College Football Playoff: ESPN predicts 2024 12-team bracket, full bowl slate after Week 5

With the final games in September being played, ESPN had all new projections for the postseason, including the College Football Playoff, on Sunday.

The conference champions saw a new addition to their quartet with two teams now in consideration for the No. 4 seed. As for five through twelve, only one team left the field with two new options in its place.

The SEC continues to lead in total number of playoff berths with four to five despite the one loss. Depending on the projection, the Big Ten is next with two or four. The ACC then has one to two while the Big 12 continues to have only one team in as their conference champion at No. 4.

Here’s how the playoff field and bowl season is projected per the latest this weekend from ESPN:

College Football Playoff: First-round game #1

Bonagura: No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Alabama
Schlabach: No. 12 UNLV at No. 5 Texas

After each having Georgia at No. 5 last week, Bonagura and Schlabach replaced the Bulldogs with two other teams from their conference in Alabama and Texas respectively.

As for their selections from the Group of Five, neither changed their No. 12 seed with James Madison for one and UNLV for the other.

College Football Playoff: First-round game #2

Bonagura: No. 11 Clemson at No. 6 Tennessee
Schlabach: No. 11 Missouri at No. 6 Georgia

Georgia fell just one spot to No. 6 for Schlabach with that setting up a matchup where they’d host a league opponent in Missouri.

As for Bonagura, he has the same game that Schlabach had a week ago with Clemson vs. Tennessee on Rocky Top in a rematch of the Orange Bowl in 2022.

College Football Playoff: First-round game #3

Bonagura: No. 10 Michigan at No. 7 Oregon
Schlabach: No. 10 Clemson at No. 7 Tennessee

Schlabach still has the Tigers and Volunteers playing in Knoxville in the opening round. He just has it in a different slot this week with it being the No. 7-No. 10 matchup rather than at No. 6-No. 11.

Bonagura has his as a game between teams in the Big Ten with the Wolverines going to play the Ducks in Eugene.

College Football Playoff: First-round game #4

Bonagura: No. 9 Penn State at No. 8 Georgia
Schlabach: No. 9 Penn State at No. 8 Oregon

Georgia fell two spots to No. 8 for Bonagura while Oregon moved up two spots for Schlabach.

Either way, Penn State will be going on the road to play either in Athens or Eugene as the Nittany Lions have the No. 9 seed.

CFP Quarterfinal at the Fiesta Bowl

Bonagura: No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 4 BYU
Schlabach: No. 5 Texas vs. No. 4 Kansas State

In the Fiesta Bowl, Bonagura and Schlabach have their respective No. 5 seeds, the Crimson Tide and the Longhorns, advancing to play in Glendale.

They’d play the winner of the Big 12 Championship with both experts projecting new teams at No. 4. One has an all-new selection to the field in BYU while the other brought back Kansas State.

CFP Quarterfinal at the Peach Bowl

Bonagura: No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 3 Miami
Schlabach: No. 6 Georgia vs. No. 3 Miami

Much like the Fiesta Bowl, it’ll be a team from the Southeastern Conference playing in the Peach Bowl as the No. 6.

As for the champion out of the ACC, Miami remains the selection for both writers despite their last-second close call this weekend to open league play.

CFP Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game

Bonagura: No. 7 Oregon vs. No. 2 Ohio State
Schlabach: No. 7 Tennessee vs. No. 2 Ohio State

The Rose Bowl will feature the winner of the Big Ten Championship in Ohio State at No. 2.

For Bonagura, that means a rematch from the regular season in the Oregon Ducks. For Schlabach, that now will lead to a matchup between them and the Tennessee Volunteers in Pasadena.

CFP Quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl

Bonagura: No. 8 Georgia vs. No. 1 Texas
Schlabach: No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 1 Alabama

The Sugar Bowl also has some changes with Schlabach moving ‘Bama up to No. 1. They’d play Oregon in New Orleans for a spot in the semifinal.

As for Bonagura, Texas remains at No. 1 with at least a rematch for them from the regular season coming in Georgia now at No. 8.

CFP Semifinal at the Orange Bowl

Bonagura: No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 1 Texas
Schlabach: No. 5 Texas vs. No. 1 Alabama

Regardless of the seeding, Alabama and Texas would then meet for both experts in the Orange Bowl.

The Crimson Tide and Longhorns have played in each of the past two regular seasons and split those games while both reached the four-team field last year with neither advancing. With this, though, only one could move on to play for the national title.

CFP Semifinal at the Cotton Bowl Classic

Bonagura: No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 2 Ohio State
Schlabach: No. 6 Georgia vs. No. 2 Ohio State

Ohio State would move on to play in the semifinals in the Cotton Bowl from Arlington.

Bonagura has the same matchup for them against Tennessee but a round later after the quarterfinals. Schlabach instead has it as a rematch from the Peach Bowl in the playoff two seasons ago between the Buckeyes and the Bulldogs.

CFP National Championship

Bonagura: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 1 Texas
Schlabach: No. 6 Georgia vs. No. 1 Alabama

As for the title game projections, Bonagura and Schlabach have all of the same four teams listed from last week but in different seeds and orders.

Bongura still has the Longhorns at No. 1 with them now meeting the No. 2 seed in Ohio State. Schlabach then has a rematch from this past weekend’s classic with Georgia, now as his No. 6 seed, playing Alabama as his new No. 1.

ESPN 2024 Bowl Season predictions after Week 4

Celebration Bowl

Bonagura: Florida A&M vs. NC Central
Schlabach: Florida A&M vs. NC Central

Camellia Bowl

Bonagura: East Carolina vs. Coastal Carolina
Schlabach: Ohio vs. Coastal Carolina

Frisco Bowl

Bonagura: Washington vs. North Texas
Schlabach: Appalachian State vs. North Texas

Boca Raton Bowl

Bonagura: UConn vs. Georgia Southern
Schlabach: Buffalo vs. Tulane

L.A. Bowl

Bonagura: California vs. Boise State
Schlabach: California vs. Boise State

New Orleans Bowl

Bonagura: Western Kentucky vs. Texas State
Schlabach: Liberty vs. James Madison

Cure Bowl

Bonagura: South Alabama vs. Jacksonville State
Schlabach: Louisiana vs. East Carolina

Gasparilla Bowl

Bonagura: NC State vs. Colorado
Schlabach: Virginia vs. South Alabama

Myrtle Beach Bowl

Bonagura: Louisiana vs. Florida International
Schlabach: Marshall vs. South Florida

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Bonagura: Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State
Schlabach: Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State

Hawaii Bowl

Bonagura: Liberty vs. Colorado State
Schlabach: Western Kentucky vs. Colorado State

Detroit Bowl

Bonagura: Toledo vs. Michigan State
Schlabach: Toledo vs. Michigan State

Guaranteed Rate Bowl

Bonagura: Maryland vs. TCU
Schlabach: Maryland vs. Colorado

68 Ventures Bowl

Bonagura: UTSA vs. Marshall
Schlabach: Oregon State vs. Georgia Southern

Birmingham Bowl

Bonagura: Arkansas vs. Tulane
Schlabach: Virginia Tech vs. TCU

Armed Forces Bowl

Bonagura: Cincinnati vs. South Florida
Schlabach: Oklahoma State vs. Army

Liberty Bowl

Bonagura: Oklahoma State vs. South Carolina
Schlabach: Texas Tech vs. Arkansas

Holiday Bowl

Bonagura: SMU vs. Washington State
Schlabach: SMU vs. Arizona

Las Vegas Bowl

Bonagura: Kentucky vs. Arizona
Schlabach: South Carolina vs. Washington State

Fenway Bowl

Bonagura: Memphis vs. Virginia Tech
Schlabach: Memphis vs. Syracuse

Pinstripe Bowl

Bonagura: Pittsburgh vs. Iowa
Schlabach: Pittsburgh vs. Illinois

New Mexico Bowl

Bonagura: UNLV vs. Arizona State
Schlabach: Nevada vs. Texas State

Pop-Tarts Bowl

Bonagura: Notre Dame vs. Kansas State
Schlabach: Notre Dame vs. Iowa State

Arizona Bowl

Bonagura: Eastern Michigan vs. San José State
Schlabach: Central Michigan vs. San José State

Military Bowl

Bonagura: North Carolina vs. Army
Schlabach: NC State vs. Navy

Alamo Bowl

Bonagura: Iowa State vs. USC
Schlabach: Utah vs. USC

Independence Bowl

Bonagura: West Virginia vs. Oregon State
Schlabach: UCF vs. Indiana

Music City Bowl

Bonagura: Illinois vs. LSU
Schlabach: Iowa vs. Kentucky

ReliaQuest Bowl

Bonagura: Rutgers vs. Ole Miss
Schlabach: Nebraska vs. Ole Miss

Sun Bowl

Bonagura: Boston College vs. Utah
Schlabach: Duke vs. Washington

Citrus Bowl

Bonagura: Indiana vs. Missouri
Schlabach: Michigan vs. LSU

Texas Bowl

Bonagura: UCF vs. Oklahoma
Schlabach: BYU vs. Oklahoma

Gator Bowl

Bonagura: Louisville vs. Texas A&M
Schlabach: Louisville vs. Texas A&M

First Responder Bowl

Bonagura: Texas Tech vs. Navy
Schlabach: West Virginia vs. Georgia Tech

Duke’s Mayo Bowl

Bonagura: Duke vs. Nebraska
Schlabach: Boston College vs. Rutgers

Bahamas Bowl

Bonagura: Sam Houston vs. Buffalo
Schlabach: Sam Houston vs. Eastern Michigan