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
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Ranking The Best Potential CFP National Championship Matchups

Nico Iamaleava - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NCAA College Football, QB Prospects

Justin's College Football Playoff championship path power rankings. Read our NCAA CFB playoff rankings, and how the path to the championship for each of the 12 teams stack up.

We're less than a week away from the College Football Playoff beginning, with Indiana visiting Notre Dame on Friday night in the first game of the new 12-team tournament.

Looking ahead, there are a number of championship matchups with varying degrees of appeal to them. Fans would care a lot more about No. 1 Oregon and No. 2 Georgia playing for a title than they would about No. 11 SMU and No. 12 Clemson playing, for example.

Below are the top 10 best potential national championship matchups. These are based on a number of factors, including how competitive the game could be, how much fun the matchup would be, and big-name coaching or player matchups.

Featured Promo: Get any College Football Premium Pass for 50% off and win more using code NEW. Exclusive access to our industry-leading DFS Lineup Optimizer, DFS Cheat Sheets and Premium Slack Chat rooms. Go Premium, Win More!

 

10. Ohio State vs Indiana

Rematches can be fun because you get a chance to see if the losing team has figured out a way to adjust. There are a few potential rematches that could happen in the title game, including Tennessee/Georgia and Clemson/Georgia games that just barely missed making it onto this list.

Ohio State vs. Indiana gets the 10th spot because if it happened, it would be because Indiana had proven that its 11-1 season wasn't a fluke. The Hoosiers have gotten grief because they lost to the only ranked team they played, but that wouldn't be the case if we had a rematch.

It'd also be a lot of fun to see former MAC quarterback Kurtis Rourke playing for a national title. Like many of you, I love watching some MACtion on weeknights, so seeing a former Ohio Bobcats quarterback facing the only team he lost to in 2024 for a championship? Sign me up.

 

9. Texas vs SMU

The last time two schools from the same state played for the national championship was in the 1996 season when Florida and Florida State faced in the Sugar Bowl during the short-lived Bowl Alliance era.

I'm not even sure that game should count, though. The Pac-10 had the No. 2 team, Arizona State, but wasn't part of the Bowl Alliance, so while that game was billed as the national championship, it gets an asterisk in my book.

The first true in-state championship battle since college football started attempting to have championship games in 1992 could happen this year's season if No. 5 seed Texas and No. 11 seed SMU make it through. It's unlikely SMU can make that kind of run, but a Lone Star showdown would be one of the coolest things I've ever seen in college football.

 

8. Tennessee vs Penn State

Call this the Throwback Bowl.

Tennessee's last national title was in 1998 when Tee Martin quarterbacked the team to a 13-0 record and a Fiesta Bowl win over Florida State.

Penn State's last championship? You have to go back to the days when end-of-season rankings decided them, with the team finishing first in the AP poll in 1986.

In recent years, these teams have been known for big-game letdowns. What better way for one of them to shake off that label than by defeating the other in the title game?

 

7. Ohio State vs Notre Dame

These programs are in neighboring states. They have football legacies that stretch back to the beginnings of college football. Despite that, the sides have only met eight times, with the Buckeyes winning the last six matchups. Notre Dame's most recent win was a 7-2 victory in 1936.

The two most recent matchups of these teams came over the previous team seasons as the sides played a home-and-home in 2022 and 2023. Last year, the Buckeyes squeaked out a 17-14 win.

Notre Dame enters the playoffs on a 10-game win streak. Capping this season off with a championship game win over a team that the Irish lost to twice in the past three seasons would be a great way to cap off the 2024 season.

 

6. Oregon vs Penn State

We have another potential rematch here. This one would be a rematch of the Big Ten Championship Game, which Oregon won 45-37. Penn State scored a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter of that game, but it wasn't enough to get past the Ducks.

Was that another example of Penn State fading in a big game? Maybe! The Nittany Lions lost both of their games against ranked teams by one score this season, so it might be that James Franklin's program just isn't capable of winning these kinds of games.

But Franklin and his squad get a shot at payback here and an opportunity to spoil Oregon's undefeated season.

 

5. Oregon vs Notre Dame

Maybe this one's too high, but there's something about it that really appeals to me, largely because these two teams have almost no history against each other. They've met twice, with Notre Dame winning 41-0 in 1976 and then the two sides tying at 13 apiece in 1982.

Part of what makes this an appealing game to me is the quarterback matchup, with two guys who went to new situations this season and found success.

Oregon's Dillon Gabriel just finished third in the Heisman voting and is on his third collegiate stop after three seasons at UCF and two at Oklahoma.

On the Notre Dame side, Riley Leonard played three seasons at Duke before transferring to Notre Dame this season, where he posted the best completion percentage of his career.

 

4. Ohio State vs Georgia

Shockingly, these two teams have only played twice, most recently facing off in the 2022 Peach Bowl, which Georgia won in a 42-41 nailbiter, with Adonai Mitchell catching a 10-yard touchdown with under a minute to play to give the Bulldogs the win. The team would go on to beat TCU to win the national title.

Ohio State is allowing just 10.9 points per game this season, which is the best mark in college football. Georgia averages 33.2 points per game, which only ranks 29th, but that number was brought down by a couple of surprising results. If Carson Beck is good to go, this is a strong Bulldogs offense.

 

3. Texas vs Georgia

Third time's the charm?

The Longhorns have lost twice this season, falling 30-15 to the Bulldogs in October and then losing 22-19 in overtime in the SEC Championship Game. Texas inched closer in that second game. Could a third meeting be the charm?

What excites me about this potential game is that we've never seen anything like it. It was harder to research this than I expected, but I think the last time two teams met three times in one season was in 1909 when Baylor and TCU met three times.

I'm rooting for this game to happen because it'd be perfect to see something virtually unprecedented happen in the first year of this 12-team playoff.

 

2. Arizona State vs Boise State

Here's the thing: If either Arizona State or Boise State makes the title game and faces Oregon or Georgia, we're getting a bloodbath. Arizona State and Boise State might have gotten byes, but they're not the strongest teams in this field.

But there's still a lot of football left to play. Maybe the Bulldogs and Ducks get hit with the injury bug during this playoff run, and we wind up with some upsets. Maybe those upsets will lead to what might be the weirdest national title game ever: Arizona State vs. Boise State.

This matchup isn't this high because of the weirdness of it, though. It's this high because it would feature arguably the most compelling position vs. position battle in this entire field, with Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty and Heisman fifth-place finisher Cam Skattebo going against each other.

The two best running backs in the country fighting it out for a national championship? Sign me up.

 

1. Oregon vs Georgia

You knew this one was coming. Of all the potential championship matchups, this one's the best.

No. 1 vs. No. 2.

Dan Lanning vs. Kirby Smart.

Dillon Gabriel vs. (hopefully) Carson Beck.

Undefeated Oregon vs. a Georgia team that has four wins already against playoff teams.

I mean, what else is there to say about this one? It's the matchup we all want to see—the two best teams on the field facing off for all the marbles.



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

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jameson Williams

Lions Didn't Entertain Trade Offers For Jameson Williams
Dalton Rushing

Homers In Four-Hit Game
Qadir Ismail

Raiders Sign Qadir Ismail
New York Giants

Giants Plan To Exercise Kayvon Thibodeaux's Fifth-Year Option
Russell Wilson

Will Be Giants Starting Quarterback
Max Muncy

With A Pair Of Doubles Back At Triple-A
Michael Lorenzen

Tosses Quality Start
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs Close Out The First Round With Josh Simmons
Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles Trade Up One Spot In First Round To Select Jihaad Campbell
A.J. Puk

Likely To Miss Multiple Months
Marquis Grissom Jr.

Notches Fifth Save At Double-A
Buffalo Bills

Bills Address Secondary And Take Maxwell Hairston With 30th Overall Pick
Félix Bautista

Felix Bautista Records Third Save
NFL

Eagles, Chiefs Swap First-Round Picks
Washington Commanders

Josh Conerly Jr. Goes At No. 29 Overall To Commanders

Giants Trade Up For Jaxson Dart At No. 25
Detroit Lions

Tyleik Williams Taken By Lions At No. 28 Overall
Shane Smith

Tosses Five Shutout Frames
Roman Anthony

With Home Run No. 5 On Thursday
Baltimore Ravens

Ravens Go With Malaki Starks At No. 27 Overall In NFL Draft
Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Takes Donovan Jackson No. 24 Overall
NFL

Rams Trade The 26th Pick In The 2025 NFL Draft To The Falcons
Andrés Muñoz

Andres Munoz Secures Ninth Save
Atlanta Falcons

Falcons Trade Back Into First Round To Draft James Pearce Jr. At No. 26 Overall

Matthew Golden Selected No. 23 Overall By Green Bay
NFL

Texans Trade The 25th Pick In The 2025 NFL Draft To The Giants
Jakob Marsee

Up To 18 Steals At Triple-A

Omarion Hampton Taken No. 22 Overall By Chargers
Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Selects Derrick Harmon At No. 21 Overall
Denver Broncos

Broncos Build Secondary By Selecting Jahdae Barron At No. 20

Buccaneers Add Emeka Egbuka At No. 19
Jeff McNeil

Activated From Injured List
Brett Baty

Optioned To Minors
Zack Gelof

To Begin Rehab Assignment Next Week
Ryan Walker

Remains Giants Closer
Kumar Rocker

Heads To Injured List
Brent Rooker

Resting For First Time This Season
Jrue Holiday

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Jayson Tatum

Likely Out Again On Friday
Isaiah Stewart

Remains Out For Game 3
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go Thursday
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Looks To Bounce Back In Game 2
Rasmus Ristolainen

To Miss Training Camp
Jonas Siegenthaler

Returns To Practice
Aliaksei Protas

Traveling With Capitals
Gabriel Vilardi

Still Out On Thursday
Max Pacioretty

Set To Join Maple Leafs Lineup For Game 3
Bryan Woo

Picks Up Third Win, Strikes Out Eight On Thursday
Cade Cavalli

Moving Rehab Assignment To Double-A
Paul DeJong

Having Surgery On His Nose
Royce Lewis

Starting His Rehab Assignment On Friday
Tyler O'Neill

Out On Thursday With Sore Neck
Linus Ullmark

Attempts To Overcome Playoff Struggles Thursday
Anthony Cirelli

A Game-Time Call Thursday
Logan Thompson

Comes Up Big In Game 2
Connor McMichael

Strikes Twice In Wednesday's Win
Anze Kopitar

Tallies Four Points In Game 2 Victory
Adrian Kempe

Notches Two Goals, Two Assists In Wednesday's Win
Tyler Seguin

Gives Stars Series Lead With Overtime Winner
Gabriel Landeskog

Delivers Six Hits In First Game Since 2022
Tyler Herro

Scores Game-High 33 Points In Wednesday's Loss
Donovan Mitchell

Fires In 30 Points In Game 2 Win
Paolo Banchero

Notches 32 Points In Game 2 Loss
Jaylen Brown

Posts 36-Point Double-Double Wednesday
Jalen Green

Erupts For 38 Points In Game 2 Victory
Brandin Podziemski

Limited To 14 Minutes Wednesday
Jimmy Butler III

Set For MRI Thursday
Brandin Podziemski

Upgraded To Available
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Michael Porter Jr.

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Davion Mitchell

Moves Into Starting Lineup Wednesday
Brandin Podziemski

Picks Up Questionable Tag
Al Horford

Starts Game 2
Michael Porter Jr.

Practices On Wednesday
Jayson Tatum

Out On Wednesday
Isaiah Stewart

May Miss Another Game Thursday
NYI

Cal Clutterbuck Announces Retirement
Pavel Zacha

Recovering From Small Procedure
Nikolaj Ehlers

To Miss At Least Two More Games
Miro Heiskanen

Still Out On Wednesday
John Klingberg

Enters Oilers Lineup For Game 2
Evander Kane

To Make Season Debut Wednesday Night
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Posts Team-High 26 Points In Tuesday's Loss
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Notches 27 Points Despite Poor Shooting
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Pascal Siakam

Scores Team-High 24 Points In Game 2 Win
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF