Does Alabama want to sneak in?

The chaos of Week 13 continued into Week 14, culminating in a wild rivalry weekend to conclude the 2024 college football regular season.

The conference championship matchups are now set and we are just a few data points away from the official unveiling of the first-ever 12-team playoff contender.

While SEC teams like Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas A&M were upset and seemingly missed out on their best playoff chances last week, ACC contenders Miami and Clemson were undercut this weekend. Those losses might have been enough to leave the door open for a three-loss SEC team.

Here is my final College Football Playoff regular season prediction:

Oregon continued to take care of business and delivered a dramatic victory over Washington, ending the regular season undefeated. Assuming the Ducks can settle the conference title game, they will be the top seed in the 12-team playoff field.

The task should be a little easier, at least in theory, since Oregon will now face Penn State rather than the highly anticipated rematch against Ohio State.

Ohio State’s loss to Michigan for the fourth straight year was perhaps the shock of the weekend. The Buckeyes gave their hated rival bragging rights once again and also cost themselves a chance to play in the Big Ten title game. Regardless, as an overall team they should be firmly entrenched in the playoff field.

While several Big Ten contenders played pitiful schedules, Ohio State’s was one of the more impressive. Wins over playoff colleagues Indiana and Penn State are more than enough to keep Ryan Day’s team afloat.

Texas’ convincing victory over Texas A&M in College Station cemented a tremendous rematch between the Longhorns and Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game. Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs dominated Texas on its home field earlier this season, and the Longhorns will certainly be looking for revenge.

These are two of the best teams in the country. I expect the game to be very entertaining (unlike the first match) and I believe both teams will make it to the playoffs. I expect Georgia to win the game and earn a bye in the first round, while Texas ousts Penn State and Ohio State to secure the No. 1 overall seed. In this scenario, Texas would host Boise State for the right to play Arizona State in the quarterfinals.

Even though it will be close, I think there has been just enough bloodshed in the world of college football for Alabama to backdoor its way into the playoffs. This Crimson Tide team has been wildly inconsistent and frustrating to watch, but few would argue that at its best it can keep up with anyone on the field.

If Bama can secure the final at-large spot like in this prediction, the Tide would travel to Happy Valley to play Big Ten runner-up Penn State.

Other three-loss SEC teams like South Carolina and Ole Miss also have impressive resumes and could lay claim to the final at-large bid.

At the beginning of November, Miami was undefeated and looked like it almost made it to the playoffs. With their season on the line, the Hurricanes were upset by unranked opponents in two of their last three games. Just like that, they will miss the ACC Championship game. Worse, Miami has no good wins to fall back on and is in serious danger of missing the playoffs entirely. I have the Canes off the field in my prediction.

Even when Clemson lost a non-conference game to rival South Carolina, it was a winner this weekend. Dabo Swinney’s Tigers were the beneficiaries of Miami’s blunder and will appear in the ACC title game for one last chance to make the playoffs.

Even as a three-loss team, Clemson will likely be a pretty significant favorite over conference newcomer SMU. My prediction is that the Mustangs pull off the upset, securing a first-round bye and making the ACC a one-bid league.

The Big 12 was incredibly competitive, with four teams finishing the season with identical 7-2 league records. With the tiebreakers in effect, it is now official that Iowa State will face Arizona State for the conference title. I think the Sun Devils stay hot and get the win and become the Big 12’s only playoff contender.

Notre Dame kept rival USC at bay, finishing the regular season 11-1 after an inexplicable loss to Northern Illinois in September. The record isn’t amazing by any means, but Notre Dame has behaved no-nonsense and won almost all of its games by double digits.

The Irish will receive an overall offer and will travel to Knoxville to face Tennessee under this projection.

Boise State is the best Group of Five team in the country. They’re not particularly flashy, but they lean on their running back (Heisman candidate Ashton Jeanty) and consistently take care of business against inferior competition.

Beating UNLV for the second time this season will be easier said than done, but the Rebels are all that stands between Boise State and the College Football Playoff. If the Broncos fail, the final automatic bid could go to the Rebels, or perhaps Tulane if the Green Wave can beat Army in the AAC championship game.