College Football Playoffs Breakdown

First year of the 12 team college football playoffs and they are finally set! Everything worked smooth and no debates over any of the teams, 12 teams fixed it all….If only it was that easy. Fans still up in arms about the playoff bracket, just shows no matter how things are broken down there will always be those who complain. Fans complaining about the wrong teams making it in, complaining about the seeding and how some teams have easier path than others and other complaints. Let’s be honest though, this is one of the best things to happen to college football, now we theoretically have 12 teams that will play and earn their way to a national championship which makes the entire sport as a whole more exciting. Especially in a year where there is not one true powerhouse dominant team, head and shoulders above the rest.

Breaking this down completely, we must start by giving our flowers to those who made it. Teams that earned a bye include:

#1 Oregon: Ducks did it with 17 year veteran Dillion Gabriel leading them to an undefeated season and the #1 Seed in the playoffs. Which ironically looks to be almost the hardest path to the National Championship based on teams they could play against. Can the Ducks sustain this success and win the first 12 team playoffs as the only undefeated team in the FBS?

#2 Georgia: UGA fans can breathe a quick sigh of relief as they made it in as the SEC champ, but need to quickly breathe back in as now they look to have to play in the playoffs without their star QB Carson Beck. Beck suffered a UCL injury against Texas and is most likely going to be out, putting Georgia High School star QB Gunner Stockton in to lead the dawgs to a Natty.

#3 Boise State: Ashton Jeanty and the Boise State Broncos finished strong and earned this spot. Many people will argue they do not belong here due to being G5, but this is wrong. Boise did everything it had to do, and their only loss was taking #1 Oregon down to the wire as Jeanty put up video game numbers in that game as well. Can Jeanty continue this impressive season through the playoffs against championship caliber teams?

#4 Arizona State: Definitely the most shocking result. ASU was picked to finish in the bottom of the Big 12 pre season. The sun devils got hot at the perfect time this season and look to be playing their best football ever after completely embarrassing Iowa State in the Big 12 Championship.

For the rest of the teams in the playoffs lets breakdown the teams hosting home games for the first round and who they are playing:

#8 Ohio State hosts #9 Tennessee: Winner of this matchup will move on to play Oregon in the Rose Bowl. Vols will travel to the Horseshoe to face off with the Buckeyes, will the cold affect them? This will be a defensive battle as both defenses are some of the best in the entire country while the offense for both teams seem to be hit and miss on different weeks. Ryan Day has a lot to prove as some say he is fighting to keep his job after blowing it against Michigan yet again. Let’s see if the Buckeyes depleted offensive line can contain the Vols stout defensive line, and on the flip side can Tennessee’s secondary contain the NFL talented receivers on Ohio State?

#5 Texas hosts #12 Clemson: Winner of this matchup will move on to face off with Arizona State in the Peach Bowl. I think this might be a game to watch for an upset. Clemson has new life after Miami lost to Syracuse leading to the Tigers ACC Championship and playoff birth. Clemson has the defense to stop this seemingly now stagnant Texas offense. Quinn Ewers has not looked his best these last few weeks, could we see Arch come in to spark this Longhorns offense and get Texas passed these scrappy Clemson Tigers?

#6 Penn State hosts #11 SMU: Winner of this matchup will move on to face off with Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. SMU will have to endure the winter cold as they go up north into one of the most hostile environments. Do not count out the Mustangs though as they have a high flying, high scoring, fast offense that if the cold doesn’t affect them, they could give Penn State fits making this a great matchup. The key here is can SMU’s offensive line protect the QB from the destructive Penn State Defensive line?

#7 Notre Dame hosts #10 Indiana: Winner of this matchup will move on to play UGA in the Sugar Bowl. I believe this matchup is going to be one of the most exciting and intriguing. Indiana, or WINdiana as they say this year, is coming in with all the doubters and haters saying they do not belong. But flip to the Irish and we have people saying the same thing. I mean how did a team that lost to Northern Illinois at home make the playoffs? Both teams are going to come into this game with tricks up their sleeves and I expect them to exchange haymakers all game long. Last team with the ball wins this game.

Now for the complainers and whiners, let us start with those good ole Alabama fans and look at this honestly and objectively. Bama, roll your tide on over to the basketball courts, because you are now a basketball school. “Oh but we beat UGA” is irrelevant after losing to Vanderbilt, then following that up by completely collapsing when it mattered most at the end of the year, losing by 20+ points to a 6-6 Oklahoma team. Take just one of those losses out and Bama has a valid argument. It was very refreshing to see the CFP Committee not have the blue blood/SEC bias this year somehow justifying Bama being in. SMU deserves to be there after going into a “P4” conference and going 11-2, only to lose the Conf Championship by a walk off FG in their first year in the league. Tide fans, get over it, move onto basketball and accept the fact that losses matter.

This leads me to my next team to feel “snubbed” which is Miami. Canes fans, as the college football world we honestly owe you a big thank you. Letting Haynes King and Kyle Mccord take your lunch money and stuff you in a locker, ruining your shot at the ACC championship and a playoff birth ultimately led to Bama being left out. The CFB Fanbase cannot be more grateful for this generous gift. Giving Clemson the opportunity to play for the automatic birth and jumping everyone in front of them was what kept Bama out. All I have to say about the U is I truly hope for your sake, you find a QB as special as Cam Ward for next season or it will be a brutal year. Not making the playoffs or Conference Championship with his wizardry at QB is honestly impressive. Good luck to the Canes moving forward, and again…Thank you with all our hearts.

Post Season football is finally here and these matchups will be fantastic. Strap in though, because I see some upsets coming based on the way this college football season is going. Take your pick on to who wins it all. Lets play some football.

Odds for each team brought to you by DraftKings Sportsbook:

Oregon- +360 Texas- +360         Georgia- +450          Ohio State- +475            

Penn State- +600   Notre Dame- +800   Tennessee- +2500          Indiana- +4000               

SMU- +4500        Clemson- +5500      Arizona State- +6000     Boise State- +6500