College Football Playoff rankings, bracket: Boise State receives No. 3 seed

Oregon, Georgia, Boise State, Arizona State earn first-round byes

Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty. / Brian Losness-Imagn Images

Boise State is officially College Football Playoff-bound. 

After knocking off UNLV in Friday’s Mountain West Football Championship, the Broncos (12-1) were awarded with the No. 3 overall seed in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff by the selection committee on Sunday. Boise State is one of four teams to receive a first-round bye, joining No. 1 Oregon (13-0) of the Big Ten, No. 2 Georgia (11-2) of the SEC and Big 12 champion Arizona State (11-2), seeded No. 4.

The Broncos will face the winner of a Dec. 21 first-round matchup between No. 11 SMU (11-2) and No. 6 Penn State (11-2) in the Fiesta Bowl, scheduled for Dec. 31 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Boise State has won the Fiesta Bowl three times in program history: 2007, 2010 and 2014. 

The other first-round games are No. 12 Clemson (10-3) at No. 5 Texas (11-2), No. 9 Tennessee (10-2) at No. 8 Ohio State (10-2) and No. 10 Indiana (11-1) at No. 7 Notre Dame (11-1). The winners advance to the quarterfinals. 

The five highest-ranked conference champions by the 13-person committee earned automatic bids to the playoff with the top four champions getting a first-round bye.

Alabama (9-3) was the first team left out by the committee. Miami (10-2) was the second team out.

Arizona State snagged the final bye when Clemson upset SMU, 34-31 in the ACC Championship. Georgia defeated Texas in overtime 22-19, to win the SEC title and earn a bye. 

Boise State will enter the playoff on an 11-game winning streak. The Broncos defeated UNLV, 21-7, Friday night at Albertsons Stadium to claim their second straight Mountain West Conference title. 

Heisman Trophy candidate Ashton Jeanty ran for 209 yards and a touchdown in the win. Jeanty leads the country in rushing yards (2,497) and rushing touchdowns (29). He is fourth on the FBS all-time single-season rushing list, trailing only Oklahoma State’s Barry Sanders (2,628 yards, 1988 season), Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon (2,587, 2014) and UCF’s Kevin Smith (2,567, 2007).

Earlier Sunday, Boise State checked in at No. 8 in the AP top 25. 

Here is the full College Football Playoff bracket: 

First round

No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas, Friday, Dec. 20

No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State, Friday, Dec. 20

No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame, Saturday, Dec. 21

No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State, Saturday, Dec. 21

Quarterfinals

Clemson/Texas winner vs. No. 4 Arizona State, Wednesday, Jan. 1 (Peach Bowl)

Penn State/SMU winner vs. No. 3 Boise State, Tuesday, Dec. 31 (Fiesta Bowl)

Indiana/Notre Dame winner vs. No. 2 Georgia, Wednesday, Jan. 1 (Sugar Bowl)

Tennessee/Ohio State winner vs. No. 1 Oregon, Wednesday, Jan. 1 (Rose Bowl)

Here are the final College Football Playoff rankings:

Final College Football Playoff rankings 

Dec. 8, 2024

1. Oregon (Big Ten)

2. Georgia (SEC)

3. Texas (SEC)

4. Notre Dame (Independent)

5. Ohio State (Big Ten)

7. Tennessee (SEC)

8. Indiana (Big Ten)

9. Boise State (MWC)

10. SMU (ACC)

11. Alabama (SEC)

12. Arizona State (Big 12)

13. Miami (ACC)

14. Ole Miss (SEC)

15. South Carolina (SEC)

16. Clemson (ACC)

17. BYU (Big 12)

18. Iowa State (Big 12)

19. Missouri (SEC)

20. Illinois (Big Ten)

21. Syracuse (ACC)

22. Army (American)

23. Colorado (Big 12)

24. UNLV (MWC)

25. Memphis (American)

MORE BOISE STATE NEWS & ANALYSIS

• What Spencer Danielson said about Boise State earning No. 3 seed for College Football Playoff

• College Football Playoff: Easy draw for Penn State? Boise State may feel the same

• Heisman Trophy odds: Ashton Jeanty closes gap on Travis Hunter

• What Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, Spencer Danielson said after clinching College Football Playoff berth

• Boise State coach Spencer Danielson: Several Broncos ‘are getting illegally recruited to get in the portal’

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