Although it doesn’t come close to matching the chaos of the previous week, week 7 of 2024 college football season provided fans across the country with memorable matches.
Oregon defeated Ohio State 32-31 at home in a thrilling matchup between the top three teams and their new Big Ten counterparts. Top-ranked Texas overtook Oklahoma 34-3 in an unusually lopsided result by the thrilling standards of the Red River rivalry. The 10 best teams in State of Pennsylvania, LSU and Tennessee all scored overtime victories, beating USC, Ole Mademoiselle and Florida, respectively.
For the sport’s best teams, the results of any given weekend immediately raise questions about how these different winners and losers impact the College Football Playoff race.
MANDATORY READING: Oregon’s loss to Ohio State headlines college football’s Week 7 winners and losers
This year, that rampant intrigue and speculation has intensified, with the playoff field expanding to 12 teams. One loss in any given week doesn’t doom a team’s playoff dreams; it just makes them a little harder to reach.
How did Week 7 shape the broader playoff picture? Here’s a look at what the 12-team College Football Playoff field would look like if the season ended today:
MANDATORY READING: Opinion: Texas proves it’s far more SEC-ready than Oklahoma in Red River rout
College Football Playoff Predictions After Week 7
Rankings are based on this week’s rankings Survey of LBM coaches in the United States And college football playoff format rules:
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Texas*
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Oregon*
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Miami*
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Iowa State*
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State of Pennsylvania
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Georgia
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Ohio State
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Alabama
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LSU
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Clemson
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Tennessee
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Boise State
* Receives a bye in the first round
Oregon’s win over Ohio State upsets the quartet of teams with first-round byes due to being the four highest-rated conference champions, with the Ducks tear away what had been Buckeyes‘ place at n°2. Ohio State, which fell to No. 5 in the coaches’ poll, remains firmly in the field, with the No. 7 seed.
LSU’s 29-26 win over rival Ole Miss set back the Tigers up two spots at No. 9 while completely removing the Rebels from the projected field. Ole Miss was replaced by Clemson, which slipped to 10th ahead of Tennessee, which fell one spot after a disappointing home win against a bad Gators team.
Rounding out the field is Boise State, which is the highest-rated conference champion outside of the Power Four leagues, at No. 19 in the latest coaches’ poll. THE Broncos ahead of Notre Dame, which is eight spots higher in the coaches’ poll, but that can’t make the field as conference champion, because the Fight the Irish are an independent program.
MANDATORY READING: Six college football teams can win the national championship from Texas to Oregon to…Alabama?!
Projected CFP bracket after week 7
With three times as many teams as its previous model, the College Football Playoff bracket will take a dramatically different shape starting with the 2024 season. The four highest-rated conference champions get a first-round bye.
First round matches will not be played at neutral sites, but at the site of the highest seed in a given match. From there, games will be played at various neutral sites that will host the New Year’s Six Balls until the national championship, which will be held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Using this week’s coaches poll as a guide, here’s a look at what this bracket would look like if the season ended today:
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No. 5 Penn State vs. No. 12 Boise State
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No. 6 Georgia vs. No. 11 Tennessee
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No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 10 Clemson
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No. 8 Alabama vs. No. 9 LSU
In this scenario, the winner of Alabama-LSU would advance to face Texas, the winner of Ohio State-Clemson would face Oregon, the winner of Georgia-Tennessee would face Miami, and the winner of Penn State-Boise State would face Iowa State.
MANDATORY READING: Deion Sanders and Colorado lose more than one game: “It took us a lot of time”
College Football Playoff Dates and Schedule
Here is the full list of 2025 College Football Playoff dates:
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First round: Friday December 20-Saturday December 21
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Quarter-finals: Tuesday December 31-Wednesday January 1
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Semi-finals: Thursday January 9-Friday January 10
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National Championship: Monday January 20
This article was originally published on USA TODAY: CFP Predictions: Updated 12-Team Group Projections After Week 7
