With Week 5 of the 2024 college football season in the books, it’s time to project how the new 12-team playoff will look by December. And after five weeks of the season, projections and predictions on how the bracket could look in December have changed significantly from August.
After Saturday night's win over Georgia, Alabama moves to the No. 1 overall seed after Week 5. The Crimson Tide have arguably the best win of the regular season (so far) but have tough matchups remaining at Tennessee and LSU. Last week's No. 1 team (Texas) drops to No. 5 with Alabama replacing the Longhorns as the projected SEC champion. Kansas State moves into the No. 4 seed as the projected Big 12 champ following Utah's loss to Arizona on Saturday night. Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Clemson, LSU, USC, Iowa State, BYU, and Utah headline the top teams on the bubble after Week 5.
Although the season is just getting started, the impact of every game isn't limited to just the top four. Instead, each contest takes on an increased role due to eight additional spots in the playoff, as well as seeding, and the automatic bids for conference champions.
As a refresher: 12 teams — the five highest-rated conference champions and seven highest-ranked at-large selections by the selection committee — will receive berths to the College Football Playoff. The top four teams receive a bye, with the first-round games slated to be played at the home sites of the higher seed. Beginning with the quarterfinals, all games through the national championship will be played at bowl or neutral sites.
Related: College Football Bowl Projections for 2024
With Week 5 completed, Athlon Sports projects the CFP field for 2024:
College Football Playoff 12-Team Preseason Projections for 2024
The Projected Field for 2024-25
Ranking All 134 College Football Teams for 2024
1. Alabama (Projected SEC Champion)
2. Ohio State (Projected Big Ten Champion)
3. Miami (Projected ACC Champion)
4. Kansas State (Projected Big 12 Champion)
5. Texas
6. Tennessee
7. Georgia
8. Oregon
9. Penn State
10. Missouri
11. Michigan
12. Boise State (Projected Highest G5 Champion)
Bubble Watch After Week 5
Notre Dame (4-1)
USC (3-1)
Ole Miss (4-1)
LSU (4-1)
Clemson (3-1)
Iowa State (4-0)
BYU (5-0)
Oklahoma (3-1)
Utah (4-1)
Texas A&M (4-1)
Louisville (3-1)
G5 Playoff Contenders
Projected Conference Champions: Memphis, Boise State, Liberty, Texas State, and Miami (Ohio)
Other G5 Teams in the Mix: Northern Illinois, Army, Navy, Tulane, South Florida, UTSA, James Madison, Appalachian State, Toledo, UNLV, and Fresno State
College Football Playoff First Round
First-round games will be placed on campus sites of highest seed. Matchups will take place from Dec. 20-21.
No. 5 Texas vs. No. 12 Boise State
No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 11 Michigan
No. 7 Georgia vs. No. 10 Missouri
No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 9 Penn State
Related: Ranking All 134 College Football Teams for 2024
College Football Playoff Quarterfinals
Second-round games will be played at bowl sites and will take place from Dec. 31-Jan. 1.
Fiesta Bowl (Dec. 31)
Projection: No. 4 Kansas State vs. No. 5 Texas
Peach Bowl (Jan. 1)
Projection: No. 3 Miami vs. No. 6 Tennessee
Rose Bowl (Jan. 1)
Projection: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 7 Georgia
Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1)
Projection: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 8 Oregon
College Football Playoff Semifinals
Semifinal games will be played at bowl sites. Matchups are scheduled for Jan. 9-10.
Orange Bowl (Jan. 9)
Projection: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 6 Tennessee
Cotton Bowl (Jan. 10)
Projection: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 5 Texas
National Championship
Jan. 20, 2025 in Atlanta, Ga.
Projection: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 2 Ohio State
Steven Lassan is the senior college football writer and editor for AthlonSports.com. Follow him on Twitter , Instagram , and Facebook .
Related: College Football Bowl Projections for 2024-25
Related: College Football Rankings: Athlon Sports Top 25 (After Week 5)
Related: College Football Top 134 Team Rankings for 2024
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