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Projecting the 2024 12-team College Football Playoff field after week two

Here's a look at what the College Football Playoff field might look like after a weekend full of upsets and close calls for top contenders.

ByMatthew Conner|
Sep 7, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Northern Illinois Huskies kicker Kanon Woodill (92) reacts after kicking the game winning field goal in the fourth quarter against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. The Huskies won 16-14. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images
Sep 7, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Northern Illinois Huskies kicker Kanon Woodill (92) reacts after kicking the game winning field goal in the fourth quarter against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. The Huskies won 16-14. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images | Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

Week two of the college football season provided plenty of thrills. As a result, there are some major changes to our College Football Playoff projection.

Of course, the most seismic event of the weekend had to delight USC fans as No. 5 Notre Dame was upset at home by Northern Illinois 16-14. That was one of the biggest upsets of the season and one that will alter the College Football Playoff race.

Other playoff contenders had close calls at home in week two. Penn State had to hold off Bowling Green 34-27, Oklahoma sleepwalked through a home game against lowly Houston to win 16-12, Oregon had to kick a last-second FG to beat Boise State 37-34, and Oklahoma State had to go to double overtime to beat Arkansas in Stillwater 39-31.

On the other hand, some title contenders made statements. That included Texas, which took apart Michigan on the road 31-12. Utah made an early Big 12 statement by controlling Baylor 23-12 despite playing half of that game without starting QB Cam Rising.

Tennessee turned heads by whipping No. 25 NC State on a neutral field 51-10. Meanwhile, USC and Miami each had wins of over 45 points against inferior Group of 5 programs.

So let's see how the playoff projections shake out after another exciting week of college football.

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 Champ

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 Champs

N/A

This week, the SEC leads the way with five bids including the Volunteers who enter the conversation after their dominant victory. Meanwhile, the Big Ten holds strong with four bids.

The Big 12 continues to look like a one-bid league, unfortunately. The struggles of Oklahoma State at home and Kansas State on the road didn't help the perception of the conference at all.

Week three may not be a big week for the playoff rankings. That's because Oregon facing rival Oregon State on the road is perhaps the only intriguing top-25 game of the week. However, surprises almost always happen so keep checking in to see how the playoff field shapes up each week.

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