Joel Klatt predicts 12-team College Football Playoff field ripe with controversy

The 2024 regular season has come to an end. With that, there is a fairly clear picture of where teams stand as they relate to the College Football Playoff, and with that analyst Joel Klatt shared his prediction for the 12-team Playoff field.

Klatt shared eight teams he thinks are already in, along with three teams who are next into the field, and then three teams on the bubble. With only 12 spots available, not everyone is going to be able to make it into the bracket. This comes with the conference championship games to go, which could in their own way change how teams are lined up in the Playoff field.

With all of that in mind, here is a look at the 12-team College Football Playoff field, as Klatt sees things:

In the Field

Oregon – The Oregon Ducks finished the regular season unbeaten. Now, they’ll take on the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Big Ten Championship Game. That game is, from Klatt’s perspective, about seeding. A win earns a first round bye. However, he still thinks the loser is in regardless.

Texas – Texas finished the season with a dominant defensive effort on the road against Texas A&M. That game put them in the SEC Championship Game and, as Klatt shared, likely secured their spot in the Playoff. Like the other teams playing in a conference championship game, a win would help them to earn a bye week.

Penn State – The Penn State Nittany Lions took care of business in the final week of the season. That, along with the Ohio State Buckeyes dropping their game against Michigan, sent the Nittany Lions into the Big Ten Championship Game against Oregon. Now, a bye in the Playoff is up for grabs. If not, the Nittany Lions will still likely get to host in the first round.

Notre Dame – As an Independent, Notre Dame doesn’t have a conference championship game to go to, which means they have a complete resume. At 11-1, finishing with a road win over USC, Klatt believes the Irish are a lock for the Playoff. The knock might be a bad loss to Northern Illinois, but few teams have been as dominant in the past two months as Notre Dame.

Ohio State – For the fourth season in a row, Ohio State lost to Michigan. That kept the Buckeyes out of the Big Ten Championship Game. It also put their fate into the hands of the College Football Playoff selection committee. Without another game to improve their resumes, Joel Klatt does think that the Buckeyes are going to be in the Playoff.

Georgia – Georgia went into the final week of the season knowing that they’d be playing for the SEC Championship Game. They also entered the week with two losses, so adding a third to rival Georgia Tech could have put the Bulldogs in a situation where they needed to win the SEC. That game turned into an eight overtime thriller, which the Bulldogs survived. Now, Klatt has them firmly in the Playoff.

Tennessee – The Tennessee Volunteers won’t be playing for the SEC Championship Game. Instead, their fate is in the hands of the selection committee. Even with that, as a 10-2 SEC team, the Volunteers should be in good shape. Certainly, Klatt is all in on Tennessee making the Playoff.

Indiana – There has been a lot of criticism throughout the season of the strength of Indiana’s schedule. Along the way, they’ve gone 11-1, only losing to Ohio State and dominating the vast majority of the teams that they played. That included Purdue in the final week of the season. Now, Klatt believes they’ve done enough to be firmly in.

Next in

ACC Champion (SMU vs. Clemson) – The ACC Championship is set with SMU and Clemson getting ready to meet. From Joel Klatt’s perspective, this game is going to be vital to making the College Football Playoff. He has the winner in the field and the loser with their back against the wall. The Mustangs only have one loss this season while the Tigers lost their third game on Saturday.

Big 12 Champion (Arizona State vs. Iowa State) – It was a season where the Big 12 battled severe parity. Now, the championship game is set between Arizona State and Iowa State. Both enter the game with two losses in the regular season and resumes that don’t necessarily compare well to some other conferences. That means likely only the winner of this game is going to make the Playoff.

Group of Five – The top five-ranked conference champions earn automatic bids, with the top four of those earning a first round bye. That assures one Group of Five teams a bid into the College Football Playoff is going to be secured at least, with a potential first round bye. After Tulane lost, Boise State appears to be in control of the spot. Of course, they’ll still need to win the Mountain West.

On the Bubble

Alabama – Alabama is one of three SEC teams that Joel Klatt has on the bubble of the College Football Playoff. All three of those teams have 9-3 records. In the case of Alabama, the Crimson Tide are coming off a win in the Iron Bowl, but that was one week after an upset loss to Oklahoma that severely damaged their odds of making it to the Playoff.

Ole Miss – Ole Miss, like Alabama, suffered a bad loss two weeks ago before finishing the season strong with a convincing rivalry win. In the case of Ole Miss, there are times like the Georgia game when the Rebels look like one of the best teams in the country. Other times, they’ve suffered bad losses that put Ole Miss on the bubble.

South Carolina – There are very few teams as hot as the South Carolina Gamecocks at this point in the season, having won six straight games. The problem is that before that streak, they suffered three losses, including to Alabama and Ole Miss ahead of them. Still, the Clemson win was a great final resume point to add.