My final rankings before I go on my mission to Manila, so hopefully I’m right:
- Oregon Ducks 0-0: vs Boise State
- Texas Longhorns 0-0: vs Texas State
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish 0-0: vs Wisconsin
- Ohio State Buckeyes 0-0: vs Ball State
- Indiana Hoosiers 0-0: vs North Texas
- Ole Miss Rebels 0-0: vs 22 Louisville
- Miami Hurricanes 0-0: at Stanford
- USC Trojans 0-0: vs San Jose State, vs Fresno State
- Georgia Bulldogs 0-0: vs Tennessee State
- Michigan Wolverines 0-0: vs Western Michigan
- Alabama Crimson Tide 0-0: vs East Carolina
- LSU Tigers 0-0: vs Clemson
- Oklahoma Sooners 0-0: vs UTEP
- Texas A&M Aggies 0-0: vs Missouri State
- Texas Tech Red Raiders 0-0: vs Abilene Christian
- BYU Cougars 0-0: vs Utah Tech
- Missouri Tigers 0-0: vs Arkansas Pine-Bluff
- Houston Cougars 0-0: vs Oregon State
- Washington Huskies 0-0: vs Washington State
- SMU Mustangs 0-0: at Florida State
- Utah Utes 0-0: vs Idaho
- Louisville Cardinals 0-0: vs 6 Ole Miss
- Penn State Nittany Lions 0-0: vs Marshall
- Tennessee Volunteers 0-0: vs Furman
- Oklahoma State Cowboys 0-0: at Tulsa
Just Missed
- Virginia Cavaliers
- Florida Gators
- Iowa Hawkeyes
- Arizona State Sun Devils
- Auburn Tigers
Conference Comparison
SEC: 9 (2, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 24)
Big Ten: 7 (1, 4, 5, 8, 10, 19, 23)
Big 12: 5 (15, 16, 18, 21, 25)
ACC: 3 (7, 20, 22)
Independent: 1 (3)
Playoff Preview
ACC
- Miami
Miami is the only team that I can see making the playoffs. They would need Mensah to get injure mid game in the ACC championship to blow this and open the door for SMU or Louisville. Miami is my number 1 sure thing to make the playoffs
Big 12
- Texas Tech
I have Texas Tech narrowly beating BYU in the Big 12 championship. I actually think there is a chance BYU could make it at large though. They play Notre Dame at home. If they can win that, they could make it with out the automatic bid.
Houston is one of my favorite dark horse contenders. They are almost as good as Texas Tech and BYU, and they could surprise some people. If I was a betting man, I’d say they are a really good value pick.
Utah has a chance of winning the conference as well, but that would require zero dropoff from last year, which is doubtful since they lost Whittingham.
Big Ten
- Oregon
- Ohio State
- Indiana
- USC
The top 4 teams from the Big Ten will make it to the playoffs. Oregonm, Ohio State, and Indiana are pretty much locks. USC is really my only bold prediction here, but I think people are really sleeping on them. Their offense could be elite, and the defense should be really good. Without Notre Dame on the schedule, they should be able to go 10-2.
Michigan is my 10th ranked team, but there schedule is probably too tough for them to get to 10-2.
SEC
- Texas
- Ole Miss
- Georgia
- Alabama
All of the double digit win SEC teams should make it. Georgia and Alabama really benefit from easy schedules, but they should still have enough signature wins to get some respect form the committee. The regular season matchup between those two teams will be crucial in case there is bid stealer and there is an arguement where they are fighting with USC or BYU or Michigan or someone like that for just 2 spots.
LSU, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M are all contenders too. They all have high ceilings, but too many question marks to make me confident in picking them.
Other
- Notre Dame
- Boise State
Notre Dame is championship contender and there are only two teams that could possibly beat them on their schedule. They just need one win out of those two (Miami and BYU), and they will most definitely make the playoffs.
Boise State seems to be the best G6 team, but I wouldn’t be surprised if UNLV, Memphis, Fresno State, and San Diego State were in the mix too.
Bracket
1st Round
5 Ohio State vs 12 Boise State
Ohio State should win a game like this easily. Ridiculous that we’re still inviting G6 teams to the party.
6 Ole Miss vs 11 Alabama
This could be a really good game. Two teams that from the same conference that didn’t play each other in the regular season. Alabama’s defense should give Ole Miss some trouble, but ultimately I think the Rebels would win this at the line of scrimmage, so I have to pick them to advance.
7 Texas Tech vs 10 USC
These are two teams that have never won a playoff game, but have tremendous talent. I’d take USC here. The main difference is at QB. Will Hamond versus Jayden Maiava. I’m obviously taking Maiava here.
8 Indiana vs 9 Georgia
A matchup between the two best coaches in college football. I know I have Indiana ranked ahead of Georgia as a championship contender, but something is telling me that Georgia would win this matchup. Georgia’s defense vs the turnover prone Josh Hoover sounds like it could spell disaster for Indiana. I think Kirby would get the win here.
Quarterfinals
1 Oregon vs 9 Georgia
I don’t expect Georgia to pull off two straight upsets here. Oregon has the most talented team in the country, and I trust that offense with Dante Moore and co a lot more than Gunner Stockton, who has no recievers.
2 Texas vs 10 USC
Two big names in what should be an epic matchup. A quarterfinals appearance would be a tremendous success for the Trojans, and that’s where I think their run will end. Texas is loaded everywhere, and they should be able to beat up USC in the trenches.
3 Notre Dame vs 6 Ole Miss
This would be by far the best offense Notre Dame will have faced all season, but their defense severely outmatches Ole Miss’. Notre Dame should win this with one of the best rosters in the country.
4 Miami vs 5 Ohio State
A rematch from last year’s quarterfinals, and I believe will have a different result. Miami isn’t quite built in the trenches like they were last year, and I expect Julian Sayin to perform better in the spotlight than he did last time they faced.
Semifinals
1 Oregon vs 5 Ohio State
This will be the third team these two will face this season, and I expect Oregon to get the dub. Oregon’s team has the playoff experience, NFL talent, and dynamic playmaking ability that should outmatch Ohio State. OSU’s offense will put up some points, but I don’t think their defense will have what it takes to get some crucial stops.
2 Texas vs 3 Notre Dame
These are two of the most loaded teams in the country, but I have to lean Texas here. Their offensive weapons will outplay Notre Dame’s. That’s the main difference. The skills. That isn’t to say Notre Dame has bad skills, they have some of the best in football, but Texas is just on another level.
Nation Championship
1 Oregon vs 2 Texas
This is a tough one. Both teams have been on the cusp of a championship for a while now, but neither have actually made it to the big game in a long time. The difference is the trenches. Oregon always has a great o-line, and that spot on the field is really in question for Texas. Texas will put up a good fight, but the Ducks will finally get it done.
JacobErwin.com 