College Football Playoff: ESPN predicts 2024 12-team bracket, full bowl slate ahead of Week 0

Week 0 is officially here, and it’s time for the final round of predictions. ESPN’s Mark Schlabach and Kyle Bonagura made their picks for the College Football Playoff and the full slate of bowl games with games quickly approaching.

The CFP will take on a new look this year as the 12-team format debuts. Under the format, the five highest-ranked conference champions will make the cut while the next seven highest-ranked teams will round out the field. First-round games will also take place at campus sites and the four highest-ranked conference champions get byes.

Of course, there will still be plenty of bowl games once December and January come around. Here are ESPN’s full predictions for the entire slate, from the Celebration Bowl through the national championship.

College Football Playoff: First-round game #1

Bonagura: No. 12 Boise State vs. No. 5 Oregon
Schlabach: No. 12 Memphis vs. No. 5 Oregon

Both Bonagura and Schlabach think Oregon is in position to host a first-round CFP game as the Ducks make the transition to the Big Ten. Dan Lanning’s group appears poised for success as they make the move from the Pac-12, and ESPN thinks they could be in line to face the highest-ranked Group of 5 conference champion in the preseason predictions.

College Football Playoff: First-round game #2

Bonagura: No. 11 Clemson vs. No. 6 Alabama
Schlabach: No. 11 Ole Miss vs. No. 6 Texas

ESPN thinks the second CFP game could be a spot for the SEC, with three of the four teams coming in from the conference. Bonagura predicted Clemson would lose the ACC Championship to Florida State, but still finish high enough in the CFP rankings to make the field as a No. 11 seed. Schlabach, meanwhile, opted for two potential SEC contenders – and former Nick Saban assistants – with Ole Miss vs. Texas.

College Football Playoff: First-round game #3

Bonagura: No. 10 Arizona at No. 7 Texas
Schlabach: No. 10 Miami at No. 7 Penn State

There’s a potential surprise in Bonagura’s picks with Arizona, which lost head coach Jedd Fisch to Washington after last year’s 10-win season and Alamo Bowl victory. He pointed out the amount of returning production for the Wildcats under Brent Brennan as a reason picking them to take on Texas. Schlabach opted for one of the more intriguing ACC teams in Miami going up against a new-look Penn State team.

College Football Playoff: First-round game #4

Bonagura: No. 9 Penn State at No. 8 Notre Dame
Schlabach: No. 9 Notre Dame at No. 8 Alabama

Both ESPN analysts picked Notre Dame to make the CFP field with high expectations in Year 3 under Marcus Freeman. The Fighting Irish have multiple newcomers on the roster who can make an impact and made a splash with Mike Denbrock as offensive coordinator, leading to some chatter about College Football Playoff hopes.

CFP Quarterfinal at the Fiesta Bowl

Bonagura: No. 6 Alabama vs. No. 3 Utah
Schlabach: No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 4 Utah

Both Bonagura and Schlabach are in agreement about the first bye in their projected field, uniting on Utah to win the Big 12 – although with different seeds. The Utes will bring their hard-nosed style to their new conference under Kyle Whittingham and came in as the preseason favorite to win the league and secure the CFP berth out of the gate.

CFP Quarterfinal at the Peach Bowl

Bonagura: No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 4 Florida State
Schlabach: No. 6 Texas vs. No. 3 Florida State

The preseason favorite in the ACC, Florida State could be in line to make the expanded CFP field after last season’s snub. In ESPN’s predictions, Bonagura and Schlabach have Oregon and Texas winning their respective first-round games to set up their projected matchups with Mike Norvell and the Seminoles.

CFP Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game

Bonagura: No. 7 Texas vs. No. 2 Ohio State
Schlabach: No. 8 Alabama vs. No. 1 Ohio State

A team generating the most buzz this preseason, Ohio State is ESPN’s favorite to win the Big Ten this year. In fact, Schlabach has the Buckeyes as the No. 1 seed in his projected field, taking on No. 8 Alabama in the quarterfinal round. Bonagura instead opted to put Ohio State as the No. 2 seed, facing No. 7 Texas, which still shows the high hopes in Columbus this year.

CFP Quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl

Bonagura: No. 8 Notre Dame vs. No. 1 Georgia
Schlabach: No. 7 Penn State vs. No. 2 Georgia

Georgia checked in as Bonagura’s No. 1 seed over Ohio State, and he predicted Notre Dame to advance to the quarterfinal round to set up the matchup. Schlabach went with UGA at No. 2 and had Penn State taking on Kirby Smart and Co. with a semifinal appearance on the line.

CFP Semifinal at the Orange Bowl

Bonagura: No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 1 Georgia
Schlabach: No. 6 Texas vs. No. 2 Georgia

Bonagura and Schlabach both project Georgia to return to the Orange Bowl this season, although their opponents differ. Oregon was Bonagura’s pick while Schlabach chose Texas – although both games would surely be interesting for college football fans since Kirby Smart would face former colleagues.

CFP Semifinal at the Cotton Bowl Classic

Bonagura: No. 6 Alabama vs. No. 2 Ohio State
Schlabach: No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 1 Ohio State

In October, Ohio State and Oregon will play in what could be one of the best games of the year. Schlabach thinks it could happen again later – only it will have a national title game appearance on the line in the Cotton Bowl. Bonagura, however, picked Alabama to make a run to the semifinal with a matchup against the Buckeyes at AT&T Stadium.

CFP National Championship

Bonagura: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 1 Georgia
Schlabach: No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 1 Ohio State

The top two teams in the AP Top 25 preseason poll were Bonagura and Schlabach’s picks to make the national championship – although the seeding was different. Ohio State and Georgia last played a CFP game against each other in the 2022 Peach Bowl, and ESPN thinks a rematch could be in the cards in this year’s national championship in Atlanta.

ESPN 2024 Bowl Season predictions

Celebration Bowl

Bonagura: Alabama State vs. NC Central
Schlabach: Alabama State vs. NC Central

Camellia Bowl

Bonagura: Tulsa vs. Troy
Schlabach: Ohio vs. Coastal Carolina

Frisco Bowl

Bonagura: Texas State vs. Hawaii
Schlabach: Arkansas State vs. Rice

Boca Raton Bowl

Bonagura: Coastal Carolina vs. East Carolina
Schlabach: Western Michigan vs. East Carolina

L.A. Bowl

Bonagura: Cal vs. Fresno State
Schlabach: Cal vs. Fresno State

New Orleans Bowl

Bonagura: Liberty vs. Appalachian State
Schlabach: Liberty vs. Appalachian State

Cure Bowl

Bonagura: Georgia State vs. Florida Atlantic
Schlabach: Louisiana vs. Western Kentucky

Gasparilla Bowl

Bonagura: West Virginia vs. South Carolina
Schlabach: Syracuse vs. South Carolina

Myrtle Beach Bowl

Bonagura: UAB vs. Buffalo
Schlabach: Marshall vs. Middle Tennessee

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Bonagura: Miami (Ohio) vs. San Diego State
Schlabach: Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State

Hawaii Bowl

Bonagura: Jacksonville State vs. San Jose State
Schlabach: New Mexico State vs. Colorado State

Detroit Bowl

Bonagura: Toledo vs. Purdue
Schlabach: Toledo vs. Maryland

Guaranteed Rate Bowl

Bonagura: Wisconsin vs. Texas Tech
Schlabach: Minnesota vs. UCF

68 Ventures Bowl

Bonagura: South Alabama vs. Central Michigan
Schlabach: Troy vs. Wyoming

Birmingham Bowl

Bonagura: James Madison vs. Kentucky
Schlabach: Army vs. Florida

Armed Forces Bowl

Bonagura: Syracuse vs. Tulane
Schlabach: Texas Tech vs. UTSA

Liberty Bowl

Bonagura: Iowa State vs. Texas A&M
Schlabach: West Virginia vs. Kentucky

Las Vegas Bowl

Bonagura: LSU vs. Washington
Schlabach: Auburn vs. Washington

Fenway Bowl

Bonagura: Memphis vs. Duke
Schlabach: Tulane vs. Wake Forest

Pinstripe Bowl

Bonagura: North Carolina vs. Maryland
Schlabach: Georgia Tech vs. Wisconsin

New Mexico Bowl

Bonagura: UNLV vs. Louisiana
Schlabach: Air Force vs. Texas State

Pop-Tarts Bowl

Bonagura: Miami vs. Kansas State
Schlabach: Clemson vs. Oklahoma State

Arizona Bowl

Bonagura: Bowling Green vs. Air Force
Schlabach: Bowling Green vs. UNLV

Military Bowl

Bonagura: Pitt vs. UTSA
Schlabach: North Carolina vs. USF

Alamo Bowl

Bonagura: Oklahoma State vs. USC
Schlabach: Kansas State vs. USC

Independence Bowl

Bonagura: Baylor vs. UCLA
Schlabach: Iowa State vs. Oregon State

Music City Bowl

Bonagura: Rutgers vs. Missouri
Schlabach: Nebraska vs. Texas A&M

ReliaQuest Bowl

Bonagura: Iowa vs. Auburn
Schlabach: Iowa vs. Missouri

Sun Bowl

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

Citrus Bowl

Bonagura: Michigan vs. Ole Miss
Schlabach: Michigan vs. Tennessee

Texas Bowl

Bonagura: Kansas vs. Oklahoma
Schlabach: Kansas vs. LSU

Gator Bowl

Bonagura: Louisville vs. Tennessee
Schlabach: NC State vs. Oklahoma

First Responder Bowl

Bonagura: TCU vs. Rice
Schlabach: TCU vs. James Madison

Duke’s Mayo Bowl

Bonagura: Virginia Tech vs. Nebraska
Schlabach: Louisville vs. Rutgers

Bahamas Bowl

Bonagura: Western Kentucky vs. Ohio
Schlabach: Jacksonville State vs. Miami

Holiday Bowl

Bonagura: NC State vs. Oregon State
Schlabach: Virginia Tech vs. Arizona