College football provided some relief for fans in week nine after consecutive weeks of total chaos. However, it wouldn't be true to the sport without some movement in the College Football Playoff predictions.
Texas finds itself slipping in the rankings after a close call against Vanderbilt. The Commodores are the biggest surprise of the season, knocking off Alabama and stating 5-2. However, the Longhorns aren’t the team we we’d thought they’d be.
Although Texas has a lot of talent, they’ve had a relatively soft schedule and have struggled against tougher opponents. The Longhorns were blown out by Georgia and barely survived Vandy. Texas is still strong, but they may not be the powerhouse they were initially hyped up to be.
Meanwhile, the Longhorn’s rival, Texas A&M, continues to impress. Despite an opening-week loss to Notre Dame, they’ve since maintained an undefeated SEC record and currently stand as the only team in the conference without a loss. With this, the Aggies effectively control their own path to the SEC championship and remain a strong contender for the playoff.
2024 week nine 12-team CFP prediction
Rank | Team | Why are they there | Previous rank |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Georgia | SEC Champion | 1 |
2 | Oregon | Big 10 Champion | 2 |
3 | Miami | ACC Champion | 3 |
4 | Iowa St | Big 12 Champion | 4 |
5 | Texas A&M | At-large | 9 |
6 | Clemson | At-large | 8 |
7 | Ohio State | At-large | 6 |
8 | Penn St | At-large | 5 |
9 | Texas | At-large | 7 |
10 | BYU | At-large | 11 |
11 | Notre Dame | At-large | 8 (week one) |
12 | Boise St | MW Champion | 10 |
Notre Dame, on the other hand, has re-emerged as a playoff hopeful after a commanding 51-14 victory over Navy on Saturday. The Irish briefly held playoff consideration after a Week 1 victory over the Aggies, but that hope had dimmed following an unexpected loss to Northern Illinois.
Now, however, Notre Dame has strung together six straight wins and climbed back into the AP Poll Top 10. With few major threats remaining, they appear well-positioned to continue their winning streak, especially given USC’s deflated season despite its early win against LSU. The Irish should take care of business against their rivals.
This Notre Dame win was also a major blow to Navy’s own playoff dreams. The Midshipmen had been enjoying a Cinderella season, starting 6-0 for the first time since 1979 and putting up at least 34 points in every win. But Saturday’s game saw Notre Dame hold Navy to just 14 points while forcing six turnovers, which more than doubled Navy’s season turnover total. So, unfortunately, the clock has struck midnight for the service academy.