The highest-ranked Group of Five conference champion is guaranteed a spot in the 12-team field, but surprisingly, no non-power conference team was in the preseason top 25.
Boise State appears likeliest to come out of the Mountain West and claim that final automatic berth. The 2023 champion Broncos were a near-consensus pick by media voters in the conference's preseason poll and return nearly every starter under new head coach Spencer Danielson.
Boise State boasts the second-most wins without making the playoff (69). A signature win over No. 3 Oregon on Sept. 7 would help end that streak.
Another Group of Five squad omitted from the preseason rankings, Memphis is in a prime position to find itself in the expanded playoff field.
In a matchup that could decide their season, the Tigers play at No. 10 Florida State on Sept. 14. A win will set up Memphis for an undefeated season and an American Athletic Conference title ( as predicted in July ). That should be enough to make the playoff over Boise State if it falters anywhere in its schedule.
The Hokies could be the biggest sleeper team in the ACC this season. Redshirt junior quarterback Kyron Drones returns to lead a potential top-five offense, including four returning offensive linemen. CBS Sports' Josh Pate broke that down further in July.
Florida State, Miami and Clemson are trendy picks to win the ACC, but Virginia Tech could find itself 4-0 and rolling toward a potential conference title going into Hard Rock Stadium on Sept. 27 for a season-defining matchup against the Hurricanes.
If Virginia Tech wins that game, No. 14 Clemson awaits on Nov. 9 in what could be a game to lock up a spot in the ACC Championship Game, probably against Florida State.
A win against either Clemson or Miami would leave Virginia Tech enough breathing room to make the playoff with one or maybe even two losses.
Believe it or not, Nebraska's schedule actually does it a favor for once. The Huskers might find themselves 7-0 going into Columbus on Oct. 26 against No. 2 Ohio State.
From there, two of its last four games are against teams in the preseason top 25, and that's where the actual test begins. If the Cornhuskers defeat either USC or Iowa, a possibly 10-2 Nebraska, led by true freshman Dylan Raiola , would likely see itself in the playoff for the first time.
Fox Sports' Joel Klatt gave a similar prediction Monday on "The Joel Klatt Show."
Despite being picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 preseason poll , West Virginia could slip into the 12-team playoff.
The Mountaineers open their season hosting No. 8 Penn State on Aug. 31, providing an early opportunity to make waves across the college football world. Four more preseason top-25 opponents await them later in the year. Wins during that stretch should certainly shoot them into the top 12.
West Virginia's most significant issue is its defense, particularly its pass rush. According to Pro Football Focus , the Mountaineers finished in the bottom 20 in pass-rush win rate last season (29%). If they can improve significantly on that figure, this could be a special season in Morgantown.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Most Popular
Comments / 0