Around CFB: 12 things to watch as 12-team playoff debuts in 2024
Twelve is a magical, sacred number.
Days start and end at 12. Jesus had 12 disciples and apostles. There are 12 months, 12 inches in a foot and 12 Days of Christmas.
Hercules endured 12 labours. Eggs can be bought by the dozen. Beer is available in a 12-pack.
Movie titles include “Ocean’s Twelve,” “12 Angry Men,” “12 Monkeys” and “The Dirty Dozen.”
Texas A&M is the home of the 12th Man.
And, of course, this season, the College Football Playoff expands to a 12-team field.
The five highest-ranked conference champions are automatic qualifiers. The remaining seven teams are determined by the committee.
Already, there is speculation and projection about what 12 teams will get in. How many representatives will come from each conference? Will Notre Dame be included?
Asking 12 different people to predict the 12-team field would probably result in 12 different projections.
Keeping in mind that 12 is an even more important number this season, here’s a list of 12 predictions, projections and possibilities for the 2024 season:
1. Florida State kicker Ryan Fitzgerald will convert 12 50-yard field goals. He has already hit from 52 and 59 in the rain in the Seminoles’ opening loss to Georgia Tech, so he’s off to a good start.
2. Liberty posts 12 regular-season wins. That still may not be sufficient for the Flames to get into the playoffs.
3. At least 12 coaches will be fired before the regular season ends. Arkansas’ Sam Pittman, Florida’s Billy Napier and Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea may vie to be the first to go.
4. By the time Quinn Ewers throws 12 incomplete passes, Texas fans will call for Arch Manning to start at quarterback.
5. Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara will throw 12 touchdown passes. That sounds like a criticism, except that the Hawkeyes managed just nine touchdown passes all of last season.
6. Georgia players will be involved in 12 high-speed driving incidents. That may be conservative. In about the last year and a half, Georgia has had 29 arrests or citations for speeding or reckless driving.
7. Colorado coach Deion Sanders will ban 12 reporters from asking questions. He’s off to a head start. Last week, he banned Denver Post reporter Sean Keeler from asking questions in press conferences.
8. Texas A&M defensive end Nic Scourton will post 12 sacks. That’s just two more than he had last season at Purdue.
9. New coach Kalen DeBoer will come under intense criticism from Alabama fans if the Crimson Tide don’t post 12 wins. In fact, he’ll probably be criticized if they “only” posts 12 wins.
10. Tired of hunting and fishing, Jimbo Fisher will show interest in coaching at least 12 teams.
11. No FBS teams endured a 12-loss season in 2023, but if any team goes winless, it could likely be Kennesaw State and/or ULM. Athlon ranked them as the two worst teams in the nation. A Sept. 28 game at UT-Martin could save Kennesaw State the embarrassment. ULM, which lost its last 10 games of 2023, must get off to a good start against Jackson State on Friday night.
12. If healthy, look for Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon II to exceed 100 rushing yards in all 12 regular season games. He rushed for 1,732 yards last season despite getting just 19 carries in the first three games. This year, he’ll face nine opponents who were ranked between 118th (Baylor) and 48th (West Virginia) in rush defense last year. He had 282 yards against West Virginia. He also faces Utah, which was fourth, and Arizona State, which was 38th. But those rankings were probably because Pac-12 teams opted to pass more than run. The 12th opponent is FCS South Dakota State.
Heisman Watch (Preseason favorites)
1. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss, QB: He passed for 3,364 yards and 23 touchdowns last season. The Rebels figure to be even better than the 11-2 team of a year ago. Also, he still has receiver Tre Harris catching passes and Lane Kiffen calling plays.
2. Carson Beck, Georgia, QB: The quarterback of a national championship contender is always a Heisman candidate. Beck passed for 3,941 yards and 24 touchdowns a year ago. He’ll still have plenty of talent around him. A Sept. 28 clash at Alabama and an Oct. 19 game at Texas could make or break his candidacy.
3. Quinn Ewers, Texas, QB: Give credit where credit is due. He is good. He passed for 3,479 yards and 22 touchdowns last season. The competition will be tougher in the SEC, but he has a strong offensive line to protect him. If he leads the Longhorns to a win over Michigan on Sept. 7, he may become the early front-runner.
4. Dillon Gabriel, Oregon, QB: Gabriel has exceeded 3,000 yards and thrown for at least 25 touchdowns in four seasons. He did it twice at Central Florida (2019, 2020) and twice at Oklahoma (2022, 2023). He’s expected to lead an explosive offense in Eugene. Games against Ohio State on Oct. 12 and Michigan on Nov. 2 are key for him.
5. Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State, RB: As previously mentioned, Gordon is a legitimate threat to exceed 2,000 rushing yards. That makes him a candidate. The last running back to win the Heisman was Alabama’s Derrick Henry. He rushed for 2,219 yards in 2015. Gordon could top that number.
Games to Watch
No. 7 Notre Dame at No. 20 Texas A&M: Coach Mike Elko makes his A&M debut against his old quarterback at Duke, Riley Leonard.
No. 14 Clemson vs. No. 1 Georgia (Atlanta): Georgia leads 43-18-4 in a series that dates back to 1897. Clemson has a strong defense, but its offense has been erratic. That’s not conducive to beating Georgia.
No. 8 Penn State at West Virginia: The Nittany Lions are anticipating making the playoffs — maybe more. West Virginia is coming off a 9-4 showing in 2023 and might be better this year.
No. 23 USC vs. No. 13 LSU (Las Vegas, Sunday): LSU’s pass defense is supposed to be improved over the unit that ranked 118th in the nation last season. It had better, or USC quarterback Miller Moss could deal the Tigers their fifth straight season-opening loss.
Boston College at No. 10 Florida State: Seminoles are already in a “must win” situation after falling to Georgia Tech last week.