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. Alabama Crimson Tide (SEC Champion) – There was a chance that Penn State would have overtaken this spot had they beaten Ohio State, because I still want to see Alabama beat a quality opponent before I fully buy in to the championship aspirations. The wins over Florida State and Texas A&M were nice, but who have they really played? Still, by virtue of an undefeated record, the Tide sits atop my list.
2. Wisconsin Badgers (Big Ten Champion) – Unlike the AP, I won’t allow an 8-0 team to slip behind Ohio State just because they got a big sexy win against #2 Penn State. If the Badgers can win the big game, they have the easiest route to the Big Ten title.
3. Oklahoma Sooners (Big 12 Champion) – Oklahoma is back in the mix now that TCU has gone down. They look like the best team in the Big 12, and with the Pac-12 stinking, they may just luck themselves into one of the four playoff spots.
4. Miami Hurricanes (ACC Champion) – It ain’t pretty, but the ‘Canes keep winning. They may not be the best team in the ACC, but they’re the only ones who remain undefeated, so they continue to get the nod. Realistically, there are now just three teams who could get this slot since NC State went down.
5. Washington Huskies (Pac-12) – I think the Pac-12 is out of the actual playoffs. Thanks to Arizona, they get the nod over Washington State, and I’ll finally have to admit that I was wrong about the Cougars. The Huskies are here simply by default.
6. Georgia Bulldogs (Wild Card #1) – The Bulldogs continue to dominate one of the worst divisions in major college football: the SEC East. They’ve jumped to #2 in the AP Poll, but that matter will sort itself out in the SEC Championship game.
7. Ohio State Buckeyes (Wild Card #2) – It’s wide open, folks. Such a chaotic season this 2017 campaign has been. The Buckeyes are suddenly sitting in the top four of the AP Poll after a thrilling win over Penn State and some dominos falling around them.
8. UCF Golden Knights (Group of Five Representative) – Down goes South Florida! Wow – we all know it’s hard to live up to undefeated preseason expectations, but the Bulls have looked dominant all season. By default, this spot goes to the only undefeated Group of Five team remaining: 7-0 UCF.
So, that gives us…
(1) Alabama vs. (8) UCF
(2) Wisconsin vs. (7) Ohio State
(3) Oklahoma vs. (6) Georgia
(4) Miami vs. (5) Washington
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
Buy our shirt. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @SoBrosNetwork. Listen on SoundCloud. Watch on YouTube. Shop our store on Redbubble.
