X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

College Football Playoffs Power Rankings for 2024

Dillon Gabriel - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

The field for the first 12-team College Football Playoff has now been set, and, of course, it was met with controversy, mostly surrounding SMU getting a bid over Alabama. That's a pretty silly argument—Alabama lost three times, including twice, to 6-6 teams. If the Tide wanted in, they should have beaten either Vanderbilt or Oklahoma.

But enough about who's out. Let's talk about who's in and how those teams stack up at this point in the season.

Below are the power rankings of the 12 teams in this year's College Football Playoffs.

Featured Promo: Get any College Football Premium Pass for 50% off and win more using code NEW. Exclusive access to our industry-leading DFS Lineup Optimizer, DFS Cheat Sheets and Premium Slack Chat rooms. Go Premium, Win More!

 

12. Clemson

Sure, Clemson earned its way in with a head-to-head win over SMU in the ACC Championship Game, but that doesn't mean the Tigers deserve to be ranked above the 12th spot.

That's because the Tigers have lost three times this season, making them the only team in this field with more than two defeats. That includes a 33-21 loss to Louisville as well as a blowout loss to Georgia to open the season, with Clemson falling 34-3 in that game. The other loss was to a strong South Carolina team that had a good argument for an at-large bid as well.

The team has improved since and quarterback Cade Klubnik has taken a clear step forward, but Clemson is the weakest team in this field.

 

11. SMU

You can argue all you want about SMU's inclusion in this field, but that doesn't change the fact that the Mustangs are in as the 11th seed, one spot ahead of Clemson, even though Clemson beat them in the ACC title game.

Sure, SMU is 0-2 against ranked teams, but I thought this post from NBC's Nicole Auerbach really illustrates the flaw in using that logic:

If we look at the AP poll, based on votes received, Louisville is ranked 27th and Duke 28th. If those teams win their bowl games and a couple teams at the bottom of the top 25 lose, SMU might end the season 2-2 against ranked teams, not 0-2.

 

10. Arizona State

I live in Iowa and while I'm not an Iowa or Iowa State fan, my wife's father used to work at Iowa State so I've got at least some interest in the Cyclones succeeding. As such, I was rooting for a competitive Big 12 title game.

Instead, we got a blowout. The Sun Devils demolished the Cyclones, winning 45-19 behind another big game from Cameron Skattebo, who had 16 carries for 170 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught one as well.

The loss to Cincinnati is among the worst losses for any playoff team, but the Sun Devils are on a hot streak right now, and I wouldn't want to be a team that has to gameplan against Skattebo.

 

9. Boise State

The top four seeds going to conference champions might need to be revisited at some point because Boise State probably shouldn't be the No. 3 seed in the playoffs.

Still, credit to the Broncos, who lost to No. 1 Oregon back in September but didn't lose again. Sure, the Mountain West is easier to win than the four power conferences, but winning 11 in a row is impressive, regardless of the competition.

The Broncos also have the most unstoppable player in these playoffs in running back Ashton Jeanty, who has a really good shot to finish with the single-season rushing record.

 

8. Indiana

What do we make of Indiana? The Hoosiers only lost one game all season, but that one loss was a rough one, as the team was dominated by Ohio State, falling 38-15. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke had just 68 passing yards in that contest.

Still, the team won the rest of its games and while its schedule was easy as it avoided the top Big Ten teams, you can only play who's in front of you. The Hoosiers will face a very tough first-round battle with Notre Dame.

 

7. Penn State

Penn State earned the sixth seed in the rankings, ahead of three teams that I have higher than them in the power rankings. Clearly, the committee and I don't see eye to eye about the Nittany Lions.

The team played really well against Oregon in the conference title game, losing 45-37 behind a strong effort from Drew Allar. But entering the playoffs off a loss is a mark against them, and the team also lost head-to-head to Ohio State.

People like to talk about SMU's record against ranked teams, but Penn State is just 1-2 against them this year.

 

6. Tennessee

Tennessee's loss to Arkansas back in October is a huge mark against them, but the Volunteers do have a win against Alabama on its resume, impressively picking Jalen Milroe off twice in the win.

Nico Iamaleava is one of the biggest mysteries entering the playoffs, in the sense that he's capable of some huge games and also some very quiet games. At his best, Iamaleava is a quarterback who can beat anyone.

 

5. Notre Dame

It was a long journey for Notre Dame to get this far, but here the Irish are.

The team probably had the worst loss of any playoff team, falling 16-14 to Northern Illinois back in September. But the team also has a lot of solid wins on its resume, including a dominant win over a ranked Army team and wins over Texas A&M and Louisville, two teams that are essentially ranked teams, as they're the first two teams out of the AP poll.

Notre Dame also has a strong shot to make it out of the first round as they take on an Indiana team that's also lost just once but played a weaker schedule—ESPN has Notre Dame with the 59th-best strength of schedule and Indiana at 67th.

 

4. Texas

In reality, the Longhorns earned the top seed among teams that didn't win their conference. In my version, they're second among such teams.

Despite quarterback Quinn Ewers missing some time this season, the Longhorns went 11-2, losing in overtime to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game and also falling to Georgia during the regular season.

An undefeated mark against teams that aren't Georgia is impressive, but I think we have to hold it against the Horns at least a little bit, because winning the title likely requires a title game rematch with the Bulldogs.

 

3. Ohio State

Ohio State's resume took a major hit in the final regular season game as the team lost to Michigan 13-10, costing it a shot at the Big Ten title. The Buckeyes also lost to No. 1 Oregon.

However, Ohio State has some good wins, beating the top 10 programs of Penn State and Indiana. Two wins over playoff teams makes for a strong resume and it's why I have the Buckeyes in the third spot.

 

2. Georgia

The biggest question mark for the SEC champs? Carson Beck's injury situation, as the Georgia quarterback was injured in the first half against Texas. He reentered the game in overtime to hand the ball off to Trevor Etienne.

If Beck is ready to go for the Bulldogs on Jan. 1, this is a title contender. If he's not...well, who knows?

Overall, Georgia has an impressive resume, beating Texas twice plus defeating Tennessee and Clemson. The team does have two losses, though, falling to Alabama and Ole Miss, two teams that just missed out on playoff spots.

 

1. Oregon

The No. 1 spot is obvious, as it belongs to the only undefeated team in the country, the Oregon Ducks.

Oregon has been unstoppable this season. Led by the strong play of quarterback Dillon Gabriel, the Ducks have wins over Boise State, Ohio State, Illinois, and Penn State on their resume.

There's just not really a flaw in the team's 2024 record. The Ducks are the clear favorites to win the championship.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More College Football Analysis

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Travis Konecny2 hours ago

Tallies Three Helpers In Victory
Dylan Larkin2 hours ago

Scores Twice On Thursday
Alex Turcotte2 hours ago

Tallies Three Points In Victory
Logan Thompson2 hours ago

Shuts The Door For Second-Straight Game
William Nylander2 hours ago

Snaps Skid With Three-Point Night
Erik Cernak2 hours ago

Exits Early On Thursday
Lauri Markkanen11 hours ago

Out Again On Friday Night
Walker Kessler11 hours ago

Resting On Friday Evening
Mark Williams12 hours ago

Expected To Play Versus The Bulls
Brandon Miller12 hours ago

Questionable Against Chicago
Goga Bitadze12 hours ago

Out Again On Friday Night
Jeff Green13 hours ago

Moves Into Starting Five
Tari Eason13 hours ago

Returning To The Court
Deni Avdija13 hours ago

Downgraded To Out
Robert Williams III13 hours ago

Upgraded To Available On Thursday
Cameron Johnson13 hours ago

Uncertain For Friday
Alex Bregman13 hours ago

Still Seeking Long-Term Contract
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.13 hours ago

Blue Jays Have No Intention Of Trading Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Pete Alonso14 hours ago

Declines Three-Year Contract From The Mets
Kyle Tucker14 hours ago

Cubs Avoid Arbitration
Tyler Higbee14 hours ago

Rams Expect Tyler Higbee To Play On Sunday
Ja Morant14 hours ago

Questionable For Friday Due To Foot issue
Dereck Lively II14 hours ago

Will Not Play On Friday
Reinier De ridder14 hours ago

Reinier de Ridder Opens Up UFC 311 Main Card
Jiří Procházka14 hours ago

Jiri Prochazka Looks To Return To Win Column At UFC 311
Jamahal Hill14 hours ago

A Slight Favorite At UFC 311
Kyrie Irving14 hours ago

Questionable For Meeting With Thunder
Arman Tsarukyan14 hours ago

Gets Title Shot At UFC 311
Islam Makhachev14 hours ago

Defends Lightweight Title At UFC 311
Aaron Gordon14 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Friday
Jamal Murray15 hours ago

Considered Probable For Friday
Nikola Jokic15 hours ago

iffy For Friday
Ty Jerome15 hours ago

Available Versus Thunder
Donte DiVincenzo15 hours ago

Ruled Out For Friday
Karl-Anthony Towns15 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Friday
Aaron Nesmith15 hours ago

Returns With A Minutes Restriction
Tyrese Haliburton15 hours ago

Cleared For Action Thursday
Marcus Johansson15 hours ago

Added To Injured Reserve
Jean-Gabriel Pageau16 hours ago

Returns To Islanders Lineup
Jake Neighbours16 hours ago

Iffy For Thursday
Joe Mixon16 hours ago

Questionable To Play Against Chiefs
Samuel Girard16 hours ago

Returns To Avalanche Lineup Thursday
Ryan McDonagh16 hours ago

Good To Go Thursday
Thomas Chabot16 hours ago

Out On Thursday
Roope Hintz16 hours ago

Misses Thursday's Game
John Tavares16 hours ago

Placed On Injured Reserve
Aaron Rodgers17 hours ago

' Future Dependent On New Head Coach, General Manager
David Montgomery17 hours ago

Off The Injury Report Prior To Divisional Round
A.J. Brown19 hours ago

Suits Up For Thursday's Practice
Zay Flowers19 hours ago

Missing Another Practice On Thursday
Pete Alonso19 hours ago

Blue Jays In The Mix For Pete Alonso
Joe Mixon20 hours ago

Absent From Thursday's Practice
Bud Cauley22 hours ago

Withdraws From American Express
PGA1 day ago

LIV Golf And FOX Sports Agree To Broadcast Deal
Ryan McLeod1 day ago

Scores Hat Trick On Wednesday
Matt Boldy1 day ago

Busy On The Power Play In Loss
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins1 day ago

Tallies Two Points In Victory
Connor McDavid1 day ago

Has Three-Point Showing On Wednesday
Cody Glass1 day ago

Being Evaluated For Injury
Marcus Johansson1 day ago

Exits Early On Wednesday
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.2 days ago

Mets Have Checked In On Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
A.J. Brown2 days ago

Held Out On Wednesday
Alex Laferriere2 days ago

Ruled Out For Thursday
Joe Mixon2 days ago

Finds His Way Onto Injury Report On Wednesday
Lamar Jackson2 days ago

Not On The Injury Report For Divisional Round
Diontae Johnson2 days ago

Ravens Claim Diontae Johnson Off Waivers From Texans
Will Zalatoris2 days ago

Looking To Keep Momentum Going At The AmEx
Zay Flowers2 days ago

Missing From Wednesday's Practice
Ha-Seong Kim2 days ago

Unlikely To Be Ready For Opening Day
Las Vegas Raiders2 days ago

Momentum Building For Ben Johnson To Become Raiders Next Head Coach
David Montgomery2 days ago

Says He's "Ready To Go"
Indianapolis Colts2 days ago

Colts To Play In First-Ever NFL Game In Berlin In 2025
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.2 days ago

Given Contract-Extension Deadline
PGA2 days ago

J.T. Poston A Volatile Player With Upside At American Express
Justin Thomas2 days ago

Fits The AmEx Layouts Like A Glove
J.J. Spaun2 days ago

Carrying Plenty Of Momentum Into American Express
Adam Schenk3 days ago

Breaks Slump Ahead Of American Express
Alex Bregman3 days ago

Cubs Having Contract Conversations With Alex Bregman
Patrick Mahomes3 days ago

Practices In Full On Tuesday
Isiah Pacheco3 days ago

Practices In Full On Tuesday
Taylor Moore3 days ago

Struggles Continue Ahead Of American Express
David Montgomery3 days ago

Practicing In Full
Tom Kim3 days ago

Looking To Bounce Back At American Express
Diontae Johnson3 days ago

Cut Loose By Texans
Wyndham Clark3 days ago

Looking To Keep Momentum Going At La Quinta
PGA3 days ago

Sungjae Im Is A Hot Commodity At The American Express
Christiaan Bezuidenhout3 days ago

Makes 2025 Debut At PGA West
Harry Hall3 days ago

In Great Form Ahead Of American Express
Eric Cole3 days ago

Seeking First Tour Victory At American Express
Tony Finau3 days ago

Eyeing Victory At American Express
Ben Griffin3 days ago

Looks To Stay Hot At La Quinta
Billy Horschel3 days ago

A Fade Candidate At American Express
Kurt Kitayama3 days ago

In Solid Form Ahead Of American Express
Keith Mitchell3 days ago

Tough To Trust At American Express
Patrick Rodgers3 days ago

A Player To Fade At The American Express
PGA3 days ago

Ben Silverman A Risky Option At PGA West
Luis Arraez3 days ago

Padres Would Prefer To Hold Luis Arraez
Tyler Higbee3 days ago

In Stable Condition At Hospital, Expected To Be OK
Los Angeles Rams3 days ago

Rams Defense Wreaks Havoc Monday
MLB4 days ago

Dodgers, Padres, Blue Jays Finalists For Roki Sasaki
Donovan Solano4 days ago

Inks One-Year Deal With Seattle
Justin Verlander4 days ago

Feeling Good
Amanda Ribas4 days ago

Loses Second Fight In A Row
Mackenzie Dern4 days ago

Scores Submission Victory At UFC Vegas 101
Carlston Harris4 days ago

Gets TKO'd At UFC Vegas 101
Santiago Ponzinibbio4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Abdul Razak Alhassan4 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Vegas 101
Cesar Almeida4 days ago

Scores Knockout Victory
Robert Suarez4 days ago

Padres Have "Entertained" Trade Talks For Robert Suarez
Uros Medic5 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Vegas 101
Punahele Soriano5 days ago

Gets A Knockout Win At UFC Vegas 101
Austin Bashi5 days ago

Suffers First Career Loss At UFC Vegas 101
Christian Rodriguez5 days ago

Pulls Off Upset At UFC Vegas 101
Chris Curtis5 days ago

Gets Finished At UFC Vegas 101
Roman Kopylov5 days ago

Scores Last-Second Knockout At UFC Vegas 101
Bo Bichette5 days ago

Has "No Real Interest" In Re-Signing With Toronto
Yandy Díaz5 days ago

Yandy Diaz Not Expected To Be Traded
Sean Sullivan5 days ago

Invited To Spring Training

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Saquon Barkley - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

NFL DFS Lineup Picks For FanDuel, DraftKings - Rams vs. Eagles Showdown (Divisional Weekend)

Welcome back, RotoBallers! Hopefully, everyone's Wild Card Weekend resulted in some winning lineups. We got a great slate for the Divisional Round. For this game, we have the L.A. Rams (11-7) traveling to Philadelphia to take on the (15-3) Eagles! We have been pretty successful with these showdown slates, and hopefully, that trend will continue […]


Xavier Worthy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Wide Receiver Matchups to Target on Divisional Weekend - Terry McLaurin, Xavier Worthy, Keon Coleman

Welcome to WR Matchups to Target for Divisional Weekend. This week’s four-game slate promises to be a good one, with four offenses and four defenses ranking in the top six in DVOA. Two of these games have totals of over 51 points. Each week, we will use matchup data from PFF to determine wide receivers […]


Jalen Hurts - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Bold Predictions for Fantasy Football Divisional Round: Jalen Hurts, Derrick Henry, Terry McLaurin, Dalton Schultz, Dallas Goedert

The NFL playoffs are underway, and I’m back with another edition of fantasy football bold predictions. This week’s list of bold predictions will include Jalen Hurts, Derrick Henry, Terry McLaurin, Dalton Schultz, and Dallas Goedert. Every week, I will provide some fun and bold fantasy football predictions. While these bold predictions aren’t the most likely […]


Saquon Barkley - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

NFL Divisional Round Fantasy Football Weather Report

January football! Only eight teams remain standing. Season-long fantasy football leagues are in the rearview mirror, but there are still lots of opportunities to get in on some action during the playoffs. Whether it be DFS, player props, the FFPC Playoff Challenge, or something else. As always, the purpose of this article is to help […]


Lamar Jackson - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Free Divisional Round NFL Betting Picks and Expert Predictions

We had another 1-1 outing last week. The Chargers flopped big time and were destroyed by the Houston Texans, 32-12. However, we correctly predicted the Los Angeles Rams' upset over the Minnesota Vikings. Los Angeles would cruise to a 27-9 victory, and we got an easy cover. Unfortunately, we lost .18 units in the week. […]


James Cook - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Divisional Round Fantasy Football Busts? Players Who May Disappoint Include Joe Mixon, James Cook, Brian Robinson Jr., Cooper Kupp, Zach Ertz

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our Divisional Round fantasy football busts, or players who may disappoint. As the adage goes, defense wins championships. Many top-tier defenses remain in the playoffs, creating tough matchups for our favorite DFS options. Below are my five fantasy football busts, or players who may disappoint, for the Divisional Round of the […]


Derrick Henry - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

PrizePicks NFL DFS Prop Picks - Over/Under Props for Divisional Round Weekend (Sunday Slate)

Hello everybody, and welcome to our PrizePicks NFL DFS prop picks for Divisional Round Weekend - Sunday Slate! The 2024 NFL season is now through the holiday season and into the playoff push, and our friends over at PrizePicks have a TON of great DFS plays we can look to take advantage of. Our partners […]


Video: Divisional Round Must-Start Wide Receivers - Fantasy Football Playoff Leagues, DFS, Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Analysis

The 2024 NFL regular season has come to an end, but that doesn't mean the fantasy fun has to stop! Here at RotoBaller, we've got you covered for fantasy football playoff leagues and NFL DFS starts and sits for the Divisional Round of the Playoffs! RotoBaller's Matt Donnelly discusses his top "Must Start" wide receivers […]


Tee Higgins - Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

2025 NFL Offseason Fantasy Football Predictions

The NFL season is dwindling, and we're now left with just three more weekends of football. Before you know it, the offseason will be upon us. The first domino to fall is always the coaches, and while that's fun, it doesn't compare to the player movement that will happen through the spring and summer. Predicting […]


Patrick Mahomes - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

NFL Pick 'Em Pool Picks (Divisional Round) - Targets, Avoids, Predictions for Pick'em Contests

Things are heating up in the NFL playoffs, as eight teams remain in the hunt for a Lombardi Trophy. There will be four games this week (Texans at Chiefs, Commanders at Lions, Rams at Eagles, and Ravens at Bills), and all eight teams will be fighting for a spot in the conference championship games. Given […]


Zay Flowers - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Fantasy Football Injury Reports For NFL Playoffs Divisional Round (Thursday Updates): A.J. Brown, Zay Flowers, Joe Mixon, David Montgomery, Patrick Mahomes II, Tyler Higbee, more

We're through one round of the playoffs, and six teams have been eliminated. But until the season is over, players will continue to get hurt, necessitating the existence of injury update aggregations for fantasy managers and NFL fans alike. The incessant revolving door of players being hurt is a sad reality of a contact sport […]


Terry McLaurin - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

NFL DFS Lineup Picks For FanDuel, DraftKings - Commanders vs. Lions Saturday Showdown (Divisional Round)

Welcome back, RotoBallers! The Divisional Round is officially underway. In this piece, we will take a look at the Saturday night showdown between the NFC's top-seeded Detroit Lions and the "Cardiac" Washington Commanders led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. In this piece, I will break down my top choices for Captain/MVP, flex options, and even […]


Olamide Zaccheaus - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

PrizePicks NFL DFS Prop Picks - Over/Under Props for Divisional Round Weekend (Saturday Slate)

Hello everybody, and welcome to our PrizePicks NFL DFS prop picks for Divisional Round Weekend - Saturday Main Slate! The 2024 NFL season is now into the playoffs, and our friends over at PrizePicks have a TON of great DFS plays we can look to take advantage of. Our partners at PrizePicks offer some of […]