We have entered a new era in the College Football hierarchy. No Texas. No Penn State. No Clemson. No LSU. And we have Leprechauns complaining about unfair SEC bias when they were the ones who forced the NCAA to create this system. (Their 2006 and 2012 conspiracies are all you need to know) That is the stage being set for the CFP. But nonetheless this is one of the most dramatic times of the year. One where you know the tension will be high. One where almost every team has a legit shot or so we think. 12 teams entering the ring, let’s get it on!
Indiana Hoosiers: When Curt Cignetti famously claimed that IU was going to run roughshod over the Big Ten in no time during his introduction speech we all thought he was a fool. Little did we know that not only was he right but he took full advantage of College Football’s version of the free agency era. In just two years, what was once a doormat of the Big Ten has now become the darling of darlings. Not only imposing their will against their competition but outright dominating them. Fernando Mendoza, like many on this team, was given a chance to thrive under Cignetti’s watch, and he in particular took advantage. Think of winning the Heisman Trophy. Not to mention he’s got a chorus of weapons to work with. No true headliner on offense but depth and consistency. (Although Omar Cooper and Roman Hemby are studs) The defense is no different. Their front seven in particular is one that shall be feared. 7 players have at least 5 sacks and Louis Moore led the Big Ten in interceptions (Hear that Caleb Downs!). Rolijah Hardy and Aidan Fisher yeah good luck blocking them. The main question I have right now is how will they handle being the hunted given that they are the only unbeaten team left in the playoffs. Not to mention a certain foe of theirs wants revenge for one upping them in the Big Ten Title Game. And learning from past experiences this is nothing new. (I would be one of the few people that wouldn’t be pleased if Indiana make it to the Natty just because like the 2021 Bengals they took what could have been mine)
Ohio State Buckeyes: The Buckeyes return to defend their title. Yes they may have beaten themselves against those pesky Hoosiers, but hey we said this last year after they lost to Michigan and they won 4 straight in convincing fashion. Speaking of the Wolves, they finally beat them for the first time under Ryan Day. As for the current roster they once again are stacked with talent even though many pundits said that this could have been a rebuilding year. Not with Julian Sayin and Bo Jackson Jr III emerging into stars. And this is on top of having the best WR duo in the country in Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. But what about their defense? “THEY LOST JIM KNOWLES TO PENN STATE IN THE OFFSEASON!” Who cares, Matt Patricia is proving that he doesn’t need Bill Belichick in order to achieve great things. Although I think it has more to do with the Nuts being the best team money can buy, AGAIN! Caden Curry you’re the next game changing edge rusher that’ll take the campus by storm. (Arvell Reese same deal) Plus you have the Styles Brothers and Caleb Downs who oh by the way are tackling machines who can play deep. Once again, the only thing that can stop Ohio State is themselves. As mentioned when they are firing on cylinders nobody stands a chance not even Georgia or Indiana. But does the fat cat get to them because of how much they enjoyed that title from a year ago? Maybe.
Georgia Bulldogs: There is only one thing worse than a Georgia fan. A drunk and obnoxious Georgia fan. With the way they’ve been talking all year, you’d think that they were counted out by the pundits despite being THE favorite to win the SEC since Day 1. Yes they had that OT loss to Alabama but that was a fluke after what happened in the ATL on Conference Championship Weekend. Now we’re going to see whether Gunner Stockton can do what Stetson Bennett did before him. Overcome narratives surrounding his abilities and rise to the moment. Trevor Etienne who needs him, Nate Frazier has taken that baton and run with it. No true headliner at WR, nonsense they have balance everywhere on offense and have a wall of an O-Line. While their usually vaunted defense has flown under the radar it did step up to the occasion against the Tide in their rematch. (What they lack in sack total, they make up for it with excellent coverage downfield) As we all know Kirby Smart is a tough as nails coach and is willing to do anything he can to win. Not to mention he gets a favorable draw after the Bye because one team doesn’t have its head coach and the other is from a Group of 5 conference. It’s going to be them and Ohio State in the semis isn’t it? (WHAT’S THAT COMING DOWN THE TRACK!? I guess we’ll find out)
Texas Tech Red Raiders: Another year another surprise champion out of the Big 12 conference. Going into the season Joey McGuire was facing a make or break season. Well guess what, he not only broke through he earned a nice 7 year extension in the process. Other than an uncharacteristic loss to Arizona State, the Red Raiders have manhandled their entire schedule and are seeming to gel at the right time. When you have a balanced attack on offense with playmakers across the board, plus a rising star in Behren Morton behind center. It comes to show you what a difference full team buy-in can do. The defense had its concerns early in the year but with the way that David Bailey and Jacob Rodriguez have been playing as of late especially in both games against BYU who needs to be worried. Like most teams from the Big 12 conference going into the playoffs there are many questions about their legitimacy. Will they end up like ASU did against Texas last year, or will they defy the odds and shock us all? Who knows but this will be an entertaining story that’ll unfold.
Oregon Ducks: Remember these guys? A team that looked like locks to make it to the National Championship Game last year only to get embarrassed by a ticked off Brutus? One who lost a ton of talent in the offseason? Well it seems like that this time around the Duckies are viewed as the sleeper. They’ve been lurking in the shadows all season long and now get their chance to make themselves known as a feared contender. Dante Moore, like Dillon Gabriel last year, has led a high flying offense that enjoys hunting down its opponents. How has he done so? Well it’s because like a certain guy at IU, Dan Lanning has mastered the NIL department and used it to his advantage. Malik Benson nor Kenyon Sadiq may not be as good as Tez Johnson and Evan Stewart but they certainly have played a key role in Oregon’s success offensively (So has that O-Line which gave up the fewest sacks in Big Ten). However if there is a major flaw on this squad, it’s their defense. (Isn’t that Lanning’s strength? Even the best defensive minds have their problems) Despite leading the nation in fewest passing yards allowed, there are too many times that they’ve gotten way too comfortable this year late in games but fortunately it hasn’t bitten them yet (It almost did if not for Drew Allar having a brain fart on the first play of 2OT). They’ve got the tools to go far but will everything fall into place? I guess we’re about to find out (If they lose to the Dukes in the 1st Round, they’re getting memed to death. And it would be a loss that would be hard to recover from)
Ole Miss Rebels: How often do you see a team have such a great season yet have no expectations for the playoffs because of things out of their control. That’s what has occurred for the Rebels. When you lose only one game (Against Georgia which is no knock on them) have a high flying offense led by Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy (Even when Austin Simmons goes down the offense still goes out there and puts up high point totals) and make the College Football Playoff with ease things should be looking up. That’s where you are wrong. Lane Kiffin, learning absolutely nothing from his time at USC, bailed out on Ole Miss for a massive contract at none other than LSU of all places. If you thought Bobby Petrino was a worthless snake who jumped ship when things didn’t go his way, well you ain’t seeing nothing yet. Now all eyes are on Pete Golding to fill not only the void left behind by Kiffin but also to revive a defense that has struggled all season long (When you have the offense that they have, it always goes unnoticed). In order for these boys to shock us all, they need to be in well you know “Might as well be in different leagues not conferences DIFFERENT LEAGUES.” (If they lose to Tulane, Kiffin will look like a genius for leaving when he did)
Texas A&M Aggies: Every year the Aggies give College Station every reason to have insufferable hype and expectations especially with the amount of resources they have. It may have taken them quite some time but they’re finally getting their chance at making a run in the College Football Playoff after several near misses. They may have blown the chance at getting to the SEC Championship Game, but look it’s a clean slate and they are at full strength for the first time all year. Even if Marcel Reed had that brutal game against Texas, he’s still the driving force on this team. With his arm and his legs he can carve up a defense if they aren’t careful (Hence why he was near the top of the Heisman polls for most of the year) He also has the C&C WR Factory in Concepcion and Craver who may lack the national spotlight but not the attention of SEC defenses. Speaking of defense the Aggies unit was a hot mess early in the year, but they have gotten their act together led by Cashius Howell and a blitz heavy scheme. Yes these guys may be ranked 7th in the CFP but I like their chances especially with how much motivation they’re going to have after being left for dead by the media due to one game. They saw what their potential 2nd Round opponent did last year and now A&M wants that for themselves.
Oklahoma Sooners: Who needs Lincoln Riley am I right? (Brett Venable went from the hot seat to saving his job for the next half decade) The Sooners this year unlike most times where they’ve had good teams isn’t a high powered offense even with Isaiah Satenga producing almost 1000 yards receiving plus the rise of John Mateer who finally has health on his side. It’s their defense. The nation’s most dominant pass rush has run roughshod over the SEC. Well when they aren’t playing down to Texas and Ole Miss. It’s not one particular player that’s been the story of OU defense, it’s the entire starting lineup. And those are the units that can do the most damage in the tournament even if they lack a true game wrecker. For Oklahoma to go far it’ll all be on the shoulders of Mateer. If he’s able to rise to the occasion in the big moments, they’ll be alright. If not, well I think this opponent would be salivating at revenge after giving them two back breaking losses in less than a year…
Alabama Crimson Tide: Oh no Alabama is limping into the playoffs thanks to playing with fire and dealing with rumors surrounding Kalen DeBoer. We feel so bad for them. (At least they gave us beauty in laughing at Notre Dame and Texas) From the way I see it the Tide lack that extra gear that they did under Nick Saban in those big games. Don’t get me wrong, they’re still a good team especially with Ty Simpson and Ryan Williams but when you consider that a lot of their highly touted players (I’m looking right at you Jam Miller and Zabien Brown) have had down years and the Dawgs may have laid the blueprint on how to beat Simpson it’ll be hard to trust them even with past reputation still very much alive. Even if their defense is still one of the best in the SEC, part of me believes that Alabama has been coasting on the backs of High End Talent mostly from the players that Saban recruited. Which version of the Tide will we see? The one that stomped Tennessee and LSU or the one that lost to Florida State of all people. (Or when Oklahoma skunked them last year which knocked them out of the CFP) Either way it’s going to be spicy.
Miami Hurricanes: FREAKING FINALLY! The U gets to enjoy postseason football with championship ambitions for the first time since THAT GAME against Ohio State in Tempe almost 25 years ago. Mario Cristobal is no longer on the seat at least for the moment and now gets his chance at glory. Yes they may have shot themselves in the foot against SMU which cost them a spot in the ACC Championship Game but hey at least you beat those Leprechauns and ended the Cinderella Story of South Florida I guess. Carson Beck didn’t get the chance to shine in the CFP last year due to injury in Athens, but luckily this time he gets the chance to prove that he is the real deal. (Hopefully Malachi Toney doesn’t develop the butterfingers that his brother has done so in the NFL) His guidance of one of the top offenses in the country has the 305 salivating. It would be if their defense wasn’t such a mystery box. One minute Rueben Bain looks like the best defender in the upcoming draft, the next they’re getting torched by Miller Moss and Louisville. The Canes are a hard team to crack especially given how hot and cold they’ve been for most of the year, and if they get overwhelmed by the 12th Man of A&M, it won’t sit well with all of those fans leftover from their glory years.
Tulane Green Wave: Really? They made it here? After the horrendous start they had to the season. With their QB of the future being banned due to a term that’s inappropriate yet hilarious to say. (I’d get in trouble for using such a chant) While barely beating on the bottom feeders of the American Athletic Conference. Although this was before the Green Wave got their act together. And since then it’s been nothing but good vibes only. This team is literally Jake Retzlaff. Start off the year completely terrible, do just enough to win against ugly ducklings, yet turn up their game when it gets tight. That’s what Tulane and Retzlaff in particular has done this year. Do you know what also helps, the fact that they played Ole Miss earlier this year. When the Green Wave stunk and when Lane Kiffin was still on the other side. Now that both things have changed dramatically, this could be a prime candidate for possibly the biggest upset in CFP History. If not, well at least you tried.
James Madison Dukes: They said it was going to be a 5 loss Duke team that would make the playoffs as the 12 seed. What a hilarious proposition. Yes they gave their fans a heart attack against Troy in the Sun Belt Championship Game but James Madison pulled away and now gets the chance to shock the world. (Eugene will not be kind to them one bit but hey give it a try) Now their fans get to boast about the Fightin’ Dukes for about two weeks. Just like Boise State last year, these guys rely on a potent ground game to lead the way. Wayne Knight may not be Ashton Jeanty but he certainly has upped his game over the course of the 2nd Half of the season. Same goes for Alonza Barnett who has the ability to be a dual threat option if need be especially in a read option heavy offense. Then there’s that defense who ran roughshod over the Sun Belt Conference by only giving up just over 12 points a game. All three levels playing at a high level by their conference standards, mainly the back end. However this will probably be a quick exit for these boys even with the feel good story this year. I don’t think Duck Dynasty wants another one and done in the playoffs to be on their resume. PAUSE.
Do you want me to put out a CFP prediction? Did you watch how last year’s edition blew up in my face after both teams I picked to go to the National Championship Game went one and done. Not to mention we had an insufferable ending. Alright I’ll give this one a chance.
Prediction: Something tells me that the Different Leagues principle is going to come into full effect this January. The question is from which conference? If I were to take a guess it would probably be from both the SEC and Big Ten. With that being said the National Championship is going to be between the team of this current decade as well as the fastest rising empire since Miami under Howard Schnelenberger. Indiana against Georgia. Knowing my logic with what I just said, it’s probably going to be Ohio State winning it all again isn’t it. DANG IT!!!
Bragging Rights Sports 