This past week in college football brought plenty of excitement, with two new teams breaking into the top four in College Football Playoff projections, thanks to unexpected losses from previous contenders.
Miami was one of the teams to lose its top-four position. The Hurricanes have been averaging 43.6 points per game against ACC opponents this season, but they managed only 23 in their matchup with Georgia Tech. It’s been a surprise that Miami reached this point without a loss, given how close they came to falling to Virginia Tech and Cal, with some questionable calls helping them scrape by.
In Miami’s place is an unexpected team: ACC newcomer SMU. The Mustangs had a shaky start, nearly falling to Nevada and dropping an early game to BYU. But with BYU still undefeated, that setback hasn’t tarnished SMU’s résumé. Now, they stand as the only undefeated team in the ACC, with critical tiebreakers over both Miami and Clemson. This puts SMU in prime position for an ACC championship appearance, and if they make it, expect them to play with determination to prove they belong among the conference’s best.
2024 week eleven 12-team CFP prediction
Rank | Team | Why are they here | Previous rank |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Oregon | Big 10 Champion | 2 |
2 | BYU | Big 12 Champion | 4 |
3 | SMU | ACC Champion | Not Ranked |
4 | Texas A&M | SEC Champion | 11 |
5 | Ohio State | At-large | 5 |
6 | Texas | At-large | 6 |
7 | Penn St | At-large | 7 |
8 | Georgia | At-large | 1 |
9 | Notre Dame | At-large | 8 |
10 | Tennessee | At-large | 9 |
11 | Ole Miss | At-large | Not Ranked |
12 | Boise St | MW Champion | 12 |
The other notable shift in the top four is Texas A&M. The Aggies have only one loss this season, a significant stumble against South Carolina, but their upcoming game against Texas is the only one likely to challenge them. With the matchup set for College Station and SEC championship implications on the line, A&M fans can expect the team to bring their best performance yet in this renewed rivalry.
Meanwhile, Georgia has fallen to No. 9 after its second SEC loss, this time to Ole Miss. The Bulldogs faced one of the toughest schedules in the conference and still have a challenging matchup with Tennessee ahead. But they’ve struggled to find consistency against elite opponents, both offensively and defensively, and have not been the powerhouse many expected this season.
Ole Miss, now ranked No. 11 after its win over Georgia, is another team benefiting from this week’s shakeups. Indiana, previously undefeated, also dropped out of contention despite an impressive season. However, the Hoosiers haven’t faced the most difficult schedule and are set to play Ohio State in what amounts to a Big Ten tiebreaker. Indiana’s only clear path to the CFP lies in pulling off an upset and securing a spot in the Big Ten championship game.