Week 6 12-team College Football Playoff prediction: Alabama and the SEC take a hit
Week six of the 2024 college football season was full of unexpected upsets, headlined by the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide falling to Vanderbilt in shocking fashion.
Along with the Tide, playoff contenders like Tennessee, Missouri, and Michigan all lost while ACC leader Miami barely escaped for the second consecutive week.
With all of these shake-ups in mind, here is my week six College Football Playoff prediction.
Seed | Team | Bid Status | Previous Rank |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Texas | SEC Champ | 6 |
2 | Ohio State | Big Ten Champ | 2 |
3 | Miami | ACC Champ | 3 |
4 | Utah | Big 12 Champ | 4 |
5 | Georgia | At-large | 5 |
6 | Oregon | At-large | 9 |
7 | Penn State | At-large | 10 |
8 | Tennessee | At-large | 7 |
9 | Clemson | At-large | NR |
10 | Alabama | At-large | 1 |
11 | Notre Dame | At-large | 11 |
12 | Boise State | Mountain West Champ | 12 |
Texas takes the mantle as the last remaining SEC unbeaten, but the Longhorns have a gauntlet ahead starting with the Red River Rivalry this weekend. Ohio State holds serve as my Big Ten champion following a convincing win over Iowa.
Though Miami has looked very beatable as of late, the ACC is fairly weak and the Canes are still unblemished. Utah enjoyed a bye week and stays as my Big 12 title favorite despite BYU and Iowa State both looking sharp with undefeated records.
Georgia, Oregon, and Penn State occupy my top three at-large spots. None looked particularly impressive this weekend, but all got double-digit home victories against lesser opponents. In what was the biggest upset weekend of the season, this is all you can ask of a top-10 team.
Tennessee falls to no. 8 after losing an ugly game against Arkansas, and Clemson re-enters the field with a road win over Florida State.
Alabama had to be severely docked after taking the most embarrassing loss of the college football season, but ultimately I think the Tide still makes the playoff. Bama fell to 7th in the AP Poll and comes in as the 10-seed in my playoff prediction.
Though I wrestled with rewarding Ole Miss for its dominant bounce-back win over South Carolina, Notre Dame gets the final at-large spot. The Rebels will have plenty of chances to prove themselves with three ranked opponents in their next four games.
Led by Heisman contender Ashton Jeanty, Boise State is still my favorite pick for the highest-ranked Group of Five champion.
Ole Miss, Texas A&M, BYU, Iowa State, and Indiana fell just outside this week's playoff prediction.