I swore I wouldn’t do this column anymore. No one read it last year – seriously, I would get maybe 20 hits on a good week. After that, I said, “there’s no point in doing these anymore,” and I canceled the column. Well…I couldn’t keep it at bay any longer…I’ve decided to resurrect the beast. Luck be a lady tonight and that’s showbiz, baby. LFG.
Two years ago, I painted a pretty clear picture of why college football needs an eight-team playoff. I stand by that argument – eight is the way…no more, no less. So, I’ve started a new weekly column looking at what the College Football Playoff would look like under my format. I think it’s a reasonable way to determine a National Champion without leaving deserving candidates out, but making sure everyone has an equal chance to get in. With that said, let’s dive right in to my weekly College Football Playoff projections…
So, this is it – this is what the playoff teams would look like for 2018 under my format…
BIG NATURAL’S COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF PROJECTIONS
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (SEC Champion) – In dramatic fashion, the Tide finished the regular season at 13-0, but it took a miraculous comeback effort from Jalen Hurts to do it. No doubt that this team deserves to be #1.
2. Clemson Tigers (ACC Champion) – Man, the Tigers have really turned it up in the last couple of weeks. I still think they’re a bit overrated given how weak the ACC has been, but they did everything they could to get here. They deserve it.
3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Wild Card #1) – You know, I’m going to stick to it – people are sleeping on this Irish team. I know that Vegas would have favored each of Oklahoma, Ohio State, and Georgia on a neutral field. But, there’s just something about the way this team plays complete football. I’ve said it all season – the Tigers are a bit of mirage. So, why bail on it now? I’m calling my shot – Notre Dame will be playing on January 7th, 2019.
4. Oklahoma Sooners (Big 12 Champion) – The Sooners defeated Texas and, in doing so, can now say that they have beaten everyone on their schedule. Kyler Murray has a real shot at taking home the Heisman Trophy, but he’s also the prototypical Saban kryptonite. People may call me crazy, but these Sooners have a shot at Alabama.
5. Ohio State Buckeyes (Big Ten Champion) – It’s not the outcome that Buckeyes fans wanted, but the inconsistency and the lopsided loss to Purdue ended up being too much for the committee to overlook. They didn’t deserve to leapfrog Oklahoma, but they get a date with Washington in Pasadena as a not-so-shabby consolation prize.
6. Washington Huskies (Pac-12 Champion) – Someone had to win the Pac-12, right? At the end of the season, the Huskies were the last team standing. It sure wasn’t pretty, though, and realistically, this conference had no shot at the CFP anyway. Nonetheless, kudos to Chris Peterson and company for salvaging a disappointing season with a conference title and a trip to the Rose Bowl.
7. Georgia Bulldogs (Wild Card #2) – Regardless of the loss in the SEC Championship, the Bulldogs are still the best looking team that didn’t win a conference or go undefeated. In fact, I’d pick them to beat every team ranked ahead of them except for Alabama, and given another shot at the Tide, who knows? So, it’s an easy choice for the second wild card spot.
8. UCF Golden Knights (Group of Five Representative) – Credit where credit’s due – UCF ran the table for the second consecutive season. They’re a big fish in the little pond of Group of Five contenders this season. So, they get this slot in the final rankings.
So, that gives us…
(8) UCF at (1) Alabama
(5) Ohio State at (4) Oklahoma
(7) Georgia at (2) Clemson
(6) Washington at (3) Clemson
Real Talk
Lets put politics aside and just take the four best teams in college football. Who would those four teams be? I’d say:
1. Alabama
2. Georgia
3. Notre Dame
4. Clemson
Final Thoughts on the season
For the first time in the history of the CFP, I actually completely agree with the committee. I think they nailed it. The top three are crystal clear – easy choice…but, I was worried that they might put Ohio State in over Oklahoma because of their dominance against Michigan and Northwestern. But, the Sooners were the clear choice…they had an opportunity to avenge their only loss and they did. They won a major conference title, have a historic offense. To me, it was a no-brainer.
If the committee had it this easy every year, I’d have no objection to a four-team playoff. That said, I still think an eight-team field is the only way everyone who deserves a shot at a National Championship gets one on a consistent, year to year basis. They keep saying that they want “the four best teams,” but it’s not about who’s the best to me. It’s about who deserves to be there.
You can be one of the best teams in the nation without deserving a shot at a National Championship. Georgia is the perfect example of that. The Bulldogs would beat three of the four teams ahead of them decisively, and there’s a good chance they could take down Alabama if they get to play again, too. But, they lost in the SEC Championship, and they were trounced by LSU. Therefore, they do not deserve to be in the CFP over teams that had no such blunder.
But, it doesn’t work the other way around. You don’t end up being one of the most deserving teams without also being one of the best. Take Oklahoma, for example. They struggled to put away Army, lost to Texas, and don’t play an ounce of defense. But, they did what they had to do to put themselves in a position to deserve a shot.
That’s the dynamic that is broken with the current format. That’s what makes this whole thing so arbitrary. So, how do you solve it? You put something into place that allows for BOTH the best teams and the most deserving. Move to eight teams. I’ll see y’all for this column again next season…..maybe. Maybe.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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