2024 12-team College Football Playoff rankings prediction after Week 3

There are four matchups of ranked teams during Week 4 of the college football season and Michigan football is one of those teams.

The Wolverines are ranked 19th right now, and most have them on the outside looking in the College Football Playoff projections. Their opponent, USC, is ranked 11th in the AP poll. The Trojans notched a neutral-field win over LSU to open the season, and a win over Michigan football on Saturday would propel them into the top 10 easily.

There have already been some surprises this season. Florida State has been an unmitigated disaster. Miami has surprised some folks, while Michigan football and Notre Dame both failed to meet expectations. Illinois and Nebraska are each ranked, and they meet in a ranked matchup Friday night. The winner of that game will be 4-0 and may suddenly be viewed as an outside contender for the 12-team College Football Playoff.

it's only been three weeks and a lot can change. We also have some exciting matchups looming between Ohio State and Oregon later in the season, as well as Georgia-Alabama and Georgia-Texas.

This week, best matchup takes place in the SEC as sixth-ranked Tennessee will travel to 15th-ranked Oklahoma. It's a chance for both teams to add to their resume, which is especially important for the Sooners will Texas looming too.

Michigan football needs this win over USC, or Michigan will need to beat Oregon or Ohio State in order to make the playoff, which they might need to do anyway.

But before we get to Week 4 of the college football season, here are our updated College Football Playoff rankings after Week 3.

Projected 12-team College Football Playoff after Week 3