2024 Week 3 12-team College Football Playoff prediction
By Josh Yourish
Penn State was idle in Week 3, enjoying a bye week, but the Nittany Lions still managed to drop two spots in the Week 3 AP poll from No. 8 to No. 10. Elsewhere in the Big Ten, Ohio State and USC were both on a bye, Michigan was unimpressive in a win over Arkansas State, but Oregon finally looked like a real national championship contender.
The Ducks went back to Corvallis to face the Beavers after betraying Oregon State this offseason and departing the Pac-12 for the Big Ten. Washington State was in the same situation with a showdown against Washington and the Cougars came out on top, but the Beavers couldn’t send the same message. Oregon rolled to a 49-14 win and sixth-year quarterback Dillon Gabriel finished 20/24 for 291 yards and two touchdowns with an impressive 54-yard touchdown run.
In Weeks 1 and 2, Oregon slogged to victories over Idaho 24-14 and Boise State 37-34 on a game-winning last-second field goal. Now that the Ducks have found their footing, the Big Ten has a clear top four, and Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon, and USC are all staying in my Week 3 12-team College Football Playoff prediction.
Rank | Team | Bid | Previous Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Georgia | SEC Champion | 1 |
2 | Ohio State | Big Ten Champion | 2 |
3 | Miami (FL) | ACC Champion | 3 |
4 | Kansas State | Big 12 Champion | 4 |
5 | Texas | At-large | 5 |
6 | Ole Miss | At-large | 6 |
7 | Oregon | At-large | 7 |
8 | Notre Dame | At-large | 8 |
9 | Penn State | At-large | 9 |
10 | Tennessee | At-large | 10 |
11 | USC | At-large | 11 |
12 | Memphis | AAC Champion | 12 |
There is an argument to put Texas over Georgia after the Bulldogs narrowly escaped Lexington with a 13-12 win over Kentucky in Week 3. The Longhorns jumped to No. 1 in the AP Poll with their 56-7 win over UTSA, but they lost starting quarterback Quinn Ewers in the process. The country got a look at Arch Manning who went 9/12 for 223 yards and four touchdowns with another score on the ground. Still, if Ewers isn’t 100% when Georgia visits Austin on October 19, and either Manning has to play or Ewers is limited, I’d expect Kirby Smart’s team to leave town with a huge win.
Even after losing to Northern Illinois, I refused to drop Notre Dame out of last week's CFP prediction and I do feel a bit of vindication now. In Week 3, the Fighting Irish took out frustration on Purdue in a 66-7 drubbing of the Boilermakers. Head coach Marcus Freeman continues to come up short against lesser competition during his tenure, but his roster is good enough to compete with the 12 best teams in the nation.
When it comes to the G5 spot, I’ve had Memphis at No. 12 all year and the Tigers Week 3 win over FSU hasn’t done anything to deter me. Beating the 0-3 Seminoles doesn't necessarily make Ryan Silverfield’s team a CFP contender, but it does make Memphis’s path to an undefeated season and AAC Championship that much easier.
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