Where Will Notre Dame Land in the First College Football Playoff Rankings?

Notre Dame would appear to be among the most confusing teams to rank nationally

Sep 21, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman prepares to lead his players onto the field for the game against the Miami Redhawks at Notre Dame Stadium. / Matt Cashore / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The nation awaits what will come Tuesday night as a few states will play a major hand in determining the much-anticipated outcome.

Of course we're talking about Red vs. Blue.

And green, and black, and silver, and orange, and burnt orange, and crimson, and white, and maroon, and plenty of other colors as well.

And we're not just talking about Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Iowa, or Minnesota, either.

We're clearly talking about the initial College Football Playoff rankings for 2024 that will be released Tuesday night.

Where Will Notre Dame Rank in Initial College Football Playoff Rankings?

Oct 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) throws the ball during the first half against the Navy Midshipmen at MetLife Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Notre Dame has one of the most unique cases of any team in playoff contention. The season-opening win over Texas A&M is huge and the Irish got a big boost after Louisville destroyed Clemson last week, but much of the 2024 schedule has disappointed to date.

How will Notre Dame be ranked with the couple of nice wins but also that brutal home loss to Northern Illinois?

Below is my best guess at how the initial College Football Playoff rankings for 2024 will look Tuesday night.

Initial College Football Playoff Rankings Prediction

Just Miss Top 25:
Colorado, Kansas State, Tulane, UNLV

25. Army
24. Vanderbilt
23. Missouri
22. South Carolina
21. Pittsburgh
20. Louisville
19. Washington State
18. Clemson
17. Ole Miss
16. Iowa State
15. LSU
14. Texas A&M
13. SMU

College Football Playoff Teams Based on Projected Initial Rankings

12. Boise State

Nov 1, 2024; Boise, Idaho, USA; Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty (2) runs for a score during the second half against the San Diego State Aztecs at Albertsons Stadium. Boise State defeats San Diego State 56-24. / Brian Losness-Imagn Images

The close loss at Oregon being the only blemish gives Boise State a nose advantage over the rest of the Group of Five as a whole and SMU in terms of ranking.

11. Notre Dame

Oct 19, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman shown during the game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

This number will undoubtedly anger most Notre Dame fans but with the cannibalism between the teams ahead to come, a home playoff game still remains a real possibility despite the low initial ranking.

10. Alabama

Oct 26, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Ryan Williams (2) carries the ball after a reception against the Missouri Tigers during the second half at Bryant-Denny Stadium. / Butch Dill-Imagn Images

Get ready to hear all about how Alabama's two losses are the most impressive of any two-loss team. And yeah, the win over Georgia also has to count for something.

9. Penn State

Nov 2, 2024; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin walks on the field during a warmup prior to the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Beaver Stadium. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Played Ohio State close but wasn't enough to win. So the same old Penn State, and as the resume currently reads, not impressive enough to host a playoff game at this time.

8. Tennessee

Oct 12, 2024; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers linebacker Arion Carter (7), Tennessee Volunteers linebacker Jeremiah Telander (22), defensive lineman James Pearce Jr. (27) and defensive lineman Bryson Eason (20) celebrate after a sack against the Florida Gators at Neyland Stadium. / Angelina Alcantar/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

The Arkansas loss looks worse by the week but the Alabama win is huge to help offset that. The question will be what kind of showing will Tennessee have at Georgia in a few weeks?

7. Texas

Oct 26, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Texas Longhorns running back Jaydon Blue (23) runs the ball against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second half at FirstBank Stadium. / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

The win over Michigan looked impressive early, before we knew how bad Michigan was. The Longhorns have looked good, but a step behind the elites based off their home showing against Georgia.

6. Indiana

Nov 2, 2024; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Indiana Hoosiers offensive lineman Bray Lynch (74) holds up The Old Brass Spittoon after beating Michigan State at Spartan Stadium. / Dale Young-Imagn Images

Kicking butt and taking names. Indiana hasn't played much of a schedule but has easily disposed of everyone on it. The Hoosiers earn style points each week and are rewarded handsomely for doing so in the initial rankings.

5. Miami

Oct 26, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward (1) looks on after the game against the Florida State Seminoles at Hard Rock Stadium. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Hurricanes are unbeaten and let's not pretend that brand names don't matter when it comes to this, regardless of what the committee says. Miami senaks into the top five despite having to fight off some real scares to date.

4. BYU

Oct 26, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Jake Retzlaff (12) throws a pass against the Central Florida Knights in the first half at FBC Mortgage Stadium. / Russell Lansford-Imagn Images

The Cougars sneak past Miami in the inital rankings in large part due to the early-September win over SMU, which very well could be Miami's opponent in an ACC championship game early in December.

3. Ohio State

Ohio State Buckeyes offensive linemen, from left, Tegra Tshabola (77), Seth McLaughlin (56), Carson Hinzman (75) and Donovan Jackson (74) line up during the NCAA football game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pa. on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. Ohio State won 20-13. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The defense continues to be as good as any in the nation and the Penn State win was again huge. The only blemish came against the team who has the most impressive win of any to date.

2. Georgia

Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Walter Blanchard (28), defensive back Jake Pope (22) and Georgia Bulldogs running back Nate Frazier (3) celebrate after the game of an NCAA college football matchup Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Georgia Bulldogs defeated the Florida Gators 34-20. / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Of the true contenders, nobody has played a tougher schedule to date than Georgia. It hasn't always been pretty, but it has been efficient. Now comes another huge test in a trip to Ole Miss.

1. Oregon

Nov 2, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Jordan James (20) celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

As no-brainer as it gets at this point as the unbeaten Ducks have the best win of any team in the nation with their victory over Ohio State.

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