Legitimate 2024 College Football Playoff Contenders after Week 4

So, you've got a grasp on the season, huh? Yeah, us neither.

This is college football.

You never fully have it all right, even when you think you do.

But, after four weeks of the season, the picture is at least a little clearereven if it's still just 1990s-Cinemax-on-cable comprehensible.

The College Football Playoff portrait is still being painted, and while it's almost impossible to figure out the canvass, it's fun to try.

Several of the contender-list teams are ones we see every year.

Others are massive surprises.

With the Group of Five getting a guaranteed spot this season, you've got to focus the lens on them, too.

There are favorites emerging; others, we can't shake off the list quite yet.

And while not every unbeaten team didn't make the list, a lot of them sure did.

If your team didn't, we're sorry, they've still got to be in "prove-it" mode.

But we tried to decipher who we think are legitimate dice-rolls for the playoffs right now.

Here are the ones who made the cut.

Stop us if you've heard this one before: "It looks like the Georgia Bulldogs are going to be pretty good this year." Or maybe, " Alabama is a strong contender for the title." Perhaps, "The Ohio State Buckeyes have a lot of potential to be elite." Yeah, those three teams are in the national conversation every year.

And four weeks into the season, they've done nothing to dissuade those thoughts again.

If you're turned off by the Bulldogs' narrow escape at Kentucky last week, don't be.

Remember Missouri and Kentucky a couple of seasons ago? How about sweating Auburn a year ago? All the Dawgs did was win a natty in 2022 and fall just short a season ago.

This team is still No.

1-worthy.

Watch out for the chip on their shoulder now that they're not, though.

Kirby Smart is a master at controlling the narrative with his team, and this group has more talent than any in the nation.

When Nick Saban decided to shock the college football world and retire, the Crimson Tide went out and plucked national runner-up Kalen DeBoer from Washington.

All the man has done at every level he's coached is win, and that won't change in Tuscaloosa.

For the second year in a row, 'Bama struggled against a good South Florida team, but don't let that fool you.

The cupboard is far from bare, and the championship-level tilt against UGA will help us figure out things even further next week.

Finally, nobody mastered the transfer portal the way Ohio State did, and the Buckeyes seemingly stole the mantle of the Big Ten's best from Michigan.

With so many playmakers on both sides of the ball, they have taken a bit of time to mesh well, but you can see why there is so much excitement.

This trio is right in the thick of the race, just like always.

The second trifecta of teams aren't exactly surprising anybody.

Are they on the Georgia-Alabama-Ohio State level of expectations? No, but still, they are teams everybody expected to be undefeated and in the thick of the title conversation at this point.

They are, and they are.

First of all, you'd better get used to seeing the Texas Longhorns on this list of contenders under Steve Sarkisian.

The top-ranked Longhorns are indeed back, and even with Quinn Ewers out, Arch Manning has stepped in, and they are spectacular.

A road win at Michigan highlights a quick start.

The Oregon Ducks moved over from the debunked Pac-12 to the Big Ten this year, and the early-season road to prominence was rocky.

Somehow, they hit major bumps against FCS foe Idaho and Group of Five power Boise State.

But they survived, then whipped rival Oregon State last week.

Things are beginning to come together for the Ducks, who shouldn't really be tested until the Buckeyes come to town October 12.

While the Ole Miss Rebels are far from a team we think about being a serious contender, they've been circled as one "on the rise" for a while under Lane Kiffin.

This season looked like the culmination of a building-block blockbuster.

With Jaxson Dart entering his junior year and a wealth of playmakers, Kiffin loaded up in the portal, and the monster he's built has been very strong in the early going of the season.

A sudden gauntlet of Kentucky, South Carolina, LSU, Oklahoma and Georgia over the next seven weeks is a tough stretch, but it's worth watching the Rebs.

Don't look at the three featured teams on this slide and think they're somehow lesser than those already mentioned.

Instead, the theme here is once-great programs that appear to have regained that top-shelf caliber and are poised for exciting, high-level College Football Playoff runs.

First of all, Tennessee hadn't gone on the road and beaten a top-15 opponent since 2006.

How's that for wandering in the wilderness? But the Vols headed to Norman for Josh Heupel's homecoming Saturday night and dominated Oklahoma.

Everybody is talking about redshirt freshman Nico Iamaleava, but the defense stole the show.

And if Tennessee is going to enjoy a Rocky Top revival, that side of the ball will carry it.

They are just as excited in Coral Gables.

When Miami brought favorite son Mario Cristobal from Oregon to be the program savior a couple of years ago, it didn't get off to the start it wanted for a couple of seasons.

But the Hurricanes grabbed Cam Ward from the transfer portal, and the quarterback has led a resurgence that has been accented by other portal wins and Cristobal's elite recruiting.

Then there's Penn State .

What do you think of the Nittany Lions? An early-season road win against West Virginia was big, and while they are normally in the mix, you can see just how much talent they have on both sides of the ball Are they as big of an expanded Big Ten threat as Tennessee and Miami are in their conferences? Maybe not, but you can't count them out.

They could turn back the clock with a playoff run.

Where do you put Utah ? It's always seemingly there, but it isn't in the national conversation every year.

It isn't really considered one of everybody's upstart title contenders to watch.

But all Kyle Whittingham's team do is win, baby.

With seventh-year starting quarterback Cam Rising still out on Saturday, the Utes went on the road against fellow Big 12 favorite Oklahoma State, held the Cowboys to 48 rushing yards and shut them down with a vaunted defense and stellar quarterback, 22-19.

The Utes are the clear favorite in the Big 12 now, but there are a couple of teams they'll have to battle besides expected contenders such as Kansas State and Arizona.

Matt Campbell's Iowa State beat rival Iowa, and the Cyclones have a good team after a post-Brock Purdy hiccup.

After an awful first season in the league, Gus Malzahn's UCF Knights have speed, talent and hope, too.

That's two unbeaten sleeper teams.

If you had to post a couple of strong teams on Utah's level, it would be Missouri and Louisville .

Last year, both the Tigers and the Cardinals would have been on a "surprises" list, but Eli Drinkwitz's team is a top-10 program this year, while Jeff Brohm's Cards are in the top 20.

The Tigers sweated by a ready-and-raring Vanderbilt team Saturday, but they survived in overtime.

Louisville battled Georgia Tech but won.

Both of these teams are sneaky-strong, and while they are far from dominant, they could find themselves right in the thick of the race.

This time of year, it's extremely difficult to sort the contenders from pretenders, but we have to try.

The title of this slideshow was trying to sort out "legitimate" contenders, but what do they look like? Of this bunch, there are a trio of major surprises that deserve some print.

That would be the BYU Cougars , Illinois Fighting Illini, Indiana Hoosiers, Washington State Cougars and Rutgers Scarlet Knights .

Are they legit? Who knows? But they sure are fun, right? Kalani Sitake was deemed hot seat-worthy entering the season, but the Cougars whipped Kansas State up and down the field Saturday night.

They employed a relentless defense that harassed Avery Johnson all night in a 38-9 laugher that announced their reemergence back on the national scene.

Bret Bielema's Illinois went on the road to unbeaten Nebraska on Friday and won in overtime to stay unbeaten.

Don't look now, but that's consecutive ranked opponents handled by the Fighting Illini, so they belong.

First-year Indiana coach Curt Cignetti arrived at a woebegone program having to rebuild from scratch, but he recruited Ohio transfer quarterback Kurtis Rourke and changed the culture, and the Hoosiers are suddenly blowing teams out.

Then there's Jake Dickert, who coaches a Washington State program that, along with Oregon State, were the leftovers nobody wanted in conference realignment.

All the Cougars did was go out and beat Washington to claim the Apple Cup.

Then, they survived a 54-52 shootout against San Jose State.

Finally, Greg Schiano's Rutgers team plays an extremely favorable schedule and dispatched Virginia Tech on Saturday to remain unbeaten with a rugged defense and valid rushing attack.

Are those teams playoff contenders? Who knows? But it's hard to count them out In college football, we tend to draw wild and wacky conclusions early in the season and write teams off that get beat quickly.

That's not always wise, though.

The Clemson Tigers opened the season in embarrassing fashion with a 34-3 loss to then top-ranked Georgia in Atlanta.

But the Dawgs can make even good teams look rough, right? The bottom line is coach Dabo Swinney's team is pretty dang good.

Finally, it appears Cade Klubnik is coming around, and back-to-back offensive onslaughts against Appalachian State and North Carolina State prove we shouldn't prematurely end their run just yet.

The ACC and an automatic bid is firmly within reach.

Defending national champion Michigan didn't put up much of a fight in a home loss to Texas a couple weeks back, but the Wolverines hosted USC this weekend and won a good, old-fashioned dogfight.

The defense and rushing attack is legit, and if Alex Orji can pass the ball a little better downfield and develop in that regard, there's plenty of season remaining.

Speaking of the USC Trojans , they're better this year than many thought they'd be.

A close loss to Michigan shouldn't end their playoff hopes, just like LSU 's Week 1 setback to the Trojans doesn't end them.

Both teams need plenty of work, but there are fixable tools.

An embarrassing loss to Northern Illinois derailed Notre Dame , but the Irish have improved since then.

Iowa has shown signs of offensive life in a "post-loss to rival Iowa State" stretch.

Oklahoma seemingly found its quarterback when freshman Michael Hawkins Jr.

replaced Jackson Arnold against Tennessee on Saturday night.

And if the Sooners' defense keeps playing lights-out and Hawkins develops, they can surprise in the SEC.

Kansas State and Oklahoma State lost their first games of the year this weekend, but there are still plenty of twists and turns left in the Big 12.

All these teams have a loss, but they still have reasons to believe they can make the field.

A Group of Five program is taking a spot in the end-of-season roller coaster we call the College Football Playoff, but your guess is as good as ours which team that will be.

Memphis was a favorite heading into Saturday, but a lopsided loss to Navy and second-year coach Brian Newberry knocked the Tigers down a few rungs.

Are the Midshipmen for real? They at least have to be considered.

South Florida was a tough out for Alabama earlier this year, but Miami handled the Bulls on Saturday, so getting in with two losses will be tough.

Northern Illinois shocked the world with an upset of Notre Dame, but a setback against Buffalo takes off a bunch of that shine.

So, who are the favorites? There are four teams that stand out right now, even though the ones above still need a mention: James Madison , Boise State, UNLV and Liberty look like possible CFP participants and the leaders in the clubhouse at this juncture.

If you had the Dukes scoring 70 points against Power Four foe North Carolina on your bingo card, well, head to Vegas with deep pockets right now.

Quarterback Alonza Barnett III is picking up where Jordan McCloud left off, and head coach Bob Chesney has them rolling.

Even though quarterback Jayden Maiava left UNLV for USC, the Runnin' Rebels are still a tough, well-coached team under Barry Odom.

They are a force in the Mountain West, but they'll have to get past the Broncos.

Boise State played Oregon tough in a one-score game early this season, and running back Ashton Jeanty is a superstar.

Liberty still has Kaidon Salter, and the Flames were the Group of Five participant in the New Year's Six bowls a season ago.

Don't sleep on Texas State (which lost to Arizona State) and Fresno State (which got beat on the road at Michigan) as contenders, either.

This bid could still go a lot of different ways..

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