2024 will bring the first year of the new edition of the College Football Playoff, with the size of the field tripling and expanding to 12 teams from just 4.
Andy Staples of On3 published predictions for how this year’s field will end up looking when it’s all said and done with the regular season, and 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
As the format is currently constructed, the top four seeds will all receive a first-round bye. However, to receive a top four seed you must win your conference as they will be determined by the four highest ranked conference champions.
That’s to say that Georgia and Alabama for example could not both be top four. As a result, Staples predicted Alabama as the No. 5 seed and Georgia as the No. 2 seed.
While no bye may be disappointing for Alabama fans, there is a bright side here. The games in the first round of the playoff are going to be played for the first time in CFP history on campus, meaning that Bryant-Denny Stadium would be hosting a playoff game in this scenario.
Alabama would take on Boise State in Tuscaloosa, then Staples has the No. 4 seed as Kansas State, presumably the lowest ranked champion if the Wildcats were to win the Big 12.
If Alabama hypothetically go through that round, it would presumably be a meeting with the No. 1 overall seed, which in Staples’ predictions is Ohio State.
Staples also had five total SEC teams of the 12 in 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.
