After another wild week of college football, Clemson has fallen two places in the College Football Playoff prediction.
You might think that the final score of the Tigers game on Saturday is the reason for the drop, but that's not the case. Most of Virginia's points came in garbage time when the game and made it look closer than it was. However, the game that took place last weekend caused a major shift in CFP predictions.
2024 week eight 12-team CFP prediction
Rank | Team | Why are they there | Previous rank |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Georgia | SEC Champion | 8 |
2 | Oregon | Big 10 Champion | 7 |
3 | Miami | ACC Champion | 3 |
4 | Iowa St | Big 12 Champion | 4 |
5 | Penn St | At-large | 5 |
6 | Ohio State | At-large | 2 |
7 | Texas | At-large | 1 |
8 | Clemson | At-large | 6 |
9 | Texas A&M | At-large | 9 |
10 | Boise St | MW Champion | 10 |
11 | BYU | At-large | 11 |
12 | Navy | At-large | 12 |
First of all, the SEC has been confusing all season long. We don't know who's elite, who's good, and who's bad. The league is cannibalizing itself, making it hard to pin down some teams. Alabama looks bad, so its win over Georgia gives the Bulldogs a demerit.
But Georgia welcomed the Longhorns to the SEC in the most impolite fashion at Derrel K Royal. Texas still looks like one of the best teams in the country despite the beating on Saturday. Consequently, Georgia takes over as the projected SEC winner, and Texas drops to No. 7, pushing the Tigers back one spot.
The other team to jump Clemson was Oregon. Its win against Ohio State probably should've put the Duck in the Big 10 championship, but I held off. On Saturday, they looked spectacular. Of course, it was against a lowly Purdue team, but Oregon shut out the Boilermakers after they dropped 49 on Illinois. Right now, Oregon looks legit.
That being said, Ohio State is still Ohio State. The Buckeyes still look like the team to beat in the Big 10, and if we're being serious, it's not fair to put them behind a Clemson team, which hasn't played the caliber of team Ohio State has played. The Tigers still have a great team and will have the opportunity to prove themselves, but right now, Texas and Ohio State stay ahead of Clemson.