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. Clemson Tigers (ACC Champion) – Yeah, folks. I’m ready to make this move. The Clemson Tigers are the best team in the country. Wins over Auburn, Louisville, and recently Virginia Tech give them the best resume in all of college football. A road trip to NC State later in the season is their toughest remaining game, so I ain’t too concerned. This week, they’ve got Wake Forest. This team may as well be a lock for the CFP….which of course inevitably means they’ll lose this weekend.
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (SEC Champion) – Alabama is rolling. It’s sick – Nick Saban really does just have an assembly line down there in Tuscaloosa. But, who have they really beaten yet? It’s fair to ask. Plus, this looks like a down year for the SEC. Outside of Georgia and Auburn, this league is far from what it used to be. I’m willing to concede that Clemson has the better body of work so far this season.
3. Penn State Nittany Lions (Big Ten Champion) – I’m still loving what James Franklin is doing and Saquon Barkley is my pick for the Heisman Trophy so far. I don’t care that they’ve beaten a bunch of cupcakes. We’ll found out soon enough if they’re for real. They travel to Northwestern this week before facing Michigan and Ohio State back to back. Yep, they’re entering the toughest part of their schedule.
4. Oklahoma Sooners (Big 12 Champion) – The Sooners are leading the Big 12 so far, but I’m still not convinced this team survives the gauntlet. They still have Texas, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, TCU, and West Virginia on the schedule. I find it hard to believe they make it through that stretch unscathed.
5. Washington State Cougars (Pac-12 Champion) – All eyes are on the Huskies in the Pac 12 since USC lost, but I absolutely love what Mike Leach is doing up in Pullman. To me and my two eyes, the Cougars look like the best team out West. Luke Falk is underrated, a guy I think should be generating more Heisman buzz.
6. Georgia Bulldogs (Wild Card #1) – A week later, and I maintain that the Bulldogs could hang with anybody in the country. I don’t think there’s even a slight chance they lose the SEC East, and when (not if) they make it to Atlanta, they have a fair shot at unseating Alabama. All in on Georgia.
7. TCU Horned Frogs (Wild Card #2) – TCU beat the dark horse Big 12 contenders, Oklahoma State, handily, but that SMU is starting to look a lot better. More importantly, they just look good. This is a team that will have a chance to prove itself against the Big 12’s elite. So far, they look like one of the best eight teams in the nation.
8. South Florida Bulls (Group of Five Representative) – This is a down year for the Group of Five. Plain and simple, this is a three-horse race between the Bulls, San Diego State, and UCF. Or, if these teams all end up with a loss, how about an undefeated UTSA as an alternative??? It’s a long shot, but who knows? For now, I’m standing pat with South Florida getting this spot. That offense is simply electric.
So, that gives us…
(1) Clemson vs. (8) South Florida
(2) Alabama vs. (7) TCU
(3) Penn State vs. (6) Georgia
(4) Oklahoma vs. (5) Washington State
The glaring absences from this week’s list are Washington and Michigan, but for me, it’s about body of work, and neither team has quite put together a body of work that’s clearly better than Georgia, Washington State, or TCU. Sometimes, it seems as though the AP ranks teams at a certain spot just because they were there the week before. That ain’t gonna happen here on SoBros Network.
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
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