B/R Experts Week 14 College Football Rankings 2024

There is perhaps no bigger rivalry in college football than Ohio State vs. Michigan, and even in a season where the Wolverines quickly fell out of the national picture, they still managed to shake things up in a major way with a victory over the Buckeyes on Saturday.

That was far from the only landscape-altering upset, as Syracuse upended Miami to knock the Hurricanes out of the ACC championship game and very likely out of the playoff picture entirely.

Once the dust settled on those two major shake-ups, college football fans were left trying to sort through the laundry list of scenarios that would determine the Big 12 championship game matchup in a fitting finish to what has been the most wide-open conference in the nation all season.

All of that once again meant plenty of shuffling for the Bleacher Report college football crew when it came to filling out this week's Top 25 ballot.

This week's panel included David Kenyon, Adam Kramer, Morgan Moriarty, Joel Reuter and Brad Shepard. A first-place vote was worth 25 points, a second-place vote worth 24 points and so on.

Top 25

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EUGENE, OREGON - NOVEMBER 30: Quarterback Dillon Gabriel #8 of the Oregon Ducks reacts after scoring a touchdown during the first half of the game against the Washington Huskies at Autzen Stadium on November 30, 2024 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Ali Gradischer/Getty Images)

B/R Top 25

1. Oregon
2. Texas
3. Penn State
4. Notre Dame
5. Ohio State
6. SMU
7. Georgia
8. Indiana
9. Tennessee
10. Boise State
11. Arizona State
12. South Carolina
13. Miami
14. Alabama
15. Iowa State
16. Ole Miss
17. Colorado
18. BYU
19. Clemson
20. UNLV
21. Army
22. Memphis
23. Syracuse
24. Missouri
25. Texas A&M

Who's Hot: South Carolina Joins the Playoff Bubble

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CLEMSON, SOUTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 30: LaNorris Sellers #16 of the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrates with the team after defeating the Clemson Tigers, 17-14, at Memorial Stadium on November 30, 2024 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)

The South Carolina Gamecocks were a complete afterthought in the College Football Playoff picture during a 3-3 start to the season, which included a 1-3 showing in SEC action with losses to LSU, Ole Miss and Alabama.

However, the losses to LSU and Alabama came by a combined five points, and those near misses were a sign of bigger and better things to come during the second half of the 2024 season.

Here's how things have played out over the last seven weeks:

• Week 8: Win at Oklahoma (35-9)
  
• Week 9: Bye
• Week 10: Win vs. No. 10 Texas A&M (44-20)
• Week 11: Win at Vanderbilt (28-7)
• Week 12: Win vs. No. 23 Missouri (34-30)
• Week 13: Win vs. Wofford (56-12)
• Week 14: Win at No. 12 Clemson (17-14)

The Gamecocks were all the way up to No. 15 in the latest playoff rankings, and there was an argument to be made that they deserved to be even higher given their recent run of success behind the stellar play of redshirt freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers.

They join fellow SEC teams Alabama (No. 13) and Ole Miss (No. 14), as well as Clemson (No. 12) who they now have the upper hand over head-to-head, as teams squarely on the playoff bubble hoping for some chaos during conference championship games next weekend.

The fact that they are even part of that conversation is a massive win for the program after they were picked to finish 13th in the SEC's preseason poll, and with a rising star in Sellers under center they are just getting started.

Who's Not: Miami, Ohio State Leaving Playoff Fate in Committee's Hands

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SYRACUSE, NY - NOVEMBER 30: Miami Hurricanes Quarterback Cam Ward (1) runs with the ball during the second half of the College Football game between the Miami Hurricanes and the Syracuse Orange on November 30, 2024, at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, NY. (Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Ohio State (No. 2) and Miami (No. 6) were both comfortably in the projected playoff field when the committee released its latest version of the rankings on Tuesday, and also controlled their own fate to clinch a spot in their respective conference championship games.

Now both teams will have an unwanted empty schedule next weekend.

A week after securing a convincing 38-15 victory over previously undefeated Indiana, the Buckeyes suffered a 13-10 loss against rival Michigan in a season where the Wolverines finished 7-5 and fell out of the national picture early in the year.

Ohio State quarterback Will Howard connected with Jeremiah Smith on a 10-yard touchdown strike with 30 seconds left in the first half to tie the game at 10-10, but that would be the final points the Buckeyes put on the board. Michigan kicked the game-winning field goal to cap off an 11-play, 53-yard drive in the final minute.

That elevates one-loss Penn State to the No. 2 spot in the Big Ten standings and punches their tickets to face undefeated Oregon for the automatic bid to the playoff field.

Meanwhile, the Hurricanes started the season 9-0 before taking their first loss of the year to Georgia Tech in Week 11. After blowing out Wake Forest last weekend, they fell 42-38 on the road against Syracuse on Saturday, with Kyle McCord (380 yards, 3 TD) outplaying Cam Ward (349 yards, 2 TD) through the air.

That loss opened the door for Clemson to sneak into the ACC championship game against SMU, despite the Tigers losing 17-14 in a non-conference game against South Carolina to wrap up their regular season slate.

If SMU wins that game, the ACC will likely be a one-bid league, which should help Ohio State's chances of hanging onto a spot in the field. Otherwise, the bubble gets extremely crowded if a three-loss Clemson team locks up an automatic bid.

What's Next

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ATHENS, GEORGIA - NOVEMBER 23: Carson Beck #15 of the Georgia Bulldogs calls the signals during a game between the Massachusetts Minutemen and the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium on November 23, 2024 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Steve Limentani/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Conference championship weekend is on the horizon!

After days of pouring over all the hypotheticals and tie-breakers trying to sort out all the different potential showdowns for conference championship games, the matchups are now officially set.

Here's what's on tap next weekend across the FBS landscape:

ACC: SMU vs. Clemson

Big Ten: Oregon vs. Penn State

Big 12: Arizona State vs. Iowa State

SEC: Georgia vs. Texas

AAC: Army vs. Tulane

Conference USA: Jacksonville State vs. Western Kentucky

MAC: Miami (Ohio) vs. Ohio

Mountain West: Boise State vs. UNLV

Sun Belt: Louisiana vs. Marshall

How much weight will the playoff committee place on these games, especially when a handful of potential playoff contenders are not taking the field in conference championship games?

This will be an interesting gauge of how championship week impacts the new playoff format, beyond just determine which five teams secure an automatic berth in the 12-team playoff field as the five highest-ranked conference champs.