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 to my weekly College Football Playoff projections…
BIG NATURAL’S COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF PROJECTIONS
1. Georgia Bulldogs (SEC Champion) – This Bulldogs team just looks gutsy, and that win over Notre Dame is better than any win Alabama has had this season. It’s a narrow margin, but Georgia has moxie that Alabama doesn’t seem to have just yet. They clinched their berth in the SEC Championship with a win over South Carolina, and in this football writer’s opinion, are the best team in the country based on what we’ve seen so far.
2. Wisconsin Badgers (Big Ten Champion) – No respect for the Badgers, but they’re 9-0, and they’re essentially the last team standing in the Big Ten. They’ve put themselves into position to win the conference if they can get one signature win in the Big Ten Championship. They finish undefeated, I don’t see any way they’re left out of the actual playoffs.
3. Oklahoma Sooners (Big 12 Champion) – By default of the ACC and Pac-12 champions looking weaker than Oklahoma at the moment, the Sooners move up to three. If you ask me, the Heisman is now Baker Mayfield’s to lose. He’s getting hot at just the right moment. Now, Oklahoma just needs to focus on not slipping up and allowing another Iowa State-esque upset.
4. Miami Hurricanes (ACC Champion) – Mark Richt and company made quite the statement in a dominant win against Virginia Tech. If they can get past Notre Dame this weekend, they’re going to have a real shot at the playoffs. The ACC title game could be a doozy between Miami and Clemson. The winner of that game, assuming neither team loses before then, should be in the final four.
5. USC Trojans (Pac-12 Champion) – Can anyone figure out the Pac-12 this season? It seems to change week after week. Two weeks ago, Washington State looked like the favorites. Last week, it was Washington. This week, it’s USC. I think the chances are slim that the Pac-12 champ gets in. But, should the Trojans win out, I’d say they have the best shot at getting in.
6. Alabama Crimson Tide (Wild Card #1) – I watched the LSU game with Poppa Bear on Saturday and both of us agreed that this year’s Tide team just feels like it’s missing something. It just doesn’t quite feel like a championship team. That’s why I’m conceding the SEC to Georgia for the moment. This, of course, will be settled in Atlanta should Alabama survive two more tough games against Mississippi State and Auburn.
7. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Wild Card #2) – Even I can’t ignore the Irish any longer. They’re legit. Week after week, quality win after quality win, Notre Dame has wrestled its way into a top four spot in the actual College Football Playoffs. However, in my model, not being a conference champion hurts Notre Dame and forces them into a wild card position. Might have to revise said model given the context, but for now, I’m content putting ’em in the seventh slot. Keep in mind – under my format, the seeds aren’t necessarily based on rank. Major conference champions get the top five spots, then two wild cards and Group of Five representative make up the final three.
8. UCF Golden Knights (Group of Five Representative) – They really are the last team standing in the ‘Group of Five,’ which means they have the 8th slot in my rankings. But, there’s absolutely no shot at any team from the Go5 getting into the actual playoffs, which begs the question: why shouldn’t these five conferences band together and award their own National Champion? Still, let’s not take away from what UCF has done this season. They’re firing on all cylinders.
So, that gives us…
(1) Georgia vs. (8) UCF
(2) Wisconsin vs. (7) Notre Dame
(3) Oklahoma vs. (6) Alabama
(4) Miami vs. (5) USC
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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