We are less than a month away from the start of the 2024 college football season, and there’s plenty of intrigue heading into the new year. Conference realignment, the elimination of divisions, and an expanded 12-team playoff are just some of the factors that should make this one of the most memorable seasons in college football history.

Although the usual suspects like Georgia, Ohio State, and Alabama are all once again heavy favorites to play for the biggest prize in all of college football, the expanded playoff field means that the pathway toward claiming a national championship will be more difficult than ever in 2024. On Thursday, ESPN released the top 12 teams with the best chance to make the playoff according to the the ESPN FPI (Football Power Index). There certainly aren’t many surprises on the list, but having these 12 teams in the playoff would definitely make for a postseason full of incredible matchups.

Unfortunately, the new playoff format consists of the five highest ranked conference champions, plus the next seven highest ranked teams – meaning we’d never see all 12 teams above in the same playoff. But for arguments sake, let’s just say that the top 12 teams according to the ESPN FPI actually ended up making the playoff in the order that they’re ranked above. Here’s what the matchups would look like under the new format:

First Round: December 20-21

Quarterfinals: December 31/January 1

Yeah, you can sign me up for all of that.

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