College Football Playoff Rankings Prediction: Big 12 and SEC Chaos, Oregon Ducks on Top

The College Football Playoff Rankings are released on Tuesday evening, and the Oregon Ducks are expected to be ranked No. 1 for the fourth consecutive week. Behind the Ducks, No. 5 Indiana Hoosiers, No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide, and No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels all suffered upset losses.

Oct 12, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks wide receiver Tez Johnson (15) makes a catch for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Autzen Stadium. / Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

The College Football Playoff Rankings will be released on Tuesday evening, and the Oregon Ducks should hold onto the No. 1 ranking for the fourth consecutive week. Behind them, the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes cemented themselves as a top team in the country after defeating the No. 5 Indiana Hoosiers.

How far will the Hoosiers drop? The arguments surrounding Indiana's ranking with a previously undefeated record centered around the Hoosiers' weak strength of schedule and lack of quality opponents. They finally faced a highly-ranked team in the Ohio State Buckeyes, and Indiana lost 38-15.

Oct 12, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks wide receiver Tez Johnson (15) makes a catch for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Autzen Stadium. / Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Both teams scored touchdowns after the game was already out of hand in the fourth quarter, seemingly trying to score style points more than anything. Will it be enough to keep Indiana in the playoffs? For now, they should not expect to drop outside of the top-12 teams.

Then-ranked No. 7 Alabama lost to unranked Oklahoma 24-3 on the road. The Crimson Tide only rushed for 70 yards, picking up a third loss on the season and effectively eliminating them from the 12-team playoff field.

In addition to Alabama, a number of SEC teams suffered upset losses and face a tall task of making the postseason. Previously, the Ole Miss Rebels were ranked No. 9 and the Texas A&M Aggies were ranked No. 15, but both they lost their third game of the season to unranked opponents.

Florida Gators running back Jadan Baugh (13) runs for a first half touchdown during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, November 23, 2024 / Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Some of the biggest beneficiaries from the plethora of upsets over the weekend should be No. 12 Boise State and No. 17 Clemson.

Big 12 contenders like No. 14 BYU and No. 16 Colorado both lost, essentially removing their chances of receiving an at-large bid into the 12-team playoff field. If the Big 12's only participant in the College Football Playoff is the winner of the Big 12 Conference Championship, a team like Clemson could sneak into the final remaining spots.

Additionally, the Boise State Broncos have a legitimate chance to earn a first-round bye if they finish as one of the four highest-ranked conference champions. With their only loss coming to the No. 1 Oregon Ducks, Boise State controls their own destiny.

Predicted College Football Playoff top-12 rankings:

1 Oregon

2 Ohio State

3 Texas

4 Penn State

5 Notre Dame

6 Georgia

7 Miami

8 Tennessee

9 SMU

10 Boise State

11 Indiana

12 Clemson

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