CBS projects Miami in 2024 College Football Playoff

Jerry Palm of CBS Sports projects Miami to make the College Football Playoff as the 10th seed at seventh-seeded Alabama in the first round. Palm projects Florida State as the fourth seed entering the playoff as the ACC Champions with a first-round bye. No other ACC teams are projected in the field.

Palm projects 12th Boise State at fifth seed Texas, eighth seed Texas A&M hosting ninth seed Penn State and sixth seed Oregon versus 11th seed Kansas State as the other first-round matchups. Palm has Georgia as the one seed, Ohio State second and Utah third. If Miami upsets Alabama they would play Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.

Miami being seeded 10th by Palm in the College Football Playoff is significantly higher than their ranking of 19th in the Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll. Miami is 16th in the CBS Sports Top 25. Miami ranks third in the ACC in the CBS Sports Top 25 and the national polls.

Florida State is 13th and Clemson 14th in the CBS Sports Top 25. The AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Polls have Florida State 10th and Clemson 14th. Miami hosts Florida State on October 16. Clemson and Miami do not play in 2024. Florida State will host Clemson on October 5.

The inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff would have some teams who appeared during the 10-year four-team era and others making their first appearance. Boise State, Kansas State, Miami, Penn State, Texas A&M and Utah would be making their first appearances in the College Football Playoff.

Florida State would be making its first appearance in the CFP since losing 59-20 in the Rose Bowl to Oregon in the 2014 CFP. Oregon would also make their first CFP appearance since 2014. Texas would be making its second CFP appearance after losing in the 2023 Semifinal.

Alabama would be making its ninth CFP appearance, Ohio State their sixth and Georgia its fourth. Georgia first appeared in the CFP after the 2017 season. The Bulldogs won consecutive National Championships after the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Last season was the first CFP title game since the 2014 season without an SEC team,

Miami has a favorable schedule to get to the CFP. The Hurricanes could be favored in every game this season depending on how it plays out. Miami is favored in the season opener at Florida. The games with FSU and Louisville are a pick'em now. Miami should be favored in every other game.