Latest College Football Playoff ranking predictions: Why Clemson football may miss out at 10-2
Clemson football shouldn't expect too much change to their CFP prospects in Tuesday's new CFP ranking reveal.
But the Tigers should move up a couple spots after the win at Virginia Tech last weekend coupled with losses from teams ahead of them.
One of those teams is Pitt, who may tumble out of the rankings altogether after losing to Virginia.
Here's how we see the CFP rankings shake out on Tuesday:
Clemson football CFP rankings projection
Our CFP projection, based off of the previous week's rankings:
Oregon
Ohio State
Texas
Penn State
Tennessee
BYU
Indiana
Alabama
Georgia
Notre Dame
Miami (FL)
Boise State
SMU
Texas A&M
Kansas State
Colorado
Washington State
LSU
Louisville
Clemson
Army
Missouri
South Carolina
Some notes:
Clemson moves up a couple spots, to No. 21, in our CFP projections. Pitt leaves the rankings, but South Carolina enters, so the Tigers still have one top 25 opponent remaining.
The Tigers still have quite a bit of work to do to make it up into the top 10. But looking ahead, a win over Pitt could jump Clemson up at least four spots if teams above them lose. Clemson could jump Kansas State, Colorado, Washington State, LSU and/or Louisville if the Tigers win and those teams lose on Saturday in these projections.
South Carolina slips into the top 25 in 25th after beating Vanderbilt. The Gamecocks still play Missouri and Clemson in the current top 25, but there's not a lot of runway for them at current. Of course, that could change with some unexpected losses by others.
As for the top 10, Georgia-Tennessee on Saturday is critical for both teams. The Vols' win over Alabama is aging well, but that's the only sporty data point they have at the moment. UT would drop onto the CFP bubble with a loss.
Indiana-Ohio State will be very interesting in two weeks. The Buckeyes are most likely in the CFP win or lose, unless they inexplicably go on a regular season-ending skid. Indiana will be on the bubble at best with a loss in Columbus on Nov. 23. The Hoosiers have one win against a team above .500, 5-4 Nebraska.
Because of resume, BYU's two top-25 wins moves the Cougars ahead of the Hoosiers, though doubt that the CFP committee will correct that mistake from last week.
Projected CFP bracket
CFP projected seeds
No. 1 seed Oregon (Big Ten champion)
No. 2 seed Texas (SEC champion)
No. 3 seed BYU (Big 12 champion)
No. 4 seed Miami (FL) (ACC champion)
No. 5 seed Ohio State
No. 6 seed Penn State
No. 7 seed Tennessee
No. 8 seed Indiana
No. 9 seed Alabama
No. 10 seed Ole Miss
No. 11 seed Georgia
No. 12 seed Boise State (non-Power 4 conference champion)
First teams out: Notre Dame, SMU, Texas A&M, Kansas State, Colorado
CFP first round projections
No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Ohio State
No. 11 Georgia at No. 6 Penn State
No. 10 Ole Miss at No. 7 Tennessee
No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Indiana
CFP quarterfinal projections
No. 1 Oregon vs. Indiana/Alabama
No. 2 Texas vs. Ole Miss/Tennessee
No. 3 BYU vs. Penn State/Georgia
No. 4 Miami (FL) vs. Ohio State/Boise State
College Football Playoff rankings release date
The next batch of CFP rankings will be revealed on Nov. 12, with rankings reveals coming out weekly each Tuesday until the final rankings come out on Sunday, Dec. 8.
CFP rankings reveals
Nov. 5
Nov. 12
Nov. 19
Nov. 26
Dec. 3
Dec. 8
What time is CFP rankings release show?
Tuesday's CFP rankings reveal is set for approx. 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, sometime after the end of Kansas-Michigan State basketball on ESPN.
How to watch College Football Playoff rankings show
Time: Approx. 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 12
TV Channel: ESPN
Live stream: FUBO (free trial), ESPN app
The College Football Playoff rankings reveal takes place on Tuesday, Nov. 12 on ESPN, with Rece Davis leading the coverage. Streaming options for the game include FUBO, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
How many teams in College Football Playoff 2024?
This is the first year of the 12-team format for the CFP, with four first-round and four quarterfinal games added to the CFP slate. The winners of the ACC, SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 will earn a top-four seed, and the highest-ranked conference champion from outside those conferences will earn a bid.
How does College Football Playoff format work?
The top four ranked conference champions will get a first-round bye, while those seeded Nos. 5-8 will host first-round games in December. The seeds will be laid out via their final CFP rankings when the final rankings are revealed on Dec. 8.
A tip: It's possible, if not probable, that the top four seeds won't resemble the same order as the final CFP rankings. For example, if Ohio State is ranked No. 3 in the final rankings but does not win the Big Ten, it can be seeded no higher than fifth.
The formal bracket will look like this:
CFP First Round
Dec. 20 or 21
No. 9 seed at No. 8 seed, Time TBD
No. 12 seed at No. 5 seed, Time TBD
No. 10 seed at No. 7 seed, Time TBD
No. 11 seed at No. 6 seed, Time TBD
CFP Quarterfinals
Dec. 31 or Jan. 1, 2025
No. 1 seed (highest-ranked conference champion) vs. No. 8/No. 9 winner, Site and time TBD
No. 4 seed (fourth highest-ranked conference champion) vs. No. 5/No. 12 winner, Site and time TBD
No. 2 seed (second highest-ranked conference champion) vs. No. 7/No. 10 winner, Site and time TBD
No. 3 seed (third highest-ranked conference champion) vs. No. 6/No. 11 winner, Site and time TBD
CFP Semifinals
Jan. 9 or 10, 2025
No. 1 seed-8/9 winner vs. No. 4 seed-5/12 winner, Site and time TBD
No. 2 seed-7/10 winner vs. No. 3 seed-6/11 winner, Site and time TBD
CFP National Championship
Jan. 20, 2025
Semifinal No. 1 winner vs. Semifinal No. 2 winner in Atlanta
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This article originally appeared on Greenville News: CFP rankings projections for Clemson football: What it means
