College football has been going through changes. I previously talked about the significance of the realignment of college teams and briefly about the playoffs.
It is week 15 and the playoffs are right around the corner. The College Football Committee has been releasing “mock” versions of what the playoffs would look like based on each week’s standings.
They released the Week 15 top 25 schools along with a 12-team bracket projection.
The top 25 teams are:
- Oregon (12-0)
- Texas (11-1)
- Penn State (11-1)
- Notre Dame (11-1)
- Georgia (10-2)
- Ohio State (10-2)
- Tennessee (10-2)
- SMU (11-1)
- Indiana (11-1)
- Boise State (11-1)
- Alabama (9-3)
- Miami (FL) (10-2)
- Ole Miss (9-3)
- South Carolina (9-3)
- Arizona State (10-2)
- Iowa State (10-2)
- Clemson (9-3)
- BYU (10-2)
- Missouri (9-3)
- UNLV (10-2)
- Illinois (9-3)
- Syracuse (9-3)
- Colorado (9-3)
- Army (10-1)
- Memphis (10-2)
Here is their projected bracket:
12. Arizona State vs 5. Penn State, the winner will play 4. Boise State.
9. Tennessee vs 8. Ohio State, the winner will play 1. Oregon.
11. Alabama vs 6. Notre Dame, the winner will play 3. SMU.
10. Indiana vs 7. Georgia, the winner will play 2. Texas.
The Committee has also provided a brief statement explaining how the system works.
“The CFP Selection Committee will continue to rank the top 25 teams. The four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded 1-4 and will receive a first-round bye. The remaining teams, including the fifth conference champion, will be seeded 5-12 based on their final ranking. Non-conference champions and independents, like Notre Dame, ranked in the top four will be seeded beginning at No. 5. Because of this, the seeding, 1 through 12, could look different than the final rankings. The 12 participating teams will be the five highest-ranked conference champions, plus the next seven highest-ranked teams.”
This is why you may have noticed that Arizona State is ranked No. 15 but is projected to be No. 12 in the playoffs. They are the highest-ranked team in the Big 12 conference and are most likely going to be their conference champions. However, if Iowa State beats them this weekend, they would replace Arizona State in their 12 seed selection. This selection style makes fans of Miami (FL) mad because they are ranked in the top 12, but they are not going to win their conference.
Notre Dame is ranked No. 4, but because they are a non-conference team, they are seeded No. 6. SMU is ranked No. 8, but because they are the highest-ranking ACC team, they are seeded No. 3 in the bracket. The same goes for Boise State, they are ranked No. 10, but because they are projected to be the next highest champion of a different conference, they are seeded at No. 4 in the bracket.
These projections are set in stone for the most part. Since the regular season is over, there are no more opportunities to advance in rankings for those not participating in championships games this weekend.
Next week is the annual Army vs Navy game and after that, the schedule for the Bowl games will be released and will not affect playoff ranking.
SEC fans are not happy that Alabama is projected to be in the playoffs after having lost three games this season. Some would rather Ole Miss and others have South Carolina take their place, but it is up to the committee to decide. Even though the other two options have the same record as Alabama, Ole Miss and South Carolina have lost to different teams. There is an endless circle of debates going around arguing who “deserves” that spot, but deep down I have a feeling they will choose Alabama because what would a playoff be without the Tide?
There are always going to be wrinkles that need to be ironed out. Every fan base can name a team that is projected to be in the playoffs that they believe could sit out and insert a different team in its place. And for these teams, their fate is in the hands of the committee.
I am a fan of the new style they are adopting, while I would be upset if my team fell through the cracks of the coincidences, this new system shows that every game matters during the season and only the best are fit to play. I am excited to see what the next month has to offer. Will the top teams keep steamrolling their way to the championship or can an underdog fight their way to the top?
That’s the beauty of “win or go home.”
No matter what seed you are, play with everything you have, because it could be your last chance. When the final whistle blows are you going to be the team to raise the trophy or not?