Bowl Projections 2024: Predictions for CFP Final Bracket and Most Dangerous Teams

Most of the entrants into the first edition of the 12-team College Football Playoff are clear ahead of the penultimate rankings on Tuesday.

The biggest question in play is where the Miami Hurricanes and Alabama Crimson Tide are ranked on Tuesday night. Whichever team is ranked ahead of the other should be in line to land the final at-large spot as long as there are no upsets during conference championship weekend.

The top-ranked Oregon Ducks and a few other conference title game participants are already locked into the field and considered some of the most dangerous teams to play.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who could be seeded as high as No. 5, can be added to that group as well.

Notre Dame has played some of the best football in the FBS over the last two months and it is an opponent no one wants to see in the first round.

CFB Playoff Predictions

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STATE COLLEGE, PA - NOVEMBER 30: Zion Tracy #7 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates after a sack against the Maryland Terrapins during the first half at Beaver Stadium on November 30, 2024 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

No. 1 Oregon (Big Ten champion)

No. 2 Texas (SEC champion)

No. 3 SMU (ACC champion)

No. 4 Boise State (Best G5 champion)

No. 12 Arizona State vs. No. 5 Penn State

No. 11 Alabama vs. No. 6 Notre Dame

No. 10 Indiana vs. No. 7 Georgia

No. 9 Ohio State vs. No. 8 Tennessee

Oregon

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EUGENE, OREGON - NOVEMBER 30: Defensive lineman Derrick Harmon #55 of the Oregon Ducks reacts after a quarterback sack during the second half of the game against the Washington Huskies at Autzen Stadium on November 30, 2024 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Ali Gradischer/Getty Images)

The lone undefeated FBS team has to be considered one of the most dangerous teams in the CFB Playoff field.

Oregon handled its two biggest threats against the Boise State Broncos and Ohio State Buckeyes and it cruised past most of its other opponents.

Dan Lanning's team posted nine double-digit victories and eclipsed the 30-point mark in 10 of 12 games.

The ultra consistency from the Ducks makes them a top threat to win because other contenders inside the top 12 displayed plenty of flaws throughout the regular season.

Oregon can reinforce its status as CFB Playoff favorite with a win in the Big Ten Championship Game against the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Even a close loss would keep the Ducks near the top of the list of title contenders because of how many two-and-three-loss teams expected to be in the field.

Texas

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COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 30: Matthew Golden #2 of the Texas Longhorns runs the ball against the Texas A&M Aggies during the second half at Kyle Field on November 30, 2024 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

The Texas Longhorns looked strong in their last five victories.

Texas can put together an even more convincing argument to be champion if it avenges its loss to the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game.

Texas displayed plenty of flaws in the 30-15 loss to UGA, but fixes have been made to make the Longhorns look like one of the top few teams in the country.

The best example of that came in the rivalry win over the Texas A&M Aggies in which the Longhorns did not give up an offensive touchdown and were control from the start.

At times, Texas' offense has looked as impressive as Oregon's unit with eight 30-plus-point performances.

The Longhorns benefit from a veteran quarterback in Quinn Ewers, just like Oregon does with Dillon Gabriel, and it should help them that they played in a playoff game last year.

The combination of playoff experience plus the motivation to win at least one postseason game this season should benefit the Longhorns in December and January.

Notre Dame

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LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 30: Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Jayden Harrison (2) holds arms out for a fair catch during the Notre Dame Fighting Irish against the USC Trojans on November 28, 2024, at United Airlines Field at The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Notre Dame will likely be the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the CFB Playoff bracket.

The Fighting Irish can only move up in the seeding because of results across conference championship weekend.

At the moment, the Irish are behind Penn State in all polls. They could either jump Penn State if the Nittany Lions lose to Oregon, or stay at No. 6 if Oregon drops to No. 5 with a defeat.

Regardless of where they land, the Irish enter the playoff in tremendous shape.

Since their loss to the Northern Illinois Huskies on September 7, Notre Dame posted at least 28 points in every game and won nine of 10 games by double figures.

The unexpected loss to NIU is well in the past, and it is clear that Notre Dame has improved immensely with every game.

The Irish will be a dangerous foe for whichever team comes to South Bend in the first round, and in their current form, they could be a major threat to a top-four seed at a neutral site in the quarterfinals as well.