

18. Washington State

19. Louisville

20. Clemson

21. South Carolina

22. LSU

23. Missouri

24. Army

25. Tulane

Top 5 Takeaways

• Texas is on thin ice. The Longhorns’ best win is over Vanderbilt and its one loss is to a Georgia team that has fallen on hard times. It might not be respected as much as it has been so far if the Bulldogs' skid continues and Tennessee wins that big matchup that weekend.

• Ohio State is getting screwed. I have consistently said that automatic bids are horrible for the sport and are all about granting excellence instead of rewarding excellence. If the playoff started today, the second-ranked Buckeyes would be forced to play a first round game and No. 9 Miami would get a bye. So dumb.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - TreVeyon Henderson of the Ohio State Buckeyes runs the ball during the second quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions  at Beaver Stadium on November 02, 2024. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

• Indiana is finally getting the respect it deserves. It had won every game by 14 or more points prior to last week’s 20-15 win over Michigan. However, even in that one, the Hoosiers jumped out to a 17-3 lead. Sure, the Wolverines clawed back and made a game of it. But Indiana’s "C+" game is still pretty solid.

• Colorado controls its own destiny. I never thought those five words would come out of my mouth (or keyboard) in the year of our Lord 2024. Yet, here we are. The Buffaloes don’t need any help to get to the Big 12 Championship Game and a win would get them in (but not necessarily a bye). Deion Sanders would be a lock for national Coach of the Year if Indiana’s Curt Cignetti didn’t exist.

LUBBOCK, Tex. - Shedeur Sanders #2 of the Colorado Buffaloes takes a photo with fans after the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Jones AT&T Stadium on November 9, 2024. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)

• Georgia is fine. Sure, it’s the last team out of the current bracket even though it is ranked 12th. However, a win over Tennessee this weekend would send the Bulldogs to the moon in next week’s rankings. There is no need to freak out, Dawg fans.

What Would The Bracket Look Like?

First Round:

9. Notre Dame

8. Tennessee

12. Boise State

5. Ohio State

10. Alabama

7. Indiana

11. Ole Miss

6. Penn State

Quarterfinals:

12/5 Winner

4. Miami (conference champion)

9/8 Winner

1. Oregon (conference champion)

11/6 Winner

3. BYU (conference champion)

10/7 Winner

2. Texas (conference champion)