2024 will bring the first year of the new edition of the College Football Playoff, with the size of the field tripling to 12 teams from just 4. On Tuesday, college football journalist Andy Staples published predictions for how this year’s field will end up looking when it’s all said and done. The picks were eye-opening, to say the least.
NEW: Preseason College Football Playoff Projected 12-Team Field via @Andy_Staples🏆
Do you agree? ⬇️https://t.co/e69ZNkOYaG pic.twitter.com/GBsFTrY4KH
— On3 (@On3sports) June 11, 2024
To receive a top-four seed, a team must win its conference. The four highest ranked conference champions will receive first-round byes. As a result, two teams from the same conference will not both be able to receive a bye. Staples predicts Georgia to win the SEC and receive the No. 2 seed and predicts Alabama to receive the No. 5 seed.
While no bye might be disappointing for Crimson Tide fans, there would be a bright side here. For the first time in CFP history, the games in the first round of the playoff are going to be played on campus, meaning that Bryant-Denny Stadium would be hosting a playoff game against Boise State in Staples’ scenario.
The winner would face No. 4 seed Kansas State, presumably the lowest ranked power-conference champion. If the Tide were to beat the Wildcats, it would likely set up a meeting the No. 1 overall seed, which in Staples’ predictions is Ohio State.
Staples predicted five total SEC teams to make the playoff: No. 2 seed Georgia, No. 5 seed Alabama, No. 7 seed Texas, No. 10 seed Ole Miss, and No. 11 seed Tennessee.
It’s a new day in college football, and we are only just beginning to see the potential chaos that can unfold in the 12-team playoff era. No matter what, 2024 will be a season to remember.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.
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