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) – The Tide absolutely dominated a Tennessee Volunteer team that seems in a tailspin. They get a bye this weekend before the toughest stretch of the season: LSU, at Mississippi State, Mercer, and at Auburn to close the year. So far, it’s looking like a two-horse race between them and Penn State.
2. Penn State Nittany Lions (Big Ten Champion) – Right now, James Franklin’s team looks like the only team that could potentially hang with Alabama. Penn State absolutely rolled a Michigan defense that was one of the nation’s best, and if they make it past Ohio State, it should be smooth sailing en route to a playoff spot.
3. TCU Horned Frogs (Big 12 Champion) – We’re approaching a four-game stretch where we’ll find out just how legitimate TCU is. At Iowa State, Texas, at Oklahoma, and at Texas Tech before they finish the season hosting Baylor. By virtue of Clemson losing and the Pac-12 blowing it, they find themselves the best ranked conference champ in this made-up playoff projection.
4. Miami Hurricanes (ACC Champion) – Doesn’t it just feel like the ‘Canes are due to unravel at any moment? Miami is getting the least amount of respect among undefeated teams, but they just keep winning. Mark Richt has a special season brewing. If they can fend off the competitive ACC, they should comfortably earn a spot.
5. Washington State (Pac-12 Champion) – the Pac-12 is in trouble of missing out on the actual playoffs. Just a few weeks ago, we were pronouncing the Big 12 dead, but thanks to awful losses by Washington, Washington State, and USC, the Big 12 is back in the hunt and the Pac 12 is on the outside looking in. I still say this spot comes down to the Apple Cup, and the Cougars come out on top.
6. Georgia Bulldogs (Wild Card #1) – The Bulldogs had their bye this week, but based on the season’s body of work, can still be considered the second best team in the country. We’re heading towards one hell of an SEC Championship game assuming neither Georgia nor Alabama slip up along the way. The question becomes whether or not a one-loss SEC runner-up could still get into the playoffs.
7. Wisconsin Badgers (Wild Card #2) – The Badgers are in a similar spot to Georgia. They’re at the disadvantage of perhaps running the table, but losing a conference championship game to, say, Penn State. With a loss fresh on the mind of the playoff committee, I doubt they’d get in. But, that’s the beautiful thing about this column. We’ve got room for all the teams who deserve a shot.
8. South Florida Bulls (Group of Five Representative) – There just flat out aren’t a lot of good-looking ‘Group of Five’ contenders this year. It’s South Florida, UCF, and then the field. I think there’s a strong chance that UCF sneaks up and steals a New Year’s Six bowl berth, but for now, the Bulls have the better body of work.
So, that gives us….
(1) Alabama vs. (8) South Florida
(2) Penn State vs. (7) Wisconsin
(3) TCU vs. (6) Georgia
(4) Miami vs. (5) Washington State
Not a lot of shakeups this week, as I’m pretty comfortable with where things stand here. But, at this point in the season, it’s looking like all five major conferences are still up for grabs between at least two teams. The team to watch in the coming weeks is Notre Dame. If they can get through this stretch, they may wind up in the final four.
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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