Predicting the 12 Team College Football Playoff ahead of Conference Championships
This Weekend was one of the best weeks of the year in College Football as Rivalry Weekend delivered all of the bad blood and the great games that we were hoping for. The Conference Championship Games are all set and soon enough, we'll have our first 12 team Playoff Bracket fully set.
The results of this weekend have a massive impact on the College Football Playoff race as Miami now sits on the outside looking in while Ohio State can't win their Conference Championship game after losing to Michigan. After a hectic Rivalry Weekend, here is how we see the 12 Team College Football Playoff bracket shaking out.
Rank | Team | Why They're Here | Previous Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
1. | Oregon Ducks | Big Ten Champions | 1st |
2. | Georgia Bulldogs | SEC Champions | 2nd |
3. | SMU Mustangs | ACC Champions | 3rd |
4. | Boise State Broncos | Mountain West Champions | Unranked |
5. | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | At Large | 5th |
6. | Texas Longhorns | At Large | 7th |
7. | Penn State Nittany Lions | At Large | 8th |
8. | Ohio State Buckeyes | At Large | 6th |
9. | Tennessee Volunteers | At Large | 9th |
10. | Indiana Hoosiers | At Large | 11th |
11. | Alabama Crimson Tide | At Large | Unranked |
12. | Arizona State Sun Devils | Big 12 Champions | 4th |
The Oregon Ducks remain unbeaten and now they won't have to worry about beating Ohio State again as they face Penn State for the Big Ten Championship. Georgia remains our 2nd Seed as they face off against a Texas team they've already beaten. The SMU Mustangs are just one win away from winning the ACC Championship and they get to play Clemson now rather than an explosive Miami team that could've given them fits. Finally, we have Boise State fourth as the Mountain West Title game is now most likely a win and in with Tulane losing to Memphis.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have all but, locked up the highly coveted fifth seed as long as Oregon doesn't get knocked off in the Big Ten Championship which is incredible after they lost to NIU. The Texas Longhorns get the 6th seed and host a home playoff game here as we still don't believe their offense can score enough to beat Georgia. Penn State will most likely get the 7th seed finishing ahead of Ohio State at 8th despite losing to them because they'll play in the Big Ten Title game.
Rounding out the At Large, Tennessee will most likely grab the 9th seed which is remarkable as they were on the outside looking in when the Committee released its rankings two weeks ago but, it speaks to this seasons chaos. Indiana is one of the winners of the week as they now likely have a one team buffer and are firmly in the playoff unless Clemson steals the ACC bid which could then put them on the chopping block.
The biggest debate in the coming weeks will be who gets the final at large bid into the College Football Playoff. Miami will argue that with two losses they're a better choice than the 3 loss teams as their losses aren't bad losses. The three main names debating whether they'll get in or not will be Alabama, Ole Miss, and South Carolina. South Carolina is one of the hottest teams in the Country but, since they lost to both teams in the debate they're out. The committee will have to decide between Alabama and Ole Miss which is a fascinating debate.
Finally, Arizona State grabs the final bid into the College Football Playoff by winning the Big 12 over Iowa State, Kenny Dillingham has his team playing great football and it'll be exciting to see the casual fan introduced to this group.
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