PROVO, Utah — After suffering its first defeat of the 2024 season last week, BYU dropped to No. 14 in the third College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday by the CFP selection committee.
The Oregon Ducks (11-0) were again ranked No. 1 by the CFP committee, with Ohio State (9-1), Texas (9-1), Penn State (9-1) and Indiana (10-0) completing the top five. Notre Dame (9-1), Alabama (8-2), Miami (9-1), Mississippi (802) and Georgia (8-2) round out the top 10.
The first year of the 12-team playoff features the four highest-rated conference champions from the Power 4 and Group of 5 receiving the top four seeds and first-round byes, and the remaining eight teams playing first-round games at the higher-seeded home sites.
Despite dropping eight places in the rankings, the Cougars remain the top Big 12 team, thus are projected to earn a CFP bid as the No. 12 seed and would play in the opening round against the No. 5 seed. Oregon from the Big Ten is projected as the top seed, with the SEC's Texas (8-1) and ACC's Miami (9-1) as the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, respectively, while No. 12-ranked Boise State of the Mountain West projected as the Group of 5 champion would take the No. 4 seed. Tennessee is the first team out of the projected playoff bracket. SMU out of the ACC, a team BYU defeated 18-15 in Dallas earlier this year, is No. 13, the second team just outside the bracket. Read more about the new CFP format.
In its second season in the Big 12, BYU is currently atop the league standings at 6-1 in conference play and 9-1 overall. Colorado is also 6-1 and 8-2 overall and ranked No. 16 in the latest CFP rankings. Following BYU and Colorado is Arizona State at No. 21 and Iowa State at No. 22.
View the entire CFP rankings from Tuesday.
This season BYU has earned its 6-1 Big 12 record with a dominating 38-9 triumph over then No. 13 K-State at LaVell Edwards Stadium, followed by a wire-to-wire 34-28 road win over favored Baylor, a 41-19 victory over Arizona and a dramatic 38-35 win over Oklahoma State in back-to-back home games before leading start to finish for a 37-24 victory over favored UCF and achieving a come-from-behind 22-21 rivalry triumph over Utah in consecutive road victories. BYU suffered its first loss to Kansas last week in a 17-13 heartbreaker.
This week the Cougars are on the road at No. 21 Arizona State in a battle of two ranked Big 12 teams in the hunt for a conference championship. Kickoff from Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, for the Cougars and Sun Devils is at 1:30 p.m. MT and will be televised nationally on ESPN.