College Football Playoff: Projecting SMU's CFP bracket ranking
The first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2024 season will be revealed Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN. A 12-team format will take place for the first time in the sport’s history, replacing the four-team model.
SMU is suddenly thrust into the middle of the CFP picture as the Mustangs sit 8-1 and No. 13 in the AP Poll. In their first season in the ACC, Rhett Lashlee has SMU in the College Football Playoff picture.
Where will SMU land in the first College Football Playoff bracket?
On3 projects the Mustangs to land at No. 13, in line with its AP Poll ranking. The Coaches Poll has SMU at No. 15. If SMU lands at No. 13, the ACC program would be in the first four out. The old BCS formula has the Mustangs at No. 12, but because Boise State is right behind the Mustangs at No. 13 and are the highest-ranked Group of Five team, SMU would be left out in that scenario.
That said, SMU has plenty of opportunities to show the committee why it belongs. After drumming Pitt, 48-25, last week, the team’s on a bye, but is in control of its destiny to play Miami in the ACC Championship, assuming the Hurricanes don’t falter.
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The highest-ranked conference champions get the Top 4 seeds. The next-highest-ranked champ (likely a Group of 5 representative but not guaranteed) also gets an automatic berth. The remaining seven bids will go to at-large teams.
There are plenty of questions around the College Football Playoff committee and how it’ll view certain teams, notably SEC and Big Ten teams with multiple losses. SMU’s only loss is to Top 10 BYU, which came before the Mustangs made the move to start quarterback Kevin Jennings as well, invigorating an offense that now is No. 23 in total offense, even after a slow start.
What does the entire rankings look like? On3 national reporter Jesse Simonton projected the bracket.
Projecting the Top 25 College Football Playoff Rankings
1. Oregon
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia
4. Miami
5. Texas
6. BYU
7. Notre Dame
8. Indiana
9. Penn State
10. Tennessee
11. Boise State
12. Alabama
13. SMU
14. LSU
15. Texas A&M
16. Ole Miss
17. Iowa State
18. Army
19. Washington State
20. Clemson
21. South Carolina
22. Vanderbilt
23. Louisville
24. Pitt
25. Colorado
