The Georgia Bulldogs survived their first scare of the 2024 college football season on Saturday, but they dropped to No. 2 in the AP Top 25 behind the Texas Longhorns.

Georgia and Texas are currently viewed as the two favorites to come away with the SEC's first-round bye, but there are plenty of potential contenders for that spot lining up behind them.

The college football world will be fixated on Georgia's Week 5 clash with the Alabama Crimson Tide and the playoff implications that come with the game.

But before that clash on September 28, some playoff clarity will be delivered in another conference.

The Big 12 has a potential playoff elimination game on its hands in Week 4 between two of its three top teams.

Before that clash on September 28, some of the other top CFB Playoff contenders will have a chance to impress at the start of their respective conference schedules in Week 4.

College Football Playoff Predictions

First-Round Byes

1. Georgia (SEC champion)

2. Ohio State (Big Ten champion)

3. Miami (ACC champion)

4. Kansas State (Big 12 champion)

First-Round Matchups

No. 12 Memphis vs. No. 5 Texas

No. 11 Notre Dame vs. No. 6 Alabama

No. 10 Oklahoma State vs. No. 7 Penn State

No. 9 Oregon vs. No. 8 Missouri

Georgia, Alabama Among Top SEC Title Contenders

Georgia and Alabama are two of the many SEC teams who have stood out over the first three weeks of games.

The Bulldogs and Crimson Tide will be talked about more over the next two weeks because of their impending battle on September 28.

A Georgia win in Tuscaloosa would reinforce its status as the top team in college football, while a Bama victory would shake up the predicted hierarchy.

The Texas Longhorns, Missouri Tigers, Tennessee Volunteers and Ole Miss Rebels looked equally as strong and will play roles in the SEC title race at some point in the season.

Texas has the biggest concern of the SEC contenders with Quinn Ewers' injury, but the Longhorns should not be affected by any absence in the next few weeks with easy games versus UL-Monroe and Mississippi State before the Red River Rivalry with Oklahoma on October 12.

Ole Miss should be 6-0 before its first Top 25 clash with the LSU Tigers on October 12, while Mizzou should be 7-0 prior to its battle with Alabama on October 26.

Tennessee gets its first big test on Saturday with a trip to Norman to face the Oklahoma Sooners in primetime.

All sorts of results will happen in the SEC, especially before November, but for now, those six teams appear to be the conference's playoff hopefuls.

Big 12 Title Race in Week 4 Spotlight

The Big 12 could only have one playoff berth given how strong the SEC and Big Ten programs look so far in September.

If that's the case, Saturday's battle in Stillwater between the Utah Utes and Oklahoma State Cowboys will carry a ton of weight in the playoff discussion.

Utah navigated the first three games without a fully healthy Cam Rising. The Utes are used to playing without their star quarterback.

Rising's injury status will be a primary topic of discussion all throughout the week. He did not play in the Week 3 win over Utah State.

Oklahoma State should be favored at home with its full complement of stars, led by running back Ollie Gordon.

The Cowboys could leapfrog ahead of everyone else in the Big 12 in just a span of two weeks.

OK State visits the Kansas State Wildcats in Week 5. Kansas State made an early statement in the Big 12 title race with a win over the Arizona Wildcats on Friday.

Utah, OK State and K-State are bunched together in the AP Top 25, so the next two weeks will be important for separation between the three programs.

Miami Looks to Be Running Away with ACC

The Miami Hurricanes may have been penciled into the CFB Playoff as ACC champion by a few experts already.

The other predicted top teams in the ACC have fallen flat so far this season with Miami looking like the only consistent team.

The Hurricanes have an easy schedule with only ranked team left, the Louisville Cardinals, so they will be favored to win the conference.

Mario Cristobal's Miami teams have a history of losing games they are supposed to win, and as we saw with Georgia on Saturday, no team is safe from the threat of at least an upset bid. Georgia went on to beat Kentucky, but had to grind out the result in the fourth quarter.

At least for now, it appears that Miami is in a class of its own in the ACC and it would take some unlikely results for the Hurricanes to be toppled.