Iowa State No. 17 in first College Football Playoff Rankings

The Cyclones have some work to do

Carson Brown (32) and the Iowa State Cyclones still have a shot at a College Football Playoff berth. / Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Iowa State still has a shot.

Coming off a 23-22 loss to Texas Tech that dropped them from the ranks of the unbeaten, the Cyclones were ranked No. 17 in the first College Football Playoff Rankings of the 2024 season.

The top 12 teams in the final CFP rankings will qualify for the first 12-team playoff. The top five ranked conference champions will automatically earn berths in the CFP, with the top four receiving first-round byes. The next seven teams in the rankings will be added to the bracket as at-large teams.

Iowa State (7-1, 4-1) still has a great shot at winning the Big 12 championship game and earning an automatic berth.

Based on Tuesday's first rankings, they also still have a legitimate shot at an at-large berth.

The five teams in front of them — not counting Boise State — all face tough roads and could easily pick up another loss: Mississippi, LSU, Texas A&M, SMU, Alabama. If Iowa State wins out and loses to BYU in the Big 12 championship, there's still a scenario where they could be one of the seven at-large teams.

BYU is ranked No. 9 in the first rankings, with Kansas State at No. 19 and Colorado at No. 20.

Here are first College Football Playoff Rankings of the 2024 season. They will be released every Tuesday for the rest of the season.

College Football Playoff Rankings

Nov. 5, 2024

1. Oregon (9-0) | Projected No. 1 seed
2. Ohio State (7-1) | Projected No. 5 seed
3. Georgia (7-1) | Projected No. 2 seed
4. Miami (FL) (9-0) | Projected No. 3 seed
5. Texas (7-1) | Projected No. 6 seed
6. Penn State (7-1) | Projected No. 7 seed
7. Tennessee (7-1) | Projected No. 8 seed
8. Indiana (9-0) | Projected No. 9 seed
9. BYU (8-0) | Projected No. 4 seed
10. Notre Dame (7-1) | Projected No. 10 seed
11. Alabama (6-2) | Projected No. 11 seed
12. Boise State (7-1) | Projected No. 12 seed
13. SMU (8-1)
14. Texas A&M (7-2)
15. LSU (6-2)
16. Ole Miss (7-2)
17. Iowa State (7-1)
18. Pittsburgh (7-1)
19. Kansas State (7-2)
20. Colorado (6-2)
21. Washington State (7-1)
22. Louisville (6-3)
23. Clemson (6-2)
24. Missouri (6-2)
25. Army West Point (8-0)