2024 College Football Playoff predictions, expert picks, most overrated and underrated teams

Taking a close, detailed and opinionated look at the top of college football as Week 1 begins

By Chip Patterson Aug 26, 2024 at 12:00 pm ET• 15 min read

The 2024 college football season is one of drastic change across the entire landscape. The consolidation of teams has resulted in super conferences finally becoming a reality. And with the College Football Playoff tripling in size from four teams to 12, leagues like the Big Ten and SEC will expect to place multiple teams in the field on an annual basis. 

Within this new playoff format is the chance for things to get really strange. Because the top four conference champions will be awarded a first-round bye, it's entirely possible for traditional blue bloods that normally expect to occupy one of the top two or three spots in the four-team CFP to fall all the way down to No. 6 or lower if they do not win their conference championship game. Conversely, programs that have been absent from the CFP in the past may find themselves with a top-four seeding. 

The unveiling of the first 12-team CFP remains a few months away. For now, our team of college football experts at CBS Sports gave their best, educated prediction on how the bracket will look -- and who will win it all. Additionally, our experts made their picks for the most overrated and underrated teams in the country, plus predictions for this year's national coach of the year and Heisman Trophy winner. 

Expert picks for all of these categories can be found below as we head into Week 1 of the season.