There are so many things that have happened in the world of college football over the last three years that have made it an entirely different sport than what we’ve been watching for the last century. The ability to pay players for their name, image, and likeness (NIL money, yo), combined with the transfer portal creating de facto free agency have created a parity in the sport like we haven’t seen maybe ever.
As a result, schools like SMU, Indiana, and Boise State can, with a straight face, say they are among the best teams in the country. Now, with the 12-team playoff, the final pillar of seismic change in college football, they will get a chance to prove it. This past weekend, this group of dynamic individuals in the video below took on the herculean task of spitting out the bracket for the 12 team playoff:
Side bar note — this video inspired very little confidence that we would get the correct 12 teams chosen. I’m just saying. That said, here is the bracket that they came up with. Keep in mind, the four teams with byes are the four highest ranked conference champions. The field consists of the five highest ranked conference champions and the next seven highest rated teams left over. Here you go:
A few thoughts on this bracket:
The committee did the unthinkable — they took SMU over Alabama!
The five conference champions are Oregon (1-seed), Georgia (2), Boise State (3), Arizona State (4), and Clemson (12). That means the seven at-large teams are Texas (5), Penn State (6), Notre Dame (7), Ohio State (8), Tennessee (9), Indiana (10), and SMU (11). Let the outrage begin as the SEC not only got fewer teams selected than the Big Ten, but the final at-large bid went to SMU, who is brand new to the Power Four this season, in their first season in the ACC after several years in the American. SMU was trailing by multiple touchdowns at halftime of the ACC title game on Saturday night, before losing on a last second field goal. If they’d lost by, say, 21 points to Clemson instead of by three, I’m guessing they miss the bracket. Alabama can cry all they want, but they finished 9-3, including losses to 6-6 Vanderbilt and a blowout loss three weeks ago to 6-6 Oklahoma. Win ONE of those games, and you’re in. Sorry.
The one thing they might rethink next year for the playoff…..
The sweet spot in this bracket, other than getting a bye in the first round, is the 5-seed or 6-seed, as both of those teams, Texas and Penn State, are one home win away from playing the Mountain West (Boise State) and Big XII (Arizona State) champs in the quarterfinals. Boise and ASU have had nice season, but the automatic 3-seed and 4-seed for teams that are empirically fringe top 12 teams, at best, is a little backwards. By way of illustration, Notre Dame is the 7-seed and they will be playing Georgia in the Sugar Bowl in the second round. That’s a drastic step up in degree of difficulty from the 6-seed to the 7-seed. Look, ultimately, you have to beat the best to win the whole thing, but if I had to guess, the committee might make the four byes a reward for THEIR hand picked four best teams, as opposed to a reward for winning a lesser conference than the SEC or Big Ten.
Here is how it all lays out on TV
For those looking to set up their TV viewing schedules for the upcoming weeks, here you go:
And the winner is…..
Notre Dame. Yes, I am saying this one paragraph over pointing out how the 7-seed creates a much more difficult path than the 5-seed or 6-seed for the Irish, and yes, the one blemish on the Notre Dame record this season is a loss at home to Northern Illinois in Week 2. However, since that loss, no team in the country has been more dominant. Notre Dame has a top five offense, a top five defense, and unlike other Irish teams who’ve made it to the postseason in recent seasons, they have the athleticism on defense to hang with SEC schools like Georgia. I don’t get a chance to pick my alma mater (BIAS ALERT!) with a straight face at this stage of the season very often, but I’ll do it here. Notre Dame 35, Oregon 30 in the title game!
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This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
