X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

2024 College Football Playoff Picture, Projections, Outlook (October Update)

Jalen Milroe - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

We are already a third of the way through the college football season. While some teams such as Florida State and Kansas have already been eliminated from the playoff discussion, we have far more that are still in the running.

This pool of teams will shrink as the season wears on, but we here at RotoBaller are going to take stock of where we stand at the end of each month. Welcome to the first edition of The Hunt for the 12-team playoff! I will be your tour guide.

This new playoff system ushers in a new era of college football. I have been openly critical about this, but I hope I am proven wrong. I fear that once the novelty of all of these wild conference games wears off, we will be left with an unimportant regular season and a 32-team playoff. You know they're not stopping at 12.

 

College Football Playoff Overview

First, we should explain how it works. There are five automatic bids to the playoff. The five highest-ranked conference winners are all in automatically. That will be the Power Four conference winners plus the next-highest-ranked conference champion.

Since the Pac-12 isn't a conference again (yet), Washington State and Oregon State will be treated as independents. The top-four-ranked teams will be given a first-round "bye."

That leaves seven at-large playoff teams. Again, we will have a committee to choose these teams. Those seven teams plus the other conference champion will play in the first round. Those games are held at the home stadium of the higher-ranked team.

This will be an exciting time for those teams. Honestly, I have always thought that the college football playoff games should be at on-campus stadiums instead of cavernous ready-made bowl stadiums. Can you imagine a playoff game at Neyland Stadium, even if Tennessee wasn't involved? That's a way to keep things interesting!

 

College Football Playoff Automatic Bids

ACC: 

Duke, Miami, and Pitt are still undefeated. Clemson, Boston College, SMU, Louisville, and Virginia haven't lost in the conference. Miami's win over Virginia Tech is slightly better than Duke's win over Carolina. Miami gets our vote right now.

Big 12 (14):

BYU and Iowa State are undefeated. Colorado, Texas Tech, and West Virginia haven't lost in the conference. Arizona's loss in the Little Apple wasn't considered a conference game, but we know the real truth. Right now, BYU gets our vote for being 2-0 in the conference and eviscerating Kansas State.

Big Ten (18):

Ohio State, Indiana, Oregon, Rutgers, and Penn State are undefeated. Michigan and Iowa haven't lost in the conference. Penn State's win over Illinois might be the most impressive conference win so far, but that's not saying much. That's good enough for the vote right now.

SEC:

There will only be one by the time we get to the end of this, but right now it's rather convoluted. Texas, Alabama, Missouri, and Tennessee are all still undefeated. Texas A&M and LSU are also still undefeated in the conference. Right now, Alabama gets our vote here with the best win of the season so far.

At-Large Champion:

James Madison, UNLV, Liberty, Navy, and Army are undefeated. As of now, UNLV is the only ranked squad, so it gets the at-large.

 

College Football Playoff At-Large Bids

We still have 14 other undefeated teams that aren't already in. Not all of those can get in. Also polluting the water is the plethora of one-loss teams that also might deserve a shot.

ACC:

Duke and Pitt don't have those "big wins" that some other teams have. Clemson's loss was to Georgia on a "neutral" field. For me, they still have the best resumé of the rest of the ACC. Clemson gets my vote over Duke and Pitt for now.

Big 12 (14): 

Iowa State got a nice win in the CyHawk game in Iowa City, but should that be enough? What about an Arizona team that became the first unranked team to win in Rice-Eccles in seven years? What about K-State's thrashing of said Arizona team before getting thumped in Provo?

If we're going by that logic, K-State has the "best loss" because it lost on the road to the current Big 12 (14) Champion, BYU. Willie gets the Big 12 (14) at-large.

Big Ten (18):

Here is where some people are going to get upset. Can we let Ohio State in when its best win is over a down Michigan State team? Oregon's win over Boise is better. How about Indiana? It has solid wins, but nothing great. Rutgers beat Washington, but that's not a signature win.

One-loss Michigan lost to Texas but beat USC and Minnesota. That trumps anything Ohio State and Indiana have done to date. Michigan and Oregon have the only claims here with Penn State also in the conversation.

SEC: 

Here is where it gets messy. Texas's win in the Big House might be the second-best win of the season, so it is in. Tennessee's win in Norman is a pretty big one, too. This isn't even counting Georgia's loss to Alabama. Its win over Clemson puts it in if Clemson is in. Fair is fair.

What about Missouri? It is ranked in the top 10, but is a win at home over Boston College enough to get it in? Not in my world. What about LSU, who lost a neutral-field game to USC? Is a win over South Carolina enough to put it back into consideration?

What I came up with for the seven at-large teams is Texas, Georgia, Clemson, Kansas State, Oregon, Michigan, and Tennessee

 

College Football Playoff As Of October 1

Byes: Alabama (1), Penn State (7), Miami (8), BYU (17)

Other automatic qualifier: UNLV (25)

At-large teams: (2) Texas, Georgia (5), Tennessee (4), Oregon (6), Michigan (10), Clemson (15), and Kansas State (20).

Do I think that the ACC and Big 12 (14) are getting two teams in? It's unlikely given the strength of schedule advantage that the SEC and Big 10 will hold. Strangely enough, Notre Dame will not be held to that standard. If it beats USC, it will likely take one of these spots despite losing at home to Northern Illinois and only having one other quality win.

The previous two sentences highlight what is wrong with this format (and there is a lot). We know that a lot of this will change over the next two months. Will Utah and Iowa State have a good enough strength of schedule if they don't win the Big 12 (14)?

Clemson likely has to run the table to keep its spot. Not that a loss to Georgia is a bad thing, but if it were to lose to Miami and have to go in as an at-large, wins over a down Florida State team, Pitt, and Louisville likely isn't enough.

If you thought whittling the field down to four was tough (it wasn't ... 2023 was the only year of the four-team playoff where it could have been necessary), wait until you see the arguments over 12! I don't know about you, but I would rather be arguing over which one-loss team deserves a shot over arguing about which three-loss team deserves a shot.

We are still college football fans, so we will argue over whatever they tell us to argue about. We should have a clearer picture emerging by the time the next article comes out at the end of October. Until then, happy arguing!



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More College Football Analysis

More DFS Lineup Picks

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Mason Adams31 mins ago

Diagnosed With Flex Strain
Joey Gallo39 mins ago

White Sox Release Joey Gallo
Sean Burke46 mins ago

Named Opening Day Starter
Jung Hoo Lee53 mins ago

Expected To Remain Sidelined For A Few Days
Max Kepler1 hour ago

Exits Early On Sunday After Collision
Eiberson Castellano1 hour ago

Could Win Bullpen Job
Kyle Freeland1 hour ago

Rockies Name Kyle Freeland Their Starter For Opening Day
Royce Lewis1 hour ago

Exits Early On Sunday
Ramón Urías1 hour ago

Ramon Urias Expected To Return On Thursday
Emmanuel Rivera2 hours ago

Dealing With Sore Shoulder
Ronny Mauricio2 hours ago

Won't Play In Spring Training Games
Nathan Eovaldi2 hours ago

Named Opening Day Starter
Framber Valdez2 hours ago

Will Start For Astros On Opening Day
Spencer Strider2 hours ago

To Make Spring Debut On Monday
Gleyber Torres2 hours ago

Scratched With Quad Contusion
Caleb Martin2 hours ago

Ruled Out On Sunday
De'Andre Hunter3 hours ago

Starting On Sunday Afternoon
Daulton Varsho3 hours ago

Could Begin Season On Injured List
Evan Mobley3 hours ago

Won't Face Orlando On Sunday
New York Jets3 hours ago

Derrick Nnadi Signing With Jets
Donovan Mitchell3 hours ago

Returning Versus Orlando
Cole Anthony3 hours ago

Back On Sunday
Max Scherzer3 hours ago

Set To Throw In Minor-League Game
Washington Commanders3 hours ago

Eddie Goldman Joins Commanders On One-Year Deal
Christian Walker3 hours ago

Should Be "Fine" For Opening Day
Cooper Rush3 hours ago

Agrees On Two-Year Deal With Ravens
Sonny Gray3 hours ago

Starting On Opening Day
Yainer Diaz3 hours ago

Returning On Sunday
Connor Wong3 hours ago

Returns To Lineup On Sunday
Baltimore Ravens5 hours ago

Ben Cleveland Remaining With Ravens
Seattle Seahawks6 hours ago

Shemar Jean-Charles Signing With Seahawks
Velus Jones Jr.6 hours ago

Signs With Saints
Christopher Bell7 hours ago

Quest For Four Wins In A Row Just Got More Difficult
Kyle Larson7 hours ago

Should Contend For Another Win At Las Vegas
Ryan Blaney7 hours ago

Once Again The Chalk DFS Pick At Las Vegas
Ross Chastain7 hours ago

Fastest In Practice At Las Vegas
Chris Buescher7 hours ago

Has Sneaky Upside This Weekend
Quinton Byfield8 hours ago

Scores In Sixth Straight Contest
Chase Elliott8 hours ago

May Be A Sneaky DFS Option For Las Vegas Lineups
Artemi Panarin8 hours ago

Extends Point Streak To Eight Games
Pyotr Kochetkov8 hours ago

Shuts The Door On Flyers On Saturday
William Byron8 hours ago

Expect William Byron To Compete For The Win At Las Vegas
Tyler Reddick8 hours ago

Is One Of The Top DFS Options For Las Vegas
Anthony Cirelli8 hours ago

Strikes Twice On Saturday
Denny Hamlin8 hours ago

Could Denny Hamlin Be A Quality Driver For DFS At Las Vegas?
Alex Ovechkin8 hours ago

Scores Goal, Adds Assist In Victory
Connor Dewar8 hours ago

Scores Twice On Saturday
NASCAR8 hours ago

Bubba Wallace Could Be A Solid DFS Option For Las Vegas
Brad Keselowski8 hours ago

Qualifies Deep In The Field For Las Vegas
Erik Jones9 hours ago

Is Erik Jones Worth Rostering At Las Vegas This Week?
Daniel Suarez9 hours ago

Should Fantasy Managers Roster Daniel Suarez At Las Vegas?
Carson Hocevar9 hours ago

Showcases Speed And Can Be Worth Rostering At Las Vegas
Ryan Preece9 hours ago

Is Ryan Preece A DFS Fade For Las Vegas Lineups?
Joey Logano10 hours ago

Likely To Lead At Las Vegas, But Will He Lead Enough For DFS Consideration?
Michael McDowell10 hours ago

Wins Spire Motorsports' First Pole At Las Vegas
Austin Cindric10 hours ago

Qualifies Third But Is Almost Guaranteed To Lose Spots
Chase Briscoe10 hours ago

Las Vegas Performance Hard To Predict
Ty Gibbs10 hours ago

A Solid DFS Option In Theory
Shane Van Gisbergen10 hours ago

Too Inexperienced At Las Vegas For DFS Consideration
Jordan Mason16 hours ago

Vikings Acquire Jordan Mason From 49ers, Sign Him To Two-Year Deal
RJ Barrett18 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Sunday
Immanuel Quickley18 hours ago

Won't Play On Sunday
Jerami Grant18 hours ago

Unlikely To Play On Sunday
Marcus Smart18 hours ago

Downgraded To Out
Anfernee Simons18 hours ago

Tagged As Questionable For Sunday
Christian Braun18 hours ago

Available On Saturday
Aaron Gordon18 hours ago

Unavailable On Saturday
Jamal Murray19 hours ago

Will Play On Saturday Night
Nikola Jokić19 hours ago

Nikola Jokic Cleared To Suit Up Versus The Wizards
Dee Eskridge20 hours ago

Sticking With Dolphins
Josh Giddey20 hours ago

Officially Out On Saturday Night
Ja Morant20 hours ago

Ruled Out On Saturday Night
JuJu Smith-Schuster20 hours ago

Returning To Chiefs
Tennessee Titans20 hours ago

Chidobe Awuzie Released By Titans
Damian Lillard20 hours ago

Available Versus Indiana
Parris Campbell20 hours ago

Headed To Dallas
Giannis Antetokounmpo20 hours ago

Good To Go On Saturday
Jamal Murray20 hours ago

Added To Saturday's Injury Report
Jiri Kulich20 hours ago

Sustains An Upper-Body Injury Saturday
Tyler Myers20 hours ago

Set To Return Against Blackhawks
Nikita Kucherov21 hours ago

Good To Go Against Bruins
Yegor Chinakhov21 hours ago

Rejoins Blue Jackets Lineup Saturday
Cole Anthony21 hours ago

Back On The Injury Report
Joel Armia21 hours ago

Expected To Return On Saturday
Brady Tkachuk21 hours ago

Available Saturday
Donovan Mitchell21 hours ago

Questionable Against Orlando
Adam Fox21 hours ago

Ready To Rejoin Rangers Lineup
Philadelphia Eagles1 day ago

Patrick Johnson Rejoins Philadelphia
Los Angeles Rams1 day ago

Larrell Murchison Back With The Rams
Kirk Cousins1 day ago

Set To Receive Roster Bonus
Aaron Rodgers1 day ago

Wants To Play In Minnesota
Washington Commanders1 day ago

Clelin Ferrell Returning To Washington
New York Jets1 day ago

Kris Boyd Signs With The Jets
Los Angeles Chargers1 day ago

Mekhi Becton Inks Deal With Chargers
Tyler Johnson1 day ago

Links Up With Jets
Kyle Juszczyk1 day ago

Returns To 49ers
Eeli Tolvanen1 day ago

Scores Twice In Victory
WPG1 day ago

Kyle Connor Strikes Twice On Friday
Jack Roslovic1 day ago

Tallies Goal, Assist In Friday's Victory
Leon Draisaitl1 day ago

Leads Edmonton To Victory
Liam O'Brien1 day ago

Exits With Undisclosed Injury
Josh Manson1 day ago

Exits On Friday
Atlanta Falcons2 days ago

Falcons Agree To Terms With Morgan Fox
Karel Vejmelka2 days ago

Makes Ninth Consecutive Start Friday
Dustin Wolf2 days ago

Set To Face Avalanche Friday
Roman Dolidze2 days ago

Set For A Rematch
Marvin Vettori2 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Chidi Njokuani2 days ago

Looks For His Third Win In A Row
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos2 days ago

Looks For His 12th UFC Win
Kurt Holobaugh2 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Vegas 104
Alexander Hernandez2 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Cody Gibson2 days ago

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Da'Mon Blackshear2 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Vegas 104
Brendson Ribeiro2 days ago

Searching For Second UFC Win On Saturday
Diyar Nurgozhay2 days ago

Set To Make His UFC Debut
MMA2 days ago

Seung Woo Choi In Dire Need Of Victory
Kevin Vallejos2 days ago

Makes Debut At UFC Vegas 104
Jacob Bridgeman4 days ago

Use Caution For Jacob Bridgeman At TPC Sawgrass
Nicolai Hojgaard4 days ago

Looks To Stay Consistent Heading Into PLAYERS Championship
Karl Vilips4 days ago

Makes PLAYERS Championship Debut After First PGA Tour Win
Taylor Pendrith4 days ago

A Sneaky Play At TPC Sawgrass
Sahith Theegala4 days ago

Out Of Form Ahead Of The PLAYERS Championship
Matt Fitzpatrick4 days ago

A Shaky Play Heading Into PLAYERS
Scottie Scheffler4 days ago

Eyeing Three-Peat At TPC Sawgrass
Aldrich Potgieter4 days ago

A Risky Play At TPC Sawgrass
Si Woo Kim4 days ago

Looks To Keep Building Momentum At The PLAYERS
Denny McCarthy4 days ago

Looks To Continue Solid Play At TPC Sawgrass
Collin Morikawa5 days ago

Poised For Another Strong Performance At TPC Sawgrass
Robert MacIntyre5 days ago

A Risky Play With Upside At The PLAYERS Championship
Jordan Spieth5 days ago

Looking To Change Fortunes At TPC Sawgrass
Cameron Young5 days ago

Avoid Cameron Young At The PLAYERS Championship
Michael Kim5 days ago

Continues Incredible Form Ahead Of The PLAYERS Championship
Justin Thomas5 days ago

Looking For More Magic At TPC Sawgrass
Xander Schauffele5 days ago

Continues Competitive Return At The Players Championship
Rory McIlroy5 days ago

Looks To Reverse Recent History At TPC Sawgrass
PGA5 days ago

Victor Hovland Looking To Find Form At The PLAYERS Championship
Brian Harman5 days ago

A Sleeper Pick At The PLAYERS Championship
Min Woo Lee5 days ago

A Hard Name To Trust At The Players Championship
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Albert Haynesworth - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Worst NFL Free Agent Signings Of All Time

With the free agency period for the 2025 NFL season now underway, many big-name players will find new homes as teams compete to sign anyone and everyone they think they need to help their squad. While many signings end up being good moves, or at least help their teams fill holes at certain positions on […]


D'Andre Swift - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injuries

Dynasty Fantasy Football Trade Targets and Avoids: Running Backs to Buy or Sell (2025)

Running back volume and production is highly mercurial in the NFL. It can thus be difficult to know when to trade away and when to trade for tailbacks. There is constant competition for roles in certain backfields, and red-herring situations are abound due to injuries and plain luck. While some RBs are certainly safe in […]


Josh Downs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News Updates

2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Third-Year Breakouts

Patience can be tough, especially in fantasy football. We want instant production from rookies, but these players often take a while to get going. These youngsters need to adjust to the speed of the NFL and learn from their early struggles to break out fully. The third year in the NFL is oftentimes when things […]


Justin Fields - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Florio's Free Agency Fantasy Football Winners and Losers!

Free Agency is the most fun week of the NFL offseason. Even when it is not the strongest class, there is never a shortage of excitement. Players changing teams at a rapid rate. It is a week filled with hope that your favorite team will add stars and that those under-the-radar players you love will […]


Josh Downs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News Updates

Josh Downs Fantasy Football Dynasty Outlook (2025)

The 2025 NFL Draft is quickly approaching. For the last few months, dynasty fantasy football gamers have been meticulously studying the incoming rookie class to gain any edge they can on their league mates. While we should be anxiously awaiting our rookie drafts, we must also take time and analyze how veteran players are valued […]


Tyron Smith Top Landing Spots: 2025 NFL Free Agency Outlook

New York Jets and former long-time Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Tyron Smith was one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL for an extended period of time. He's made five All-Pro teams, two with the first team and two with the second team, been selected to eight Pro Bowls, and earned a spot on […]


Bills Defense - Von Miller IDP Rankings, D/ST Streamers, Fantasy Football Team Defense

Von Miller Top Landing Spots: 2025 NFL Free Agency Outlook

Buffalo Bills linebacker Von Miller, one of the greatest pass-rushers in NFL history, was released by his team on March 9, 2025. He had signed a six-year, $120 million deal with the team in 2022, but the soon-to-be 36-year-old wasn't able to make it to the end of that contract, so he's now looking for […]


Aaron Jones - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Staying Put - Impact Players Re-signed: Aaron Jones, Zach Ertz, Jaylen Warren, more

NFL free agency is a frenzy. As football fans, we love to see the movement around the league. It allows us to dream about the possibility of our team signing a fresh player who could make a serious impact. However, one cannot overlook the impact of re-signing significant contributors. While it is not as exciting […]


Tucker Kraft - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Dynasty Fantasy Football Trade Targets: Wide Receivers and Tight Ends To Buy in 2025

My friend Josh used to make me listen to the Bring Me The Horizon song "Diamonds Aren't Forever," which begins with the line "We will never sleep, cause sleep is for the weak." That sentiment rings true in fantasy football dynasty leagues as well. You can't get complacent. You can't stop thinking about how to […]


Zay Flowers - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Dynasty Fantasy Football WR Buy or Sell: Zay Flowers, Rashee Rice, and Jordan Addison (2025)

The 2024 NFL Draft class had seven first-round wide receivers. Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, and Rome Odunze were selected in the top 10. Meanwhile, Brian Thomas Jr., Xavier Worthy, Ricky Pearsall, and Xavier Legette were Day 1 selections. More importantly, Nabers and Thomas finished their rookie seasons as top-7 wide receivers in half-point PPR […]


Courtland Sutton - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Sleepers, Draft Targets: Early 2025 Analysis

One of the biggest factors in winning fantasy football teams is finding middle-to-late-round sleepers. With wide receivers typically carrying the most drafted players of any position, it makes sense that taking multiple stabs at the position in search of hitting multiple-round values is the way to set yourself apart in drafts. For 2025, the draft […]


Caleb Williams - Fantasy Football Rankings, QB, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers

2025 NFL Free Agency Frenzy: Biggest Winners and Disappointments at Every Fantasy Football Position

NFL franchises will have an opportunity to reshape their rosters before the draft. Fantasy managers will have a chance to read the tea leaves and make measured strikes against their fantasy football opposition ahead of rookie drafts. Savvy managers will use this period to try to get the best return on some previous investments, as […]


DK Metcalf - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Free Agency Fantasy Football Analysis: Fallers On New Teams (2025)

With the first wave of NFL free agency coming to an end, several fantasy-relevant players have signed on to new teams. The quarterback carousel still has several dominoes to fall, but Sam Darnold, Geno Smith, and Kenny Pickett have found new homes within the first few days of the new league year. The running back […]