Predicting the College Football Playoff rankings, bracket for Week 14

The fourth College Football Playoff rankings of 2024 will be announced tonight, Tuesday, Nov. 26, and things are bound to change after seven ranked teams lost last weekend. Before the CFP committee unveils the next rankings, I predict where the top 25 teams will land, along with the bracket.

Note that these are my predictions and mine alone. I look at head-to-head results, schedule strength, games against ranked teams and more to help rank the teams how I think the CFP committee will do so. .

2024 College Football Playoff rankings predictions: Fourth Top 25 projections

These predictions are as of Sunday, Nov. 23. 

1. Oregon (11-0) LW: 1 — Oregon stays at the top after a bye.
2. Ohio State (10-1) LW: 2 — Ohio State strengthened its hold on No. 2 after another top-five win.
3. Texas (10-1) LW: 3 — Texas defeated Kentucky and will remain the highest-ranked SEC team.
4. Penn State (10-1) LW: 4 — Penn State escaped Minnesota with a win. Even though it wasn't pretty, the Nittany Lions will stay at No. 4.
5. Notre Dame (10-1) LW: 6 — Notre Dame could argue to move into the top four after a dominant ranked win against Army, but I think the committee will keep the Fighting Irish fifth after comparing ranked losses.
6. Miami (Fla.) (10-1) LW: 8 — Miami defeated Wake Forest and will move above teams that lost last week.
7. Georgia (9-2) LW: 10 — Georgia beat UMass and will move up this week.
8. Tennessee (9-2) LW: 11 — Tennessee is back in the playoff picture after a shutout of UTEP.
9. Indiana (10-1) LW: 5 — Indiana falls to No. 9 after its first loss. It's behind some two-loss teams with better wins, but with only one loss the Hoosiers stay in the top 10.
10. Boise State (10-1) LW: 12 — Boise State beat Wyoming by four points. That close victory keeps it behind Indiana, even though its UNLV win is better than any win from the Hoosiers.
11. SMU (10-1) LW: 13 — SMU is finally into the playoff bracket now that two more SEC teams have three losses.
12. Alabama (8-3) LW: 7 — Alabama will be the highest-ranked three-loss team this week thanks to its prior win over South Carolina. The Tide aren't completely out of playoff contention, but they won't be in the bracket this week.
13. Ole Miss (8-3) LW: 9 — Ole Miss has a floor — for this week — thanks to a head-to-head win over South Carolina. 
14. Clemson (9-2) LW: 17 — Clemson moves up thanks to losses from other teams. However, the Tigers got blown out by a Georgia team that Alabama and Ole Miss beat, so they remain behind the Tide and Rebels.
15. South Carolina (8-3) LW: 18 — A win over Wofford keeps South Carolina on the playoff bubble.
16. Arizona State (9-2) LW: 21 — Arizona State could be higher after knocking off the No. 14 team in the country, but the Sun Devils were three spots behind South Carolina in the previous rankings. The committee thought South Carolina was better last week and I don't think a win over a slipping BYU squad changes that.
17. Tulane (9-2) LW: 20 — Tulane had a bye last week and should move into the teens this week.
18. Iowa State (9-2) LW: 22 — Iowa State survived Utah to keep its Big 12 hopes alive.
19. Texas A&M (8-3) LW: 15 — Texas A&M drops, but stays over a Missouri team it dominated when it met head to head.
20. Missouri (8-3) LW: 23 — Missouri should move into the top 20 this week after a win over Mississippi State.
21. BYU (9-2) LW: 14 — Back-to-back losses will knock BYU to No. 20. The Cougars dropped eight spots last week, so clearly the committee didn't think highly of them.
22. UNLV (9-2) LW: 24 — UNLV moves up after a win over San Jose State
23. Illinois (8-3) LW: 25 — Illinois stays ranked after .
24. Colorado (8-3) LW: 16 — Colorado will fall this week, but I think a team in Big 12 title contention will still be ranked.
25. Syracuse (8-3) LW: NR — Syracuse enters the rankings as a three-loss team from the ACC. The Orange have a win over UNLV on their resume.

CFP🏆: College Football Playoff rankings release schedule

What the bracket could look like

First Teams Out: No. 12 Alabama, No. 13 Ole Miss, No. 14 Clemson, No. 15 South Carolina  

Notable College Football Playoff rankings questions

Where does Indiana land?

Much has been made about where Indiana would land if it lost to Ohio State since the initial College Football Playoff rankings have come out. Of course, that was before losses from Alabama and Ole Miss. Indiana will likely remain in the projected playoff field, but will a one-loss Indiana be behind two-loss SEC teams?

LAST WEEK'S RECAP: Florida upsets No. 9 Ole Miss, No. 2 Ohio State ends No. 5 Indiana's undefeated streak and more

Do three-loss teams have a real shot at the playoffs?

Alabama and Ole Miss now have three losses. How far will they drop? Both schools have a notable win over Georgia which could still hold weight in the committee's eyes.

Could the Big 12 miss the playoffs?

Arizona State figures to be the highest-ranked Big 12 team. However, the conference might not have a team ranked in the top 15 this week. With none of the Big 12's ranked teams playing each other in Week 14, the conference is a few upsets away from not having the fifth-highest-ranked conference champion.