Week 9 of the 2024 college football season didn’t bring many surprises or upsets. In fact, all 12 of the teams in my week 8 College Football Playoff field either won or did not play.
There is one shake-up in this week’s prediction, as Texas A&M was impressive enough in its win over LSU to enter the field. Texas A&M is now 7-1 (5-0 SEC) and in sole possession of first place in the SEC. While they haven’t been perfect, the Aggies now own convincing wins over LSU and Missouri, and their only loss was back in week one to a fellow playoff contender in Notre Dame.
A&M will host Texas to close the regular season. Between the renewal of this bitter rivalry and both teams entering November squarely in the playoff hunt, this has become one of the most highly-anticipated games of the 2024 season. Texas A&M has some tricky games before it gets to Texas, however, starting with a game at South Carolina this weekend.
Largely the same as last week, here is my week 9 12-team College Football Playoff prediction.
Seed | Team | Bid Status | Previous Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Georgia | SEC Champ | 1 |
2 | Ohio State | Big Ten Champ | 2 |
3 | Miami | ACC Champ | 3 |
4 | BYU | Big 12 Champ | 4 |
5 | Oregon | At-large | 5 |
6 | Texas | At-large | 6 |
7 | Penn State | At-large | 7 |
8 | Tennessee | At-large | 8 |
9 | Clemson | At-large | 9 |
10 | Texas A&M | At-large | Not Ranked |
11 | Notre Dame | At-large | 11 |
12 | Boise State | Mountain West Champ | 12 |
Good day for the favorites
Georgia, Tennessee, and Clemson are all top-10 teams who enjoyed a bye week and therefore stayed put. Ohio State survived a scare against Nebraska, but is still my projected Big Ten champion. Similarly, Texas escaped the dreaded Vanderbilt trap. It’s safe to say the Commodores have proven to be a quality team with the body of work they have put forth all season.
Group of Five champion Boise State won a tough Friday night road game over UNLV to keep its playoff hopes alive. Penn State remained undefeated, outscoring Wisconsin 21-3 in the second half for a big win on the road.
Projected conference champs Miami and BYU, as well as at-large selections Oregon and Notre Dame, all achieved varying levels of dominance against overmatched opponents.
On the Outside Looking In
Texas A&M enters the field at the expense of Indiana, despite the Hoosiers taking care of business against Washington without starting quarterback Kurtis Rourke. Admittedly, brand recognition is hurting IU a little bit here, but so is the weak schedule the Hoosiers have played to this point.
Even with a loss on its resume, I think Texas A&M has accomplished more against better teams. Indiana will have chances to show its worth down the stretch with back-to-back games against Michigan and at Ohio State looming.
Another undefeated team, Iowa State, is also just outside the field along with 7-1 Kansas State, who was my original pick to win the Big 12. The Cyclones and Wildcats will face off in the regular season finale in what could very well be a play-in game for the Big 12 Championship, and perhaps even the playoff.
Lastly, SEC West foes Alabama and LSU will square off in two weeks after their joint bye week. LSU fell to Texas A&M in week 9, but Alabama restored some hope with a 34-0 win over a ranked Missouri team and arguably its most complete performance of the season.
Both the Crimson Tide and the Tigers still have playoff aspirations, but both enter November with two losses and their backs against the wall. This will be a physical showdown in Baton Rouge, with the loser likely being eliminated from playoff contention. Conversely, the winner will have a chance to give the SEC a fifth team in my projected playoff field.