Week five of the 2024 college football season is done and dusted. However, it came out as the most anticipated week of the season, with teams like Alabama and Georgia playing against each other. Meanwhile, teams like the Clemson Tigers emerged victorious and surged high in the playoff predictions. However, when analyst J.D. Pickell shared his picks on ‘X’, not everyone agreed with him. “No Big 12 team?” a fan commented on his post. But that’s not the thing we are talking about. It’s about the two teams that surfaced high in these rankings while there were no signs of their hyke.

On3 analyst J D. Pickell shared his top 12 teams on September 29, 2024, writing, “Playoff picture rankings after week 5, looking forward to all of us agreeing.” Not wasting further time, let’s jump into the rankings he gave to college football programs. The two teams we have been talking about are the Clemson Tigers and UNLV Rebels. According to Pickell, Clemson stands in the 10th position to be in the playoffs. While he placed UNLV in the 12th position. Well, that came out as a shocker because no one gave much attention to them before entering week five.

Their performance in week five turned the tables. In the tight game against Stanford, Clemson secured a 40-14 victory. However, they were not reigning until halftime, as they did in their previous two games of the season. However, they surpassed Standford 23-7 in the second half, sealing the deal. Besides that, UNLV’s performance in their last encounter against Fresno State was remarkable.

UNLV dominated Fresno State with a 59-14 victory. The Rebels have lost no game in the season so far. That’s the first time since 1976 that the Rebels have managed to stay undefeated in the first four games. Their quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams shined out bright in his debut season, completing 13 of 16 passes for 182 yards and three touchdowns rushing for 119 yards, helping UNLV’s victory over Fresno State. It was doubly remarkable that UNLV could ease to victory despite mid-week drama over its QB1 Matthew Sluka deciding to redshirt the season. Another play also did the same, leaving the program in jeopardy. That has yet to affect the Rebels.

Although analysts have not predicted them earlier to be in the playoffs, these programs are receiving their much-awaited attention after showcasing impressive games in the season.

Teams besides Clemson Tigers in the playoff prediction

Besides, let’s learn which teams are being predicted at higher spots by PicKell. Alabama Crimson Tide has secured the No. 1 position, leaving every other elite team behind, such as their rival Georgia, after beating them on Saturday. Followed by the Texas Longhorns’ second position. He gave the third spot to Ohio State. Next up there is the Georgia Bulldogs in fourth place, although they lost against Alabama in their last game, before that, they were undefeated in the season.

Following that, we have Tennessee, a team that holds fifth position. After which Penn State holds the sixth spot. Followed by the Miami Hurricanes’ seventh position. Oregon holds the eighth position, followed by Missouri.

After which much-hyped team Clemson holds a tenth position in these rankings. It was a shocker for its fans, but Michigan is eleventh on the list. Last but not least, UNLV is in the twelfth position. With that, these 12 teams are predicted to be in the playoffs, according to most college football analysts.