Projecting Where BYU Lands In Second College Football Playoff Rankings

PROVO, Utah – The second installment of the College Football Playoff rankings releases tonight.

In last week’s Top 25 rankings, BYU checked in at No. 9.

Where will they be in the rankings entering the week of November 16 after pulling off a 22-21 win over rival Utah?

We will find out at 6:30 p.m. (MST) on ESPN.

New Top 25 every week

One thing to remember about the College Football Playoff Committee is that they start from scratch weekly with their rankings and build up a new Top 25.

As new data points roll in with each passing week, the committee has additional information to review. So, it’s short-sighted to assume that a team automatically moves up after a victory and when some of the teams ranked in front of them from the previous week suffer losses.

Every set of rankings is brand new for the Committee.

However, I do believe BYU will get a slight bump. I project the Cougars to move from No. 9 to No. 8, a one-spot climb.

Storylines to watch entering the College Football Playoff Top 25 reveal

Where it gets interesting is how BYU compares to projected ACC leader Miami.

The Hurricanes suffered their first loss to Georgia Tech in Atlanta last week by a score of 28-23.

Last week, CFP Committee Chairman Warde Manual referenced the “eye test” when comparing BYU and Miami. The Hurricanes were ranked No. 4 in the initial Playoff rankings, while BYU was No. 9.

After suffering a loss to an average Yellow Jacket team, I’m projecting the Hurricanes to drop below BYU. That would mean BYU could be the No. 3 seed in the Playoff bracket.

Another interesting angle is how the Playoff Committee views Boise State’s close win over Nevada.

Heisman Trophy candidate Ashton Jeanty rushed for 209 yards and three touchdowns in the 28-21 win over the Wolf Pack.

Will the Broncos from a Group of Five conference move up after that close call?

Boise State was only three spots behind BYU for the potential four-seed, which gives a first-round bye to the four highest-rated conference champions.

Alabama is my wild card for the second release of College Football Playoff rankings.

Last week, the Tide was ranked No. 11. After crushing nationally-ranked LSU in Death Valley behind a career night from QB Jalen Milroe, I’m calling for a big jump for the Crimson Tide from No. 11 to No. 7.

The controversy behind that move would be that Alabama has two losses. BYU has zero.

Manual said last week that the committee’s goal is to “rank the best 25 teams 1-25, and that’s exactly what this process was designed to do.”

“We rank the best 25 teams 1-25 and that’s exactly what this process was designed to do.”

Hear now from Warde Manuel, chair of the #CFBPlayoff selection committee, as he chatted with @ESPN‘s @ReceDavis after the reveal of the first CFP Top 25 rankings of the 2024 season. pic.twitter.com/vVtWkI10WD

— College Football Playoff (@CFBPlayoff) November 6, 2024

It’s not outlandish to believe the Committee could view Alabama as a better team than BYU. We shall see.

Kalani Sitake isn’t worried about where BYU lands

One thing is certain: BYU head coach Kalani Sitake won’t get caught up in the Playoff rankings.

“I wasn’t concerned about where BYU landed in August. I’m not going to really worry about it right now either,” Sitake said earlier this week.

Here are my projections for this week’s Playoff rankings from the Committee.

College Football Playoff Top 25 Rankings Projection

Predicting the second installment of CFP rankings for the 2024 season

1. Oregon (No. 1 seed)

2. Ohio State (No. 5 seed)

3. Texas (No. 2 seed)

4. Penn State (No. 6 seed)

5. Tennessee (No. 7 seed)

6. Indiana (No. 8 seed)

7. Alabama (No. 9 seed)

8. BYU (No. 3 seed)

9. Miami (No. 4 seed)

10. Notre Dame (No. 10 seed)

11. Ole Miss (No. 11 seed)

12. Georgia

13. Boise State (No. 12 seed)

14. SMU

15. Texas A&M

16. Colorado

17. Missouri

18. LSU

19. South Carolina

20. Kansas State

21. Clemson

22. Washington State

23. Louisville

24. Army

25. Louisiana

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.

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