This time last week, it was a very popular opinion that the Big 12 wasn’t just getting one team into the College Football Playoff. With BYU and Iowa State entering the weekend undefeated, and K-State having just one loss to the ninth-ranked Cougars, the Big 12 appeared to be in great shape.
The Wildcats and Cyclones entered this weekend as double-digit favorites, yet both enter Week 11 with a one-game losing streak, and the timing of their losses could not have been worse for the Big 12.
The first College Football Playoff rankings are set to be released on Tuesday night, and with four weeks left in the regular season, we’re starting to get a very good idea of what the 12-team field will look like.
Unfortunately for the Big 12, who looked destined to get two teams into the Playoff, a chaotic Week 10 has shaken things up for the worst.
In the latest projection from Action Network’s Brett McMurphy, the Big 12 is set to land just one CFP bid, with BYU getting the No. 4 seed, and thus a first-round bye.
In this projection, the Cougars would face the winner of No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 12 Tennessee in the quarterfinals, which would be hosted at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl. McMurphy has Ohio State advancing to take on BYU, with the Buckeyes being favored by 17 points.
Ohio State is far from the only Big Ten representative, and Tennessee is joined by a few other SEC teams, too. In fact, the “Big Two” make up two-thirds of the CFP field in this projection, with four teams a piece.
College Football Playoff Field – Action Network (11/4/24)
- Oregon (Big Ten Champ)*
- Georgia (SEC Champ)*
- Maimi (ACC Champ)*
- BYU (Big 12 Champ)*
- Ohio State
- Texas
- Notre Dame
- Indiana
- Texas A&M
- Penn State
- Boise State (Highest-Ranked G5 Champ)
- Tennessee
CFP First Round (On-Campus)
December 20, 2024
Texas A&M (-1.5) at Indiana | Bloomington, IN
December 21, 2024
Tennessee at Ohio State (-5.5) | Columbus, OH
Boise State at Texas (-14) | Austin, TX
Penn State (-0.5) at Notre Dame | South Bend, IN
CFP Quarterfinals
VRBO Fiesta Bowl | December 31, 2024 | Glendale, AZ
BYU* vs. Ohio State (-17)
Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl | January 1, 2025 | Atlanta, GA
Miami* vs. Texas (-5.5)
Rose Bowl | January 1, 2025 | Pasadena, CA
Oregon* (-10.5) vs. Indiana
Allstate Sugar Bowl | January 1, 2025 | Pasadena, CA
Georgia* (-7.5) vs. Notre Dame
CFP Semifinals
Capital One Orange Bowl | January 9, 2025 | Miami, FL
Georgia (-6.5) vs. Miami
Goodyear Cotton Bowl | January 10, 2025 | Arlington, TX
Oregon (-1) vs. Ohio State
CFP National Championship
2025 National Championship Game | January 20, 2025 | Atlanta, GA
Oregon (-0.5) vs. Georgia
