Projecting Where BYU Lands In College Football Playoff Rankings After First Loss
Nov 18, 2024, 10:39 PM
Where will the BYU Cougars land in the College Football Playoff rankings after suffering a loss to Kansas? (Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)
(Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)
PROVO, Utah – The third installment of the College Football Playoff rankings will be released on Tuesday, November 19.
A big question nationally regarding the CFP Top 25 is, how far will BYU fall after they suffered their first loss of the season? Not only was it a loss, but it was also a setback at home against a Kansas team with a losing record (4-6).
Before losing to Kansas, BYU was ranked No. 6 in the College Football Playoff rankings.
For the third installment of the CFP Top 25, I’m projecting BYU to take a big tumble, as they did in the AP Top 25. My projection for BYU in this week’s College Football Playoff rankings is No. 14, an eight-spot drop.
What to watch for in the third CFP Top 25 reveal
BYU could still be the highest-ranked Big 12 team in the rankings, putting the Cougars in the 12-team field. But I’ll project the Committee gives Colorado a bump after convincingly dominating Utah one week after BYU squeaked by the Utes in Salt Lake City.
I project four Big 12 teams to be ranked this week, with Arizona State and Iowa State joining the rankings.
The top five in this week’s College Football Playoff rankings should be the same as last week: Oregon, Ohio State, Texas, Penn State, and Indiana. It will get interesting at No. 6, BYU’s old spot.
I’m calling for Alabama to catapult from No. 10 to No. 6. The Crimson Tide faced Mercer from the FCS ranks this past weekend. If not Alabama, Notre Dame could be the team that goes to No. 6.
It will be interesting to see how the Playoff Committee ranks the handful of two-loss SEC teams. Georgia brought Tennessee into the two-loss mix after knocking off the Vols in Athens over the weekend.
How the Committee ranks those teams will likely be a big storyline from this week’s Top 25 reveal.
Remember, a team’s ranking does not equate to its seed in the 12-team bracket. The easiest way to look at this is to find the five highest-ranked conference champions, start from the top with the at-large teams, and work your way down until you get the full 12-team field.
College Football Playoff Rankings Projection
For the third installment of the Top 25 for the 2024 season
1. Oregon (No. 1 seed)
2. Ohio State (No. 5 seed)
3. Texas (No. 2 seed)
4. Penn State (No. 6 seed)
5. Indiana (No. 7 seed)
6. Alabama (No. 8 seed)
7. Notre Dame (No. 9 seed)
8. Georgia (No. 10 seed)
9. Miami (No. 3 seed)
10. Tennessee (No. 11 seed)
11. Ole Miss (First Team Out)
12. Boise State (No. 4 seed)
13. Colorado (No. 12 seed)
14. BYU
15. SMU
16. Texas A&M
17. South Carolina
18. Clemson
19. Army
20. Arizona State
21. Tulane
22. Illinois
23. Iowa State
24. UNLV
25. Missouri
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
