ESPN experts update College Football Playoff picks after Week 3
ESPN’s panel of college football experts has updated their Playoff predictions for the 2024 season.
The 2024 college football season will be a whole new world when it comes to the College Football Playoff, which for the 1st time will feature 12 teams instead of the 4-team format that the sport has had for the past decade.
Rankings by the CFP selection committee will determine the bids that go to the 5 highest-ranked conference champions and the 7 highest-ranked remaining at-large teams. The top 4 conference champions will automatically be seeded 1-4 and receive first-round byes. Seeds 5-12 will play on-campus, first-round games (No. 12 at No. 5, No. 11 at No. 6, etc).
With so many at-large bids up for grabs, the SEC is expected to be well-represented in the 1st season of the 12-team Playoff. ESPN’s college football experts shared their picks for the Playoff after Week 3.
Going into Week 3, 6 of the top 7 teams in the AP Poll were from the SEC, so it’s no surprise that the perennial powerhouse football conference is all over ESPN’s Playoff picks. Top-ranked Georgia survived a nail-biter at Kentucky on Saturday night, winning 13-12, while No. 2 Texas easily took out UTSA, 56-7. Among the 12 ESPN experts, the Longhorns actually were picked as the No. 1 seed for the Playoff by 9 experts, while the other 3 picked Georgia as their No. 1 seed.
No. 4 Alabama had a successful road trip in a rare journey to Big Ten country, as the Crimson Tide blew out Wisconsin, 42-10, in Madison. Alabama now has a bye week as a mega-showdown with Georgia looms on Sept. 28, and the Bulldogs will enjoy that same bye week before they venture to Tuscaloosa for the titanic matchup.
Meanwhile, No. 5 Ole Miss took care of Wake Forest on Saturday, No. 6 Missouri fended off No. 24 Boston College and No. 7 Tennessee throttled Kent State, 71-0.
Here are the latest Playoff picks from ESPN’s 12 experts:
- Andrea Adelson: 1. Texas. 2. Miami. 3. Ohio State. 4. Kansas State. 5. Tennessee. 6. Alabama. 7. Georgia. 8. USC. 9. Ole Miss. 10. Penn State. 11. Oregon. 12. Memphis.
- Kyle Bonagura: 1. Texas. 2. Ohio State. 3. Miami. 4. Utah. 5. Georgia. 6. Alabama. 7. Tennessee. 8. USC. 9. Ole Miss. 10. Oregon. 11. Kansas State. 12. Memphis.
- Bill Connelly: 1. Texas. 2. Ohio State. 3. Miami. 4. Oklahoma State. 5. Tennessee. 6. Georgia. 7. Alabama. 8. Penn State. 9. Ole Miss. 10. Missouri. 11. Indiana. 12. Memphis.
- David Hale: 1. Georgia. 2. Ohio State. 3. Miami. 4. Utah. 5. Texas. 6. Tennessee. 7. Alabama. 8. Oregon. 9. Penn State. 10. Mississippi. 11. Clemson. 12. Memphis.
- Eli Lederman: 1. Texas. 2. Ohio State. 3. Miami. 4. Utah. 5. Georgia. 6. Oregon. 7. Alabama. 8. Tennessee. 9. Ole Miss. 10. Penn State. 11. Missouri. 12. Boise State.
- Chris Low: 1. Texas. 2. Ohio State. 3. Miami. 4. Kansas State. 5. Tennessee. 6. Alabama. 7. Georgia. 8. Ole Miss. 9. Penn State. 10. USC. 11. Oregon. 12. UNLV.
- Max Olson: 1. Georgia. 2. Ohio State. 3. Miami. 4. Kansas State. 5. Texas. 6. Alabama. 7. Ole Miss. 8. Oregon. 9. Penn State. 10. Tennessee. 11. Iowa State. 12. Memphis.
- Harry Lyles Jr.: 1. Texas. 2. Ohio State. 3. Miami. 4. Utah. 5. Tennessee. 6. Georgia. 7. Alabama. 8. USC. 9. Penn State. 10. Missouri. 11. Kansas State. 12. Memphis.
- Adam Rittenberg: 1. Texas. 2. Ohio State. 3. Miami. 4. Kansas State. 5. Alabama. 6. Georgia. 7. Tennessee. 8. Penn State. 9. USC. 10. Ole Miss. 11. Oregon. 12. Memphis.
- Jake Trotter: 1. Georgia. 2. Ohio State. 3. Miami. 4. Kansas State. 5. Texas. 6. Alabama. 7. Tennessee. 8. Penn State. 9. Ole Miss. 10. Oregon. 11. USC. 12. Memphis.
- Paolo Uggetti: 1. Texas. 2. Ohio State. 3. Miami. 4. Kansas State. 5. Georgia. 6. Penn State. 7. Alabama. 8. USC. 9. Tennessee. 10. Oregon. 11. Ole Miss. 12. Memphis.
- Dave Wilson: 1. Texas. 2. Ohio State. 3. Miami. 4. Kansas State. 5. Georgia. 6. Alabama. 7. Tennessee. 8. Penn State. 9. USC. 10. Ole Miss. 11. Oregon. 12. Memphis.
Chris Low is the only one who had Tennessee in the playoff from day 1. Everyone else is simply copying him now. These are not experts. On this topic, I demonstrably know more. Pac 12 Alabama has fallen and Georgia chokes. Tennessee will be ranked ahead of one of them in 2 weeks. It’s symbolic. It’s a sign of the impending changing of the guard.
Imagine that another Vol fan pounding her chest telling us all how good the Vols are early in the season. This has happened for the last five years. We’re back we’re going to win the natty bla bla bla. They will get dog walked by at least two SEC teams before the season is over just like the last three years. Could be UGA, Bama, OU or UF even SC has enjoyed pissing on their parade. Won’t be any different this year! The national media might but we don’t care about herpe running up the score on high school teams to try and make them look good and pad stats. How embarrassing an onside kick when you’re up 30. Wouldn’t expect anything less from classless herpe. He fits in perfectly with the Vols!!