With the first round complete, some of our CBS Sports experts adjust their 2024-25 College Football Playoff brackets
The 2024-25 College Football Playoff bracket has entered its second phase. With the first round now in the books — and every betting favorite advancing to the quarterfinals — there are just seven games remaining to crown a national champion.
The action began Friday night with (7) Notre Dame winning 27-17 over (10) Indiana, a game nowhere near as close as the score indicated. (6) Penn State’s 38-10 victory over (11) SMU earlier Saturday was precisely as dominant as the score suggests, while (5) Texas looked ready to pull away from (12) Clemson only to fall back a bit in the second half before decisively prevailing 38-24. The nightcap saw (8) Ohio State cruise to a devastating 42-17 win over (9) Tennessee.
What’s still left to determine is which team is most likely to win the national title. Seven of our 11 experts below have (1) Oregon becoming the first 17-0 team in college football history. None of the other four remaining experts picked a team that received a first-round bye meaning they all expect a program to win four straight postseason games on the way to a national championship.
As for what’s coming next week, the Ducks rematch the Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl, (2) Georgia takes on the Fighting Irish in the Sugar Bowl (they previously met there in 1981), (3) Boise State aims to fend off the surging Nittany Lions in the friendly confines of the Fiesta Bowl (Broncos won there in 2007, 2010, 2014), and (4) Arizona State meets the Longhorns in the Peach Bowl.
Will it be another clean sweep for the favorite, or might someone finally spring an upset in this edition of the CFP? With 134 FBS teams now whittled down to eight, all that’s left to do is take a second look at our picks. CBS Sports experts did exactly that below. We’ve spent months on end watching, analyzing and projecting games, and now, we’ve now filled out our brackets (some for a second time) using all that accumulated knowledge in an attempt to help guide you through your own choices.
Think of these as cheat sheets, if you will, as you make your own predictions ahead of the quarterfinals of the expanded College Football Playoff.
Dennis Dodd
A bit chalky from Dennis with not really selecting a stunning upset in the first round. That all changes going forward, though, with teams all having played a game beating those who received byes. Dennis has Ohio State overcoming the outside noise and winning the national title. | Round 1 picks: 4-0
Tom Fornelli
Lots of belief in the Fighting Irish from Tom, who has Notre Dame taking down Indiana, Georgia and Penn State in succession to reach the CFP National Championship. Not as much belief in ND as someone else, though, as Tom has Oregon avoiding any Big Ten rematches on the way to the program’s first national title. | Round 1 picks: 3-1
Chip Patterson
Dabo Swinney clearly won Chip over. Picking No. 12 seed, three-loss Clemson to win two games was arguably most dramatic projection any of our experts. Unfortunately, it did not pay off. Chip clearly does not believe in Arizona State, though, as he now has Texas advancing to the semifinals. | Round 1 picks: 2-2
Richard Johnson
This would be quite a run for Notre Dame and coach Marcus Freeman if Richard is on point with the Fighting Irish winning their first national championship since 1988. It would include Notre Dame, which already beat offensive powerhouse Indiana, knocking off the 2021-22 national champions in Georgia and taking down the nation’s only remaining undefeated team. Luck of the Irish, indeed. | Round 1 picks: 4-0
Shehan Jeyarajah
The Ponies had legs for Shehan … but they certainly did not have them on the field in Happy Valley. Shehan now has Penn State taking down Boise State and advancing into the semifinals. Will Ohio State go from losing at home against its greatest rival — as two-touchdown favorites — to winning four straight games (including getting revenge on Oregon) on its way to winning its first national title in a decade? | Round 1 picks: 3-1
Will Backus
Though Arizona State is the higher seed as a conference champion, Will is one of few who chose the Sun Devils to take down Texas in the second round. In the end, it doesn’t matter, as he has Oregon coming out of that side of the bracket and hoisting the trophy in Atlanta. | Round 1 picks: 4-0
John Talty
There’s really no reason to doubt Oregon and Georgia given their conference title game performances. With Carson Beck now expected to be out for the Bulldogs, this shows a lot of believe in the defense to handle a multi-talented Nittany Lions offense. This is one of four brackets to (incorrectly) pick Tennessee over Ohio State. | Round 1 picks: 3-1
Brandon Marcello
Brandon projects a Big Ten Championship Game rematch in the CFP National Championship, which would certainly be something on which the conference could hang its hat. Will the SEC really only win two total games in the entire playoff field? | Round 1 picks: 4-0
Brad Crawford
Well, at least someone believes in Texas. While the Longhorns technically had four ranked wins during the season, none of those teams are still in the top 25. Still, Brad has Texas winning four straight games against top-16 teams — knocking off undefeated Oregon Ohio State and a Georgia team that’s beaten UT twice already — on its way to the national title. OK, cool. Hook ’em. Taking a second look at his bracket after the OSU win, he now has the Buckeyes toppling the Ducks, too. | Round 1 picks: 3-1
Jack Crosby
Jack did not go to Arizona State, and he’s not a Sun Devil, man, but he wants ASU dollars — at least into the semifinals. He is one of seven who have Oregon taking that game and ultimately winning the national championship. | Round 1 picks: 4-0
Adam Silverstein
Rounding out our bracket picks, I’m perfect (obviously) through the first round … but Notre Dame over Georgia certainly remains a risky proposition in the quarterfinals given the playoff pedigree of the Dawgs. Without Beck, though, that road got a lot easier for the Fighting Irish — and possibly Oregon, too. | Round 1 picks: 4-0
