Bowl Projections 2024: Playoff Bracket Predictions Ahead of Saturday’s Key Games

Boise State, Colorado and Georgia were all victorious in Black Friday matchups with College Football Playoff implications. So heading into Saturday, the projected CFP field looks the same as it did all week.

Things could change greatly on Saturday.

The final week of the 2024 regular season wraps up with a full slate of games that will help determine which teams will advance to conference championship week. Then, those conference title games will help to set the inaugural 12-team CFP field.

Here’s a look at several matchups to keep a close eye on this Saturday.

Entering the final week of the regular season, both Clemson and South Carolina were on the outside of the CFP bubble. However, the Tigers and the Gamecocks each remained close enough to potentially still make a push into the Playoff field.

Clemson (9-2, 7-1) could still reach the ACC Championship Game, but it needs Miami to lose at Syracuse on Saturday afternoon for that to happen. But even if it doesn’t, the Tigers would have a strong case for an at-large bid if they beat South Carolina to end up at 10-2.

The Gamecocks will be a challenging opponent, though, and they have a decent resume themselves. South Carolina (8-3, 5-3) has lost to LSU, Ole Miss and Alabama, but it entered Saturday on a five-game winning streak that featured victories over Texas A&M and Missouri.

So there will be plenty at stake when these in-state rivals meet for the Palmetto Bowl in Clemson on Saturday. The Tigers have won eight of their past nine meetings vs. the Gamecocks, with South Carolina’s only win during that stretch coming in 2022.

Georgia will be one of the two teams playing in the SEC Championship Game next week. The Bulldogs will find out who they’ll be facing on Saturday, as the winner of the Texas-Texas A&M matchup will advance to play for the conference title.

The Longhorns and Aggies have a long-standing rivalry, one that dates back to 1894. The in-state foes played every year from 1915-2011. However, they haven’t faced off since 2011, as Texas A&M left the Big 12 for the SEC after that year.

Now, Texas has followed it to the SEC, so the rivalry will be reignited. Neither the Longhorns nor the Aggies have played in the SEC Championship Game before.

Texas (10-1, 6-1 in the SEC) is the favorite, considering its only loss this season came against Georgia. But Texas A&M (8-3, 5-2) can still overcome two losses in its past three games and win its way into the College Football Playoff.

Colorado’s win over Oklahoma State wasn’t the only important Big 12 matchup of the weekend. There are several other contests that will help determine which teams are heading to the conference championship game, and the Buffaloes aren’t in themselves quite yet.

Arizona State-Arizona, Kansas State-Iowa State and Houston-BYU all have stakes on the line, with the Sun Devils, Cyclones and Cougars all right in the mix for a spot in next week’s conference title game.

Anything could happen, but Arizona State has emerged as the front-runner in the Big 12 because of its recent play. The Sun Devils (9-2, 6-2 in conference play) have reeled off four straight wins, including consecutive victories over Kansas State and BYU the past two weeks.

It will be interesting to see how things shake out and which team emerges as the Big 12 champion. That will likely be the only team from the conference that reaches the CFP.