I swore I wouldn’t do this column anymore. No one read it last year – seriously, I would get maybe 20 hits on a good week. After that, I said, “there’s no point in doing these anymore,” and I canceled the column. Well…I couldn’t keep it at bay any longer…I’ve decided to resurrect the beast. Luck be a lady tonight and that’s showbiz, baby. LFG.
Two years ago, 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…
So, this is it – this is what the playoff teams would look like for 2018 under my format…
BIG NATURAL’S COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF PROJECTIONS
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (SEC Champion) – That was the Heisman moment I’ve waited for for so long from Tua Tagovailoa, but it was also a statement by the Tide defense. With all the talk of how historic this offense is, the defense wanted to remind the world of just how capable they are of winning a game. LSU never had a chance.
2. Michigan Wolverines (Big Ten Champion) – Three straight dominant wins over ranked Big Ten opponents have me thinking the Wolverines are only going to get better and better each week. They get Rutgers and Indiana before the big showdown with Ohio State to finish the regular season. I talked to Poppa Bear about this yesterday, and we agreed that this Michigan team is starting to look like a team that could hang with ‘Bama.
3. Clemson Tigers (ACC Champion) – I’m still not sold on the Tigers as a legitimate National Championship contender, just because that schedule hasn’t been good. Depending on what you think of NC State (I happen to think they aren’t that good), their best win is a four point victory over Syracuse. But, you can’t deny the absolute machine that this offense has become with Trevor Lawrence at the helm. Could we be on a collision course for Alabama-Clemson round four?
4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Wild Card #1) – The drop for Notre Dame is more about impressive wins for Clemson and Michigan, but the Irish aren’t looking quite as good as they were when they first made the switch to Ian Book at quarterback either. I still think that if this team wins out, there’s no way they’ll miss the playoffs. And, that’s just what they keep doing: winning.
5. Oklahoma Sooners (Big 12 Champion) – The Sooners have the prototypical kryptonite for Nick Saban in quarterback Kyler Murray. I think this offense is one of the very select few in the entire country that could potentially hang with Alabama. But, sitting where they’re sitting, they’re going to need someone to stumble to get in. That’s assuming they can beat West Virginia (likely twice) to win the Big 12.
6. Washington State Cougars (Pac 12 Champion) – I said weeks ago that the Pac-12 was cooked when it comes to the CFP, but it looks like there might some small sliver of hope for Washington State if they can manage to run the table. It’ll take some real chaos for them to climb up there. And, squeaking out a win over Cal isn’t good for the resume, even if I do think Cal is better than their record would indicate. But, seeing where the state of this conference was a few weeks ago, the fact that they’re right there at #8 is astonishing.
7. Georgia Bulldogs (Wild Card #2) – Well, well, well – we’re going to get the rematch after all. With Alabama clinching the SEC West and Georgia clinching the SEC East, it’s going to be Bulldogs vs. the Tide in Atlanta for the SEC Championship. I don’t think Kentucky was truly the 9th best team in the country, but it’s a quality win nonetheless. If they can win the SEC, there’s no doubt they’ll be in the CFP. So, maybe it’s time we start taking them a little more seriously in the national conversation.
8. UCF Golden Knights (Group of Five Representative) – They’re still undefeated. So, we’re still going to talk about ’em. Yeesh.
So, that gives us…
(8) UCF at (1) Alabama
(5) Oklahoma at (4) Notre Dame
(7) Georgia at (2) Michigan
(6) Washington State at (3) Clemson
Real Talk
Lets put politics aside and just take the four best teams in college football. Who would those four teams be? I’d say:
1. Alabama
2. Michigan
3. Notre Dame
4. Georgia
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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