The College Football Playoff field is set, with the first 12-team field featuring an unbeaten top seed (Oregon) and a late addition who claimed the ACC title just before the clock turned to midnight on Selection Sunday (Clemson). Here is everything you need to know about the teams ahead of the first-round games that start on Dec. 20 and 21.
First-round opponent: Bye, Rose Bowl quarterfinal
Week-by-week CFP ranking: No. 1-1-1-1-1-1
How they got here: The Ducks earned the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff by surviving a nonconference schedule where they were not playing their best football. Oregon struggled in Week 1 against the Idaho Vandals of the FCS, but pulled away for a 24–14 win. Oregon then defeated the Boise State Broncos by three in Week 2, a victory that aged incredibly well as the season wore on. The Broncos, of course, made the field as the top-ranked Group of 5 team behind soon-to-be Heisman Trophy finalist Ashton Jeanty. After the two early close calls, Oregon began firing on all cylinders, including a signature 32–31 home victory against the then-No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes on Oct. 12. The Ducks were in the field regardless of what happened on championship weekend, but sealed the top seed with a 45–37 win over No. 3 Penn State in the Big Ten championship on Saturday night to complete their 13–0 campaign.
Season high point: Surviving the final drive against Ohio State, where the Buckeyes were driving down the field to set up a potential winning field goal. Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard lost track of time on a scramble and was tackled in bounds as time expired to seal the signature victory of the season for the Ducks.
Season low point: The slog of an opener against Idaho where Oregon looked primed for an unconscionable upset.
Oregon can win it all if … The defense plays more like it did all season and less like it did in the Big Ten title game, where Penn State moved the ball up and down the field for most of the night in a shootout. The offense led by super senior quarterback Dillon Gabriel and stud running back Jordan James is title ready.
Oregon can lose immediately if … The defense struggles to stop the run, which was an issue Saturday. Penn State ran for nearly 300 yards in a losing effort, and there are better rushing teams than the Nittany Lions in the bracket.
National championship history: None since the Associated Press poll began in 1936.
College Football Playoff history: One appearance (2014–15), with a 1–1 record.
—Mike McDaniel
First-round opponent: Bye, Sugar Bowl quarterfinal
Week-by-week CFP ranking: No. 3-12-10-7-5-2
How they got here: The Bulldogs won the SEC and, as one of the four highest-ranked conference champions, were given a first-round bye and automatic berth into the CFP. As a result of their conference’s historic tie-in with the Sugar Bowl, the Bulldogs will head to New Orleans where they will await the winner of the No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame first-round game. This was not your typical, dominant Kirby Smart squad in 2024, but it did just enough to make it to Atlanta for the SEC title game and secure another trip to the playoff.
Season high point: This past Saturday against a Texas Longhorns side they already beat, the Bulldogs proved how mentally tough they were by surviving the loss of starting quarterback Carson Beck and faking a punt deep in their own territory to spur a fourth-quarter scoring drive. They emerged victorious in the first SEC title game to go to overtime thanks to a Trevor Etienne touchdown run. The Bulldogs played nine overtime periods across two games to end the regular season and made sure every one counted to punch their ticket.
Season low point: Getting field stormed on a rainy afternoon in Oxford, Miss., after the Ole Miss Rebels shut Georgia down in a 28–10 loss—the only loss for the senior class of Bulldogs to a team other than the Alabama Crimson Tide in 57 games. Lane Kiffin’s team notched five sacks of Beck, grabbed an interception and forced four fumbles and generally made Georgia look like it was going to be on the outside looking in of the playoff bubble.
Georgia can win it all if … Beck gets healthy and looks like the first-round quarterback of old. The veteran signal-caller’s worst stretch of the season coincided with the team looking mortal, throwing all 12 of his interceptions during a six-game stretch where the Bulldogs went 4–2 and generally struggled on the road.
Georgia can lose immediately if … the rush defense doesn’t make strides. Smart has a slew of NFL talent on his defensive depth chart, but as the season has worn on, the effort against the run hasn’t quite looked like it should—including giving up five touchdowns on the ground and over five yards per carry against the UMass Minutemen and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at the end of November.
National championship history: Four claimed titles in the poll era: 1942, ’80, 2021 and ’22.
College Football Playoff history: Three appearances, two national championships and a 5–1 overall record in the four-team era.
—Bryan Fischer
First-round opponent: Bye, Fiesta Bowl quarterfinal
Week-by-week CFP ranking: No. 12-13-12-11-10-9
How they got here: Boise State reached the CFP for the first time thanks to a stout defense and Jeanty, who is one of the best ballcarriers since Barry Sanders. Jeanty has destroyed opposing defenses all season long, as eight- and nine-man boxes have proven to be no match. The Broncos lost by three to Oregon in Week 2, and looked good enough to compete with the top dogs in the sport. The Broncos survived close games with the UNLV Rebels, Nevada Wolf Pack and Wyoming Cowboys in the regular season, but otherwise cruised comfortably in their wins. The Broncos sealed the deal by beating then-No. 20 UNLV, 21–7, in the Mountain West title game Friday night.
Season high point: Beating top conference threat UNLV twice. Once on the road, 29–24 on Oct. 25, and in the conference championship.
Season low point: Finding themselves in a dog fight with Wyoming on Nov. 23, a game the Broncos trailed 13–10 with nine minutes to go. A loss would have decimated Boise State’s chances of making the playoff, as the Cowboys finished the season 3–9.
Boise State can win it all if … Quarterback Maddux Madsen can make the important throws in obvious passing situations. The time may eventually come when Jeanty is slowed down enough that the Broncos’ chances of advancing will hinge on Madsen. Boise State’s defense should keep it in enough games against top-caliber competition to make things interesting.
Boise State will lose immediately if … Jeanty is stymied and Boise State’s defense is asked to do too much. It’s a stout unit, but it’s not good enough to overcome an offensive dud against the caliber of competition that’s in front of the Broncos.
National championship history: One since the AP poll began in 1936, but it was in ’80 at the FCS level. Boise State has not won a national championship as an FBS team.
College Football Playoff history: This is Boise State’s first appearance.
—Mike McDaniel
First-round opponent: Bye, Peach Bowl quarterfinal
Week-by-week CFP ranking: NR-NR-No. 21-16-15-12
How they got here: The Sun Devils earned their bid with a rout of the Iowa State Cyclones in the Big 12 championship game, but the reality is that Kenny Dillingham’s team was the best in the league in the second half of the season. After early-season losses to the Texas Tech Red Raiders and Cincinnati Bearcats, Arizona State went on the road and beat Kansas State before returning home and taking down the then-front runner BYU Cougars. Surviving a three-team tiebreaker kept the Sun Devils in the running to win the Big 12—an opportunity they made sure not to waste.
Season high point: Look no further than Saturday’s title game. The Sun Devils obliterated the Cyclones using the recipe they’ve mastered this season—leaning on star running back Cam Skattebo. The senior racked up 208 yards and three touchdowns on just 18 touches, and ASU had 45 points through three quarters. Not a bad way to wrap up a first season in a new conference.
Season low point: Scoring 14 points in a loss at Cincinnati. At the time, the Bearcats were humming, but this loss aged poorly as Cincy went without a win after knocking off the Sun Devils. ASU dug itself a 24–7 hole by halftime and couldn’t come back.
Arizona State can win it all if … Skattebo backs up his best running back in the country claim—and then some. The Sun Devils are explosive on offense when he’s running well and making plays out of the backfield in the passing game.
Arizona State can lose immediately if … it fails to get off to a quick start against any playoff opponent. The Sun Devils, with their elite run game, aren’t built to play from behind, and if the Cincy loss is any indication, putting the ball more in the quarterback’s hands and less in Skattebo’s is a recipe for an early exit.
National championship history: None.
College Football Playoff history: This is ASU’s first appearance.
—Zach Koons
First-round opponent: No. 12 Clemson, in Austin, on Dec. 21
Week-by-week CFP ranking: No. 5-3-3-3-2-3
How they got here: The Longhorns lost in the SEC championship game to Georgia, bumping them to an at-large spot as the No. 5 seed. The committee clearly valued the eye test with Steve Sarkisian’s team as Texas finished the regular season without a win over a team in the CFP top 25.
Season high point: After 13 long years of not playing their in-state rival Texas A&M Aggies, the Longhorns went into Kyle Field and didn’t allow an offensive touchdown in the Lone Star Showdown. That punched their ticket to Atlanta for the SEC title game, furthered their bragging rights in the state and secured the best regular-season conference record in their first season in the league. Just between the lines, a win in the Big House against the defending champion Michigan Wolverines qualifies, but it’s hard to top beating the Aggies if you wear burnt orange.
Season low point: Having spent four weeks as the No. 1 team in the country, Texas hosted then-No. 5 Georgia in mid-October in just the type of mega matchup the school brass envisioned when they joined the SEC. Unfortunately, the Horns offensive line was under siege all game, quarterback Quinn Ewers turned the ball over and, despite a late garbage time-fueled rally, they lost, 30–15.
Texas can win it all if … the offensive line holds up and Ewers doesn’t press to make plays. The Longhorns have one of the better groups in the trenches, but when they were off up front, the team suffered in games they shouldn’t have. Texas allowed 28 sacks—tied for 88th among FBS teams—and when it allowed pressure late, Ewers turned into a shell of himself and rushed his decision making, which led to an uptick in turnovers.
Texas can lose immediately if … it doesn’t find balance in the run game. The Longhorns rushed for only 31 yards (on 28 carries) against Georgia in Atlanta and 29 yards (on 27 carries) during the first meeting with the Bulldogs. They also struggled to run the ball in close wins against A&M and the Arkansas Razorbacks in November as well.
National championship history: Claimed national titles in 1963, ’69 and ’70 plus a BCS national championship in 2005.
College Football Playoff history: One prior appearance last season, where they lost to the national runner-up Washington Huskies in the Sugar Bowl.
—Bryan Fischer
First-round opponent: No. 11 SMU, in State College, Pa., on Dec. 21
Week-by-week CFP ranking: No. 6-4-4-4-3-4
How they got here: Penn State reached the playoff by beating everybody on its schedule not named Ohio State and Oregon, two of the other top teams in the Big Ten. Penn State finished the season with only one victory over a ranked team, and that was against the then-No. 19 Illinois Fighting Illini on Sept. 28, 21–7. Penn State’s offense improved this season, but not enough to take down the two best opponents it faced. However, James Franklin’s program did what it (almost) always does, beat the teams they’re supposed to beat.
Season high point: The 21–7 win over Illinois in late September, which was the only ranked team the Nittany Lions beat.
Season low point: Tied between the 20–13 loss to No. 4 Ohio State in Happy Valley on Nov. 2 and Saturday night’s 45–37 loss to No. 1 Oregon in the Big Ten title game. Neither result helped combat the narrative the Nittany Lions can’t beat elite teams.
Penn State can win it all if … quarterback Drew Allar can provide enough spark in the downfield passing game while limiting turnovers. There have been glimpses, but in the two losses this season, Allar turned it over three times. Penn State’s defense, short of Saturday’s Big Ten title-game defeat, has been one of the top units this season, and good enough to give the Nittany Lions a chance.
Penn State will lose immediately if … the defense plays as porous as it did in the Big Ten championship and Allar turns the football over on offense.
National championship history: Two since the AP poll began: 1982 and ’86.
College Football Playoff history: This is Penn State’s first appearance.
—Mike McDaniel
First-round opponent: No. 10 Indiana, in South Bend, on Dec. 20
Week-by-week CFP ranking: No. 10-8-6-5-4-5
How they got here: The Irish earned an at-large bid because, as an independent, they have no conference and no automatic bid to win. Notre Dame landed its spot in the bracket with 10 wins by double digits, including the last seven in a row. The Irish had just one victory over a team that finished the season in the CFP top 25 (Army Black Knights), but they are one of just two teams to go undefeated against power-conference competition (Oregon is the other).
Season high point: Holding off the USC Trojans, 49–35, on Nov. 30 behind fourth-quarter interception returns of 99 and 100 yards for touchdowns. In a season-ending rivalry game that has held some historical heartbreak for Notre Dame, that victory locked up the playoff bid for the Irish.
Season low point: The stunning home loss Sept. 7 to the Northern Illinois Huskies, a Mid-American Conference opponent that ended the season with a 7–5 record. At the time it looked like it might be a season-killer, but Notre Dame regrouped immediately.
Notre Dame can win it all if … its defense continues to dominate and the offense finds enough air power. The Irish are in the national top 10 in scoring defense (13.8 points per game), total defense (296.3 yards per game) and rushing offense (224.83 yards per game). The passing game is a different deal.
Notre Dame can lose immediately if … the defense doesn’t generate takeaways. The Irish led the nation with 28 and were 11–0 in games when they produced at least one turnover. Quarterback Riley Leonard has had only four games this season in which he’s thrown for 200 yards, so the Irish aren’t well-equipped for a wide-open scorefest.
National championship history: Eight since the AP poll began: 1943, ’46, ’47, ’49, ’66, ’73, ’77 and ’88.
College Football Playoff history: Two appearances, in 2018 and ’20, with an 0–2 record.
—Pat Forde
First-round opponent: No. 9 Tennessee, in Columbus, Dec. 21
Week-by-week CFP ranking: No. 2-2-2-2-6-6.
How they got here: The Buckeyes began the season as the Big Ten favorites, but lost their chance for an automatic bid and first-round bye with a stunning upset defeat at the hands of nemesis Michigan, knocking them out of the Big Ten championship game and a rematch with Oregon. But Ohio State’s road victory over Penn State and home rout of Indiana powered it into the playoff and earned a home playoff game.
Season high point: Winning in Happy Valley. The Buckeyes came back from a 10–0 deficit, then iced the game with a goal-line stand in the fourth quarter. That stands alongside Georgia’s win in Austin over Texas as the two best road wins of anyone in the playoff.
Season low point: The full-system failure against Michigan. As a three-touchdown favorite against a 6–5 team, Ohio State was poised to end its three-year losing streak to the Wolverines. When that didn’t come to pass—and the postgame was marred by a full-scale brawl between the teams—it cast a pall over the entire season.
Ohio State can win it all if … it puts the Michigan debacle behind it and plays to the level of its talent, which is the best in the playoff. The Buckeyes have all the pieces but must run the ball better, get it to their elite receivers on the perimeter and have fewer mistakes from quarterback Will Howard to advance.
Ohio State can lose immediately if … the Michigan hangover persists and becomes a crisis of confidence. A slow start at home could bring out the toxicity in a fan base that came into this season expecting to win it all. And the Buckeyes have been a slow-starting team this season.
National championship history: Six since the AP poll began: 1942, ’54, ’57, ’68, 2002 and ’14.
College Football Playoff history: Five appearances, in 2014, ’16, ’19, ’20 and ’22, with a 3–4 record and one championship in ’14.
—Pat Forde
First-round opponent: No. 8 Ohio State, in Columbus, Dec. 21
Week-by-week CFP ranking: No. 7-7-11-8-7-7
How they got here: The Vols narrowly missed out on the SEC championship game by virtue of their defeat at Georgia in mid-November, but got the benefit of not having another opportunity to add to their loss column. Tennessee did what most very good teams do: beat up on inferior opponents and take care of business against middling conference foes. The Vols notched only two victories over teams with seven wins or more, but consistently got by the SEC’s middle class—even if every win wasn’t as convincing as it should have been.
Season high point: Rallying in the second half to take down Alabama, 24–17, in the Third Saturday in October. The Vols defense completely shut down Jalen Milroe and the Tide in the fourth quarter, allowing three total yards across four drives and 11 plays, and the goalposts came down in Knoxville, Tenn.
Season low point: Not scoring enough points against Arkansas on the road and blowing a 14–3 lead in the second half to lose 19–14. The Razorbacks were a tough out this season and also gave Texas A&M, Texas and Missouri a scare. Thankfully, the Vols held on in overtime the following week against the Florida Gators to avoid what would have been a disastrous two-game skid.
Tennessee can win it all if … quarterback Nico Iamaleava and running back Dylan Sampson produce enough to complement a dominant defense. The tandem hasn’t had to do much for most of the season to win games, but a solid performance would turn Tennessee into a more well-rounded football team—and perhaps a title-game contender.
Tennessee can lose immediately if … the defense isn’t able to rise to meet the level of competition. The Vols have a top-five unit on that side of the ball and have only allowed more than 23 points once this season—to Georgia.
National championship history: Two since the AP poll began: 1951 and ’98.
College Football Playoff history: None.
—Zach Koons
First round opponent: No. 7 Notre Dame, in South Bend, Ind., on Dec. 20
Week-by-week CFP ranking: No. 8-5-5-10-9-8.
How they got here: After decades in obscurity, Indiana stormed to its first 10–0 record in school history, winning most of the games by lopsided margins and rarely trailing. But the competition was fairly soft, which raised the stakes for the Hoosiers’ road game against Ohio State. A 23-point loss knocked them onto the bubble, but other losses elsewhere (especially in the SEC) kept Indiana in the field.
Season high point: When Indiana smashed the Nebraska Cornhuskers 56–7 on Oct. 19 to reach 7–0, it established the Hoosiers as serious players. Following that up three weeks later with a gritty, 20–15 victory over Michigan—just its second since 1987—capped off Indiana’s playoff resume.
Season low point: Two fiascos by the punt team spelled doom at Ohio State. There was a fumbled snap deep in Indiana territory that set up one Buckeyes touchdown, and was followed by a 79-yard return TD in the second half. By the time that game was over, Indiana’s playoff status was in jeopardy, but the Hoosiers hung on to a spot in the field.
Indiana can win it all if … the Hoosiers crank up their big-play offense and protect quarterback Kurtis Rourke. Indiana was second in the Big Ten in scrimmage plays of 20 yards or longer with 60, and plays of 30 yards or longer with 26. Most of those plays have come through the air, with top receiver Elijah Sarratt averaging 18.2 yards per catch and Omar Cooper Jr. averaging 21.2.
Indiana can lose immediately if … the running game never engages, and Rourke is a sitting duck behind a pedestrian offensive line the way he was against Ohio State. The Buckeyes recorded five sacks that day, and Indiana was only ninth in the Big Ten in sacks allowed with 18. Indiana also must prove it can handle the moment, after never playing in a game anywhere near this magnitude.
National championship history: None.
College Football Playoff history: None.
—Pat Forde
First-round opponent: No. 6 Penn State, in State College, Pa., on Dec. 21
Week-by-week CFP ranking: No. 13-14-13-9-8-10
How they got here: The Mustangs ran through their first regular season in the ACC without a blemish, losing only a nonconference game to BYU by a field goal. While that normally would have been enough to lock up a spot in the bracket, Nolan Hauser’s 56-yard field goal spoiled a late rally in Charlotte during the ACC championship game that handed Clemson the league’s automatic bid to the playoff and caused some sweating in Dallas on Selection Sunday.
Season high point: After surviving a turnover-filled overtime win against the Duke Blue Devils, SMU thumped the previously undefeated Pitt Panthers at home to send a message to the rest of the league that the Ponies were for real.
Season low point: Falling behind 24–7 to Clemson in the first half of the ACC title game, it sure seemed like SMU was not ready for the big stage and was in danger of missing the CFP. The Mustangs stormed back with a 17-point outburst to tie it with 16 seconds left, but proceeded to give up a winning kick to notch their first loss in league play.
SMU can win it all if … Kevin Jennings plays out of his mind. The quarterback was called one of the most underrated players in the country by Nick Saban this season, and he’s what has made the Mustangs tick as one of FBS’s top offenses. If he’s playing mistake-free and using his legs to make plays, there’s a slim chance the team gets hot and goes on a run.
SMU can lose immediately if … their defense keeps giving up big plays and their offense puts them behind the eight ball. SMU isn’t equipped to go fully toe-to-toe with a higher-seeded foe and try to trade barbs on each drive. If it commits penalties, allows a bunch of downfield passes and gets forced to become one-dimensional, there will be a lot of “I told you so’s” from Tuscaloosa, Ala., and beyond after their first-round game.
National championship history: A somewhat disputed national title in 1935 plus claims of championships in ’81 and ’82 during the Pony Express Era.
College Football Playoff history: None.
—Bryan Fischer
First-round opponent: No. 5 Texas, in Austin, Dec. 21
Week-by-week CFP ranking: No. 23-20-17-12-17-16
How they got here: Dabo Swinney pulled out another must-win game, this time in the ACC championship behind the leg of freshman kicker Nolan Hauser, who drilled a 56-yard field goal as time expired to outlast SMU. The Tigers snuck into the title matchup thanks to the Miami Hurricanes’ loss in the last week of the regular season to the Syracuse Orange, even with a nonconference loss of their own to the South Carolina Gamecocks. Clemson doesn’t have a bad loss, the worst is to the 8–4 Louisville Cardinals, and finally got its marquee win over SMU to put itself back in the CFP for the first time since 2021.
Season high point: A resilient win over the talented Mustangs in the ACC title bout. Cade Klubnik had three touchdowns in the first quarter to give Clemson a comfortable lead, but it was the theatrics at the end that lifted the Tigers to victory. A strong kick return followed by a strike from Klubnik to Antonio Williams gave Hauser a chance, and he instantly kicked his way into program lore.
Season low point: The 34–3 drubbing the Tigers got in the season opener against Georgia. Pundits instantly wrote off Swinney & Co. after they got outclassed by the eventual SEC champs. But Clemson dug in and blasted its next six opponents to reenter the national conversation.
Clemson can win it all if … Klubnik plays like he did in the ACC championship game for the next four games. With 262 yards and four touchdowns, the junior bounced back from a subpar showing vs. South Carolina with one of his best performances of the season—of which he’ll need at least a few more if Clemson wants its third title in the last decade.
Clemson can lose immediately if … the defense struggles against the run. All three of the Tigers’ losses came when they yielded 160-plus yards on the ground and the revolving door nearly cost them a shot at the playoff in the second half against SMU.
National championship history: Three since the AP poll began: 1981, 2016 and ’18.
College Football Playoff history: Six appearances, second all-time behind Alabama. In 10 games, Clemson is 6–4 with two CFP national championships.
—Zach Koons
Bryan Fischer is a staff writer at Sports Illustrated covering college sports. He joined the SI staff in 2024 after spending nearly two decades at outlets such as FOX Sports, NBC Sports and CBS Sports. A member of the Football Writers Association of America's All-America Selection Committee and a Heisman Trophy voter, Fischer has won awards for investigative journalism from the Associated Press Sports Editors and FWAA.
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Mike McDaniel is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where he has worked since January 2022. His work has been featured at InsideTheACC.com, SB Nation, FanSided and more. McDaniel hosts the Hokie Hangover Podcast, covering Virginia Tech athletics, as well as Basketball Conference: The ACC Football Podcast. Outside of work, he is a husband and father, and an avid golfer.
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Pat Forde is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated who covers college football and college basketball as well as the Olympics and horse racing. He cohosts the College Football Enquirer podcast and is a football analyst on the Big Ten Network. He previously worked for Yahoo Sports, ESPN and The (Louisville) Courier-Journal. Forde has won 28 Associated Press Sports Editors writing contest awards, has been published three times in the Best American Sports Writing book series, and was nominated for the 1990 Pulitzer Prize. A past president of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association and member of the Football Writers Association of America, he lives in Louisville with his wife. They have three children, all of whom were collegiate swimmers.
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Zach Koons is a programming editor at Sports Illustrated who frequently writes about Formula One. He joined SI as a breaking/trending news writer in February 2022 before joining the programming team in 2023. Koons previously worked at The Spun and interned for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He currently hosts the "Bleav in Northwestern" podcast and received a bachelor's in journalism from Northwestern University.
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