This year is different. This year is special. This year, a winner will be truly defined. I would say it’s unprecedented, but it seems like we’re using that word a little too much as of late. This year, the 12-team College Football Playoff is here. Boise St., SMU, Indiana, and Arizona St. will now get a chance to prove that they can compete with the top teams in college football. Juggernauts like Georgia, Oregon, and Ohio St. (disregarding their awful loss to that team up north) will try to prove that they are worthy of the hype. But what’s wrong with this year’s playoffs? Boise St. and Arizona St. with byes? Alabama being left out? And who’s going to win it all? Who has the best all-around roster? All these questions will be answered, right now.
What’s Wrong With This Year’s Playoffs?
- The 1-4 seeds need to be changed. Immediately.
To be clear, I think it’s great that underdog teams have a chance to prove themselves in the playoffs. But giving them a bye? These teams should have to go through a solid, lower ranked team to make it to the next round. Arizona St. having to win fewer games than Ohio St. or Tennessee to win the championship is ridiculous. Does Arizona St. deserve a bye over Notre Dame or Texas? No. The four highest ranked teams need to be the 1-4 seeds. Conference champions should still be incorporated, such as teams like Boise St. and Arizona St., but they should be seeding by their ranking. If their ranking is less than 11, they should be seeded in the 12 seed. In the situation where two teams were ranked outside of the top 11, they should be placed in the 11th and 12th seeds, depending on which team was ranked higher. So, the bracket this year would look like—
12-Clemson
______
5-Notre Dame ______
4-Penn St.
______
8-Indiana
______
9-Boise St. ______
1-Oregon
7-Tennessee _______________________
______
10-SMU ______
2-Georgia
_______
6-Ohio St.
______
11-Arizona St. ______
3-Texas
- SMU should have made it over Alabama. Period.
The only reason I say this is because Alabama lost to unranked Oklahoma by 21 points. Allowing 40 points to Vanderbilt didn’t help their cause either, but it really came down to how bad each teams’ losses were. There have been arguments about punishing a team for losing in a conference championship game, when some teams didn’t play in a championship game. I think that they should not, unless it’s a brutal loss. SMU coming all the way back against Clemson and losing on a last-minute field goal should not have been counted against them. Since SMU was already ranked ahead of Alabama, it’s right that they stayed ahead of them.
Who’s going to win the first ever 12 team playoff?
Oregon is the clear favorite, but Georgia, Ohio St, and Texas all have solid chances. The first round has many chances for upsets, and it’s possible that some of them come to fruition. SMU, for example, can win, but only if they jump ahead early on Penn St. Abdul Carter will be a tough matchup, but with Kevin Jennings’s athleticism, they should be able to roll out to the side opposite of Carter. I’m going to go with SMU in this matchup, solely because of their big play ability and the chip on their shoulder after the loss to Clemson. The next matchup, Texas and Clemson, should be an easy win for Texas. Texas is one of the best teams in college football, with one of the best quarterbacks in college too. Clemson has a slight chance of winning if Cade Klubnik can consistently hit targets like he did in the first half against SMU. Regardless, I have Texas winning. The next game, Notre Dame and Indiana, might be close. Seeing how Notre Dame has been playing, however, it will be tough for an Indiana team that has not played a lot of good competition to stop the Notre Dame offense. Notre Dame takes the win. Finally, Ohio St. and Tennessee. This is by far the toughest decision I have made in a long time. Tennessee has to go up north to the freezing cold Horseshoe, but the home fans may be on edge after the terrible loss to that team up north. A slow start for the Ohio St. offense could turn the home fans against them, which is not a good recipe for success. Ohio St. should win this game given the combination of the cold weather and their running back core, but it will be close. Ohio St. should come out fiery after their loss, so I’m going to go with the Buckeyes to win.
Now, the quarterfinals. SMU against Boise St. Ashton Jeanty has been amazing all year, a Heisman finalist, and an all-time college running back after the season he’s had. Although, if SMU can get through Penn St., they should be able to get through Boise St. Give me SMU. Notre Dame and Georgia will be an amazing game to watch. Both offenses and defenses are at the top of college football, but Georgia is just a little better at this point. Georgia will win. Texas and Arizona St. is the next matchup, and even though the Sun Devils have a great running back in Cam Skattebo, Texas shouldn’t have too much trouble getting through Arizona St. Next, the rematch of the century–Ohio St. and Oregon meet once again. After losing by one point to the Ducks in week 6, the Buckeyes would need to run the ball much better this time around. If Ohio St. beats Tennessee, they would have momentum going into this game, as well as a better idea of Oregon’s playbook. However, Oregon is undefeated this season for a reason. They have the all-around best team at this point in time and they will be the favorites in every game they play. With no home field advantage, it makes this decision even more difficult. The deciding factor for this game might be Oregon’s extra week off. Can the Ducks be the team they have been after time off? I’m going to say no. Buckeyes win.
The first semifinal game will be between Texas and Ohio St. If Ohio St. makes it through Tennessee and Oregon, they should be able to continue the momentum to beat Texas. However, the style of football that’s played in the SEC is vastly different than in the Big 10. The Texas wide receivers could be a serious threat to the Buckeyes secondary. Also, Texas’s defense is elite, giving the big play Buckeye offense a challenge. Will Ohio St., and Will Howard, be able to adjust to SEC play? I think they will, but it will be a close game. Buckeyes to Atlanta. The second semifinal game will be between Georgia and SMU. SMU would need Santa Claus himself to go to this game and give the team some of his elves to play if SMU wants a chance to win this game. Georgia could, should, and will win this game.
Rematch time. Georgia and Ohio St. This 2022 game still gives me nightmares. Almost as many nightmares as Cleveland blowing a 3-1 lead in the World Series gives me. Noah Ruggles missing that one 50 yard field goal single-handedly ruined my day. But it’s time for revenge. Carson Beck has shown he folds under pressure. Yes, I’m referring to the first half of the Georgia-Alabama game. Caleb Downs should be all over the passing game, forcing Georgia to run the ball with Trevor Etienne. Etienne has run for under 40 yards in 2 of his last 3 games. Jack Sawyer and company should be able to stop the Bulldogs’ run game and Davison Igbinosun and Caleb Downs should clamp down the Georgia wide receivers. However, the Bulldogs are a scary force if they’re on. The second half of the Alabama game Beck brought his team all the way back to have a chance. Etienne had two rushing touchdowns in the SEC championship game. Arian Smith has been Georgia’s number one wide receiver all year, and has put up solid numbers this year. Malaki Starks has been a major problem for opposing team’s wide receivers. Jalon Walker has led the Bulldogs with 6.5 sacks. Can Ohio St. continue to play their Big 10 way against the Georgia Bulldogs? No, they can’t. As much as it hurts me to say, Georgia would most likely beat Ohio St. in a game this year. Georgia will win the first ever 12 team college football playoff.
