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) – A week later, and I’m standing firm. The ACC is a better football conference than the SEC this season. Plus, that Auburn win is looking better and better each week. The toughest game remaining for the Tigers is a trip to NC State on November 4th. Otherwise, it should be smooth sailing.
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (SEC Champion) – Texas A&M could be the greatest opponent the Tide has faced this season. That’s saying more about the level of competition than it is the Aggies. It doesn’t look like the Tide is going to have any real competition until the Iron Bowl. If both teams are undefeated come season’s end, Clemson has the better body of work.
3. Penn State Nittany Lions (Big Ten Champion) – On the road against a tough Northwestern team, and James Franklin’s squad just rolled. They look like the best team in the Big Ten, but it all might come down to October 28th in Columbus.
4. Washington State Cougars (Pac-12 Champion) – Yes, I know Washington has looked like a machine, but they don’t have the wins the Cougars have. Mike Leach’s team has beaten Boise State, Oregon, and USC….and they have a Heisman contending quarterback in Luke Falk. They look like the best team in the Pac-12 so far, and we’ve established that I’m not going to rank a team just because of where they were before.
5. TCU Horned Frogs (Big 12 Champion) – In the real world, it looks like the Big 12 is out of the playoffs this season. But, really – who from this conference is going to get back into the hunt? Are any of you really buying in on TCU? Can Oklahoma salvage its season after that awful loss to Iowa State? Gary Patterson’s squad looks like the best team in the league so far, but I don’t know that they get in even as champion.
6. Georgia Bulldogs (Wild Card #1) – Tell me if this is crazy talk, but I think the Bulldogs could actually be one of the top three teams in the country. The SEC is down to Alabama, Georgia, and Auburn, but the Bulldogs could very well win it all in Atlanta. At this point, the rest of the SEC East may as well start planning for 2018. Meanwhile, the Tide should be very concerned about a potential SEC Championship matchup.
7. Washington Huskies (Wild Card #2) – Again, I don’t have a lot of faith in the Huskies until I see them beat a legitimate opponent. It seems like the Pac-12 could come down to that rivalry week showdown with Washington State. If they can win the Pac-12, they’re in. But, they are far from having the best resume in college football.
8. San Diego State Aztecs (Group of Five Representative) – We’re down to only four realistic possibilities for this slot, unless all hell breaks loose and a one-loss Troy or Toledo team ends up in the hunt. I keep flip flopping between the Aztecs and South Florida, but I value that win over Stanford a lot more than I value the Bulls putting up tons of points against cupcakes. Right now, it’s looking like the Aztecs have the best chance to run the table. South Florida, UCF, and Navy will all cannibalize each other in the gauntlet that is the American Conference.
So that gives us…
(1) Clemson vs. (8) San Diego State
(2) Alabama vs. (7) Washington
(3) Penn State vs. (6) Georgia
(4) Washington State vs. (5) TCU
The contenders are starting to sort themselves out. Running down the list, Wisconsin and Auburn were the only teams I considered for that second wild card spot alongside Washington. Watch out for a sneakily undefeated Miami team, though.
Catch y’all next week.
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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