2024 Week 7 College Football Playoff rankings: Nebraska can get in the race
No, the Nebraska football team is not in the College Football Playoffs field at this point. In fact, they aren't even in my "Last Four Out" if that was a thing. They also aren't even ranked in the AP Top 25. Though they did get in the USA Today LBM poll.
The Huskers have some work to do if they want to be thought of as even dark horse playoff contenders. However that work can start in earnest this Saturday when they take on a ranked and undefeated Indiana. Should NU win, not only would they be bowl eligible, but they would be 3-1 in the Big Ten and hold the tiebreaker over the Hoosiers.
Depending on how the rest of the weekend plays out, a victory could have them as high as 4th in the Big Ten. And that's when things start getting interesting for the Nebraska football team. That's when we start talking about still being able to lose to Ohio State and getting a playoff berth.
For now, the College Football Playoffs are offering only three Big Ten bids in my latest projections. But that could change as the season progresses.
Week 7 College Football Playoff rankings prediction
Rank | Team | Why Are They Here | Previous Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Texas | SEC Champ | 1 |
2 | Oregon | Big Ten Champ | 9 |
3 | Miami | ACC Champ | 3 |
4 | BYU | Big 12 Champ | 4 |
5 | Ohio State | At Large | 2 |
6 | Iowa State | At Large | NR |
7 | Alabama | At Large | 5 |
8 | Penn State | At Large | 8 |
9 | Georgia | At Large | 6 |
10 | Clemson | At Large | 10 |
11 | Notre Dame | At Large | 12 |
12 | Boise State | At Large | NR |
At the moment, it's still Oregon, Ohio State and Penn State. But the Big 12 is currently in my projections to get two bids. One of those teams could drop out pretty easily.
Then there's Notre Dame. They beat Stanford by 42 points this weekend and actually dropped a spot in the AP Poll. Their margin for error is incredibly small. Lose a game they aren't supposed to, like Georgia Tech this weekend, and that could be another spot open for a fourth Big Ten team.
Even if four B1G teams get in, Nebraska football is unlikely to be one of them. But take care of business this week and things start to get interesting again.