The 2024 college football season is only two games old for most schools, but there have already been plenty of results that could potentially affect the first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff .
Georgia and Texas asserted themselves as early favorites with big non conference wins over Clemson and Michigan, respectively, while Florida State played its way out of the postseason picture with two-straight losses. Miami, USC and Tennessee emerged with notable wins, while preseason playoff contenders like Ohio State, Alabama, Ole Miss , Oregon, Penn State, Missouri, Oklahoma and Utah avoided losses. Notre Dame burst through in Week 1 only to suffer a stunning setback to Northern Illinois in Week 2.
All of this, of course, has led to movement in the national championship odds . There are a lot more teams in contention with the expanded playoff field this year. Here's what the top contenders look like heading into Week 3:
WEEK 3 COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREDICTIONS: Expert picks for every Top 25 game
College football power rankings: CFP championship odds after Week 2
All numbers from BetMGM college football odds as of Thursday morning.
T-12. Utah (2-0) (+5000)
Utah remains the favorite in the Big 12 after beginning league play with a win over Baylor, but it came with a cost. Utes quarterback Cam Rising suffered an injury to two fingers on his throwing hand and his status this week was uncertain as of Thursday.
T-12. LSU (1-1) (+5000)
The Tigers didn't exactly set the world on fire against Nicholls after their season-opening loss to USC, not pulling away until the second half, and so their national championship odds continued to drop this week. But quarterback Garrett Nussmeier was impressive throwing six touchdowns in LSU's first win.
T-10. USC (2-0) (+5000)
The Trojans ' new-look defense under produced USC's first shutout since 2011, and quarterback Miller Moss and Mississippi State transfer running back Woody Marks again looked sharp in last week's home opener against Utah State. USC is off this week before making its Big Ten debut at Michigan on Sept. 21.
T-10. Missouri (2-0) (+4000)
Missouri quarterback Brady Cook ran for two touchdowns in the Tigers' second-straight shutout to start the season, a feat the program hadn't accomplished since 1935. Now comes the first test of the season – a home game against Boston College, just two weeks removed from its upset of Florida State.
T-8. Miami (2-0) (+2500)
Cam Ward threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score as the Hurricanes backed up their blowout of Florida to open the season without another blowout of an in-state opponent. Miami appears to be the favorite in the ACC for now.
The Nittany Lions ' defense looked more wobbly than usual in last Saturday's too-close-for-comfort home opener. But Penn State remains on track to compete for its first College Football Playoff berth under coach James Franklin.
The Vols had the look of a playoff contender in their 51-10 blowout of North Carolina State . Quarterback Nico Iamaleava accounted for three touchdowns, running back Dylan Sampson added 132 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, and the Tennessee defense held the Wolfpack to 143 total yards.
6. Ole Miss (2-0) (+1400)
Quarterback Jaxon Dart set an SEC record for completions to start a game, Ole Miss rushed for more than 200 yards and the Rebels rolled past Middle Tennessee . Ole Miss leads the nation in scoring ahead of its first road game at Wake Forest.
The Ducks needed a last-second field goal to win a thriller against Mountain West Conference favorite Boise State and once again didn't seem to be the juggernaut many predicted in the preseason just yet. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns, but the offensive line seems to be a work in progress with a rivalry game on the road awaiting.
4. Alabama (2-0) (+900)
The Crimson Tide got another scare from USF this season with a one-score game in the fourth quarter. Alabama pulled away late behind two Jalen Milroe touchdown passes to keep new coach Kalen DeBoer unblemished ahead of a rare non conference matchup at Wisconsin.
3. Texas (2-0) (+500)
Quinn Ewers and the Longhorns put the country on notice that it will be a force this year after a dominating road win over the defending national champions last week. Given Texas' initial SEC schedule, which features a road game at Oklahoma, a home game against Georgia, and no games against Alabama, Ole Miss or LSU, anything less than a spot in the SEC championship game would be disappointing.
The Buckeyes cruised again facing Western Michigan and likely won't be challenged until they begin Big Ten play at the end of the month. Ohio State's two running backs – TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins ‒ combined for four touchdowns and quarterback Will Howard threw for 296 yards in the team's shutout last week
1. Georgia (2-0) (+275)
Carson Beck backed up Georgia's season-opening statement against Clemson by throwing for five touchdowns in the first 35 minutes of the team's latest win against Tennessee Tech. The start of SEC play is up next for the Bulldogs , who have now won 41-straight regular-season games under coach Kirby Smart.
Next six: T-13. Clemson (+6600), Oklahoma (+6600); 15. Kansas State (+8000); T-16. Michigan (+10000), Notre Dame (+10000), Texas A&M (+10000)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football power rankings by odds: Texas, Tennessee move up ahead of Week 3
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