Power Ranking The Final Eight College Football Playoff Teams

December 25, 2024

Justin's College Football Playoff power rankings. Read our NCAA CFB playoff rankings, and how the eight remaining CFB playoff teams stack up against each other in 2024.

The first round of the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff is now over and we've said goodbye to Tennessee, Indiana, SMU, and Clemson, which leaves eight teams left in the race for the national title.

How do these eight teams compare to each other? Let's take a look at how the teams left in the championship hunt stack up.

Below are the power rankings of the eight teams remaining in this year's College Football Playoff.

8. Arizona State

Arizona State earned the outbid into the CFP after beating Iowa State in the Big 12 title game and earned a bye by ranking ahead of ACC champion Clemson, but the team still looks to be the weakest of the remaining eight.

Running back Cam Skattebo is one of the best players in the country, rushing for 170 yards and two touchdowns against the Cyclones to lock ASU into this spot, but is Skattebo alone enough to make the Sun Devils contenders?

Sarkisian said Cam Skattebo's versatility stands out to him the most. Said he can play as a bruiser but also has the ability to stay on his feet.

"The more you watch him, you're like,'Man, this guy's got really good feet, this guy's got good contact balance.'"@CronkiteSports

— Sean Brennan (@Seanytb91) December 23, 2024

Quarterback Sam Leavitt has been playing very well lately, but Skattebo has helped take the pressure off him. A matchup with Texas in the quarterfinals is going to be tough for the Sun Devils, and if the Longhorns defense keys in on Skattebo, does Leavitt have the skill and experience to make the Horns pay?

7. Boise State

Boise State has arguably the best player remaining in the playoff, running back Ashton Jeanty, the Heisman runner-up. Is that enough?

The Broncos haven't lost since September, and their only loss was a close one to No. 1 Oregon. However, they've been relatively untested since, at least compared to the rest of the playoff field. Sure, two wins over UNLV are impressive, but UNLV is not a title contender.

Can Boise State survive three consecutive games against playoff teams? If it's going to happen, it's going to require an otherworldly effort from Jeanty.

6. Penn State

Penn State had very little issue with SMU in the first round, defeating the Mustangs 38-10 in a game that turned into a referendum on whether SMU even belonged in the playoff at all.

Tennessee, Indiana and SMU were all correct choices to make the playoff.

Ohio State, Notre Dame and Penn State are all just really good teams.

— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) December 22, 2024

Don't let that discussion cloud how good this Nittany Lions team is, though. For all we know, the team would have done the same thing if Alabama, South Carolina, Miami, or whoever else had gotten in instead of the Mustangs.

Penn State has losses to Ohio State and Oregon on its resume this season, but Drew Allar and company showed last weekend that they can win big games when it counts.

5. Notre Dame

Notre Dame's 27-17 win over Indiana wasn't as close as the score indicates. The Irish led 27-3 in the fourth quarter before Indiana's Kurtis Rourke threw a couple of relatively meaningless touchdown passes. Notre Dame controlled that game.

Still, it's hard to justify placing Notre Dame above any of the next four teams simply because the Irish have one flaw that the others don't: a penchant for inexplicable losses.

No team in this playoff field has a loss as bad as Notre Dame's loss to an 8-5 Northern Illinois team. Championship contenders can't lose to MAC teams.

That's not to say Notre Dame can't win the title, but that loss means it doesn't get the benefit of the doubt.

4. Georgia

Georgia has the largest fall from my pre-playoff power rankings, going from second to fourth because of the Carson Beck injury situation. Two weeks ago, I was cautiously optimistic about Beck, but now the Bulldogs are set to be without Beck for the entire CFP.

This means the Bulldogs will turn to Gunner Stockton at quarterback for the playoff run. Stockton is 25-of-32 for 206 yards and an interception this season.

Marcus Freeman on preparing for Gunner Stockton… “I think we have 80 something plays of him running their offense… The thing I probably notice most about watching those 80 something plays, he’s an ultra competitive individual. The way he celebrates, the way he plays.”

— Graham Coffey (@GrahamCoffeyDC) December 23, 2024

You could make an argument that the Beck injury should drop Georgia even more than this, but it's hard to argue with the talent on this Kirby Smart-coached team.

Even with Stockton under center, you have Trevor Etienne at running back, Arian Smith at wide receiver, and a defense that's played four games against playoff teams and held its opponent under 20 points all four times.

3. Texas

Texas has lost twice this season, both times to Georgia. Now, Georgia is down its starting quarterback, and the Horns are coming off a sound win over Clemson, beating the Tigers 38-24, which is enough to move Texas ahead of Georgia in the power rankings.

With Quintrevion Wisner and Jaydon Blue both rushing for over 100 yards, quarterback Quinn Ewers didn't have to do much against the Tigers, throwing for 202 yards with a touchdown and a pick. If there's a concern for Texas, it might be that Ewers is going through a rough patch, with three touchdowns and four interceptions over the past three games.

But this is a well-rounded squad that beat every team it played that wasn't Georgia, and the only way a Georgia rematch would happen would be in the title game.

2. Ohio State

All four higher seeds won in the first round, but of those four teams, Ohio State was the one that looked the best, destroying a very good Tennessee team 42-17 to set up a huge quarterfinal game against No. 1 Oregon. It's safe to say that this game is the best of the upcoming round, with the winner likely to be the favorite going forward.

Highest Graded QB from CFP First Round:

🔴 Will Howard, Ohio State: 84.9@OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/kYCJyxFwy9

— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 23, 2024

The Buckeyes only lost by one point in their first meeting with Oregon, and overall, the team's two losses are a combined four points. Just a couple of plays breaking different over the year, and we'd be looking at an undefeated Ohio State squad.

Against Tennessee, Will Howard threw for 311 yards while TreVeyon Henderson rushed for 80 yards and two touchdowns. Quinshon Judkins added two touchdowns as well as part of a strong one-two punch at running back.

1. Oregon

I don't think there's anything that can change the team in this top spot, barring a Dillon Gabriel injury. The Oregon Ducks are the only undefeated team in the country, and while they've got a nightmare quarterfinal matchup, that game against Ohio State could very well be the hardest game the Ducks play in the playoff. Win that one, and it might be smooth sailing to a title.

Oregon has already defeated Ohio State, plus has wins over two other teams remaining in the playoffs, Boise State and Penn State. This is the team to beat.

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