Last year, I painted a pretty clear picture of why college football needs an eight-team playoff. I stand by that argument – eight is the way…no more, no less. So, I’ve started a new weekly column looking at what the College Football Playoff would look like under my format. I think it’s a reasonable way to determine a National Champion without leaving deserving candidates out, but making sure everyone has an equal chance to get in. With that said, let’s dive right in…
BIG NATURAL’S COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF PROJECTIONS
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (SEC Champion) – And then, the Tide said to Vanderbilt, “fuck you for even existing.” Wow – talk about a beat down. Remember when we were concerned because ‘Bama hadn’t really played anyone since the Florida State game? The offense just “hadn’t clicked yet,” and the run game was “concerning.” Well, I think they pretty well nixed that talk after beating one of the best defenses in the nation, 59-0. As long as they keep winning, it looks like the top spot will be their’s to lose. Up next, it’s a late kickoff against Ole Miss.
2. Clemson Tigers (ACC Champion) – The ACC is going to be really good this year. The Tigers have already handled Louisville, but it looks like Virginia Tech, Duke, NC State, Miami, and maybe even Florida State could come for the crown. It’s a deep conference…maybe the best in college football, so if Clemson keeps winning, they’re in. They’ve got a big test this week as they travel to Virginia Tech.
3. Penn State Nittany Lions (Big Ten Champion) – I love James Franklin, and that Nittany Lions team is ride or die for the dude. Saquon Barkley is getting into the Heisman mix, and this team continues to roll. That was a huge ‘never say die’ type of win in Iowa on Saturday, and it has the stock up for the Nittany Lions. Penn State hosts Indiana this week in a game that should see them hit 5-0.
4. Oklahoma Sooners (Big 12 Champion) – The Sooners struggled with an abhorrent Baylor team and it took an 11th hour explosion for them to survive with the win. That alone takes them down a spot, but they should be fine as long as they win the Big 12. It looks like TCU could be a legitimate threat to ’em. Oklahoma has a bye this week, as the Big 12 only has three games on the schedule. Weird.
5. USC Trojans (Pac-12 Champion) – Cal is good. Still, we’ve yet to see the Trojans really lay into a quality opponent. As good as the Pac-12 is, I worry they may not survive the conference schedule. If Washington is legit, they could repeat in the Pac-12. Luke Falk and Washington State look like real contenders, too. This is going to be an interesting race, but for now, as current Pac-12 #1, USC gets in. The Trojans have a big test on Friday night as they travel to Pullman to take on Wazzou.
6. Georgia Bulldogs (Wild Card #1) – This is a tough one to project, but Georgia has clearly been the 2nd best team in the SEC so far this season. I would not be surprised if the Bulldogs run the table and then lose the SEC Championship game. Would a fresh loss keep ’em out of a playoff in this scenario? Probably. But, there’s no real 8-team playoff, so no controversy to discuss. At eight teams, though, a one-loss Georgia would earn a wild card if that one loss came against Alabama, and the rest of the field stands as it does now. They should coast by an underperforming Tennessee squad this weekend.
7. Michigan Wolverines (Wild Card #2) – I know Poppa Bear is going to grill me for this, but I’m STILL not selling the Wolverines. In fact, I’m buying in. This is a good team with a good coach that has beat two quality teams in Florida and Purdue. Will they survive the Big Ten schedule? I doubt it. But, for now, they’ve earned a wild card. The Wolverines are off this weekend.
8. South Florida Bulls (Group of Five Representative) – I said I’d probably end up flip-flopping between the Bulls and San Diego State as long they were both winning. Right now, it looks like a two team race for this spot, but Memphis may have something to say about that. And, how about those undefeated Roadrunners of UTSA?! But, this week, USF looked a lot better than San Diego State.
So, that gives us…
(1) Alabama vs. (8) South Florida
(2) Clemson vs. (7) Michigan
(3) Penn State vs. (6) Georgia
(4) Oklahoma vs. (5) USC
Right now, Georgia and Michigan have better wins than Washington. Plain and simple. TCU and Wisconsin are still in the mix, but those two wild cards are going to get very interesting as the season goes on.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. A strong advocate of GSD (get shit done) and #BeBetter, he’s down to talk Tennessee Titans and Alabama Crimson Tide football over a beer any day. Check him out covering the WWE for WrestlingNews.co. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley, @WrestlingNewsCo
Buy our shirt. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @SoBrosNetwork. Listen on SoundCloud. Watch on YouTube. Shop our store on Redbubble.
