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August is slowly turning into September, fall camp is ending, and school is about to start. This can only mean one thing; Football season is back. Usually I cover all things NFL, especially the Tennessee Titans, who I am very excited for this year, but this season I will dive into the chaotic realm of college football. With NIL, the transfer portal, conference realignment, and the new playoff system, the college football landscape has fully entered uncharted waters, which I plan to navigate throughout 2024.
Keep reading to see how the new 12-team College Football Playoff could pan out during its inaugural season.
(Note: The previous ranking is the ranking used in ESPN’s post Spring Game top-25 rankings).
Title Photo: Ashley Landis / AP
The Top-12 Seeds:
1. Ohio State (12-1, Big Ten Champion, previous ranking: #2)
2. Texas (12-1, SEC Champion, previous ranking: #3)
3. Florida State (11-2, ACC Champion, previous ranking: #11)
4. Oklahoma State (12-1, Big 12 Champions, previous ranking: #19)
5. Georgia (12-1, SEC At-Large, previous ranking: #1)
6. Oregon (12-1, Big Ten At-Large, previous ranking: #4)
7. Ole Miss (11-1, SEC At-Large, previous ranking: #6)
8. Alabama (11-1, SEC At-Large, previous ranking: #7)
9. Penn State (11-1, Big Ten At-Large, previous ranking: #12)
10. Missouri (11-1, SEC At-Large, previous ranking: #8)
11. Clemson (11-2, ACC At-Large, previous ranking: #16)
12. Boise State (11-2, MWC Champion, Group of 5 representative, previous ranking: NR)
Just Missed: Michigan, Utah, LSU, Arizona, Notre Dame.
Seeding Analysis:
This is probably as top-heavy as college football is ever going to get. A bunch of talented teams with one-loss each (a couple with 2), duking it out to see who wins it all. While there probably won’t be so many teams with a single loss, the SEC has 5 legit teams that could go undefeated, and many of them don’t face 2 of each other in the regular season. Ohio State takes the #1 seed after beating Oregon in the Big Ten Championship, and already being ahead of Texas in the rankings. The Longhorns knock off the Bulldogs in the SEC Championship to get the #2 seed. ACC Champion Florida State is the #3 seed over #4 seed and Big 12 Champions Oklahoma State due to being higher in the previous ranking. The top-4 seeds get first round byes.
After holding the preseason #1 ranking, Georgia falls to #5 after the loss to Texas. Oregon is at #6 after their loss to the Buckeyes. Ole Miss takes #7 due to being higher in the previous rankings than Alabama. #8 belongs to Alabama over Penn State for the same reason as the 8th-seed. #9 goes to Penn State over Missouri due to better strength of schedule. Mizzou takes #10 over #11 Clemson due to a better record. The final spot, #12, goes to Boise State, the MWC Champ and the Group of 5 representative in the CFP.
First Round (Played at Home Field of Higher Seeded Team):
I really don’t need to explain this. Georgia is going to destroy any G5 team in any matchup.
Georgia - 45, Boise State - 13 (Georgia Advances to Quarterfinals)
Player of the Game: Georgia QB, Carson Beck (300+ passing yards, 5 passing TDs)
As much as I want Penn State to finally break out of their shell and succeed, it won’t come against the Tide. Drew Allar looks lost against the Bama defense, throwing 2 picks and getting strip sacked. Jalen Milroe takes over late in the game with his legs, showing the country why he was a Heisman finalist. Kalen DeBoer gets a CFP victory, proving that he is an effective replacement for Nick Saban.
Alabama - 27, Penn State - 17 (Alabama Advances to Quarterfinals)
Player of the Game: Alabama QB, Jalen Milroe (350+ total yards, 2 passing TDs)
The Tigers finally make it back to the Playoff, but have an early exit at the hands (wings?) of the Ducks. The high-powered Oregon offense struggles at first, but QB Dillon Gabriel’s experience leads them into the 4th with a lead. He connects on a huge late TD with WR Tez Johnson to put the game out of reach.
Oregon - 28, Clemson - 23 (Oregon Advances to Quarterfinals)
Player of the Game: Oregon WR, Tez Johnson (100+ receiving yards, 2 receiving TDs)
A matchup of high-powered SEC offenses, it's the Tigers that get the job done late on a QB Brady Cook to star WR Luther Burden III touchdown pass to put the nail in the coffin for Ole Miss. The Mizzou defense gets Jaxson Dart and the Rebels offense to make mistakes early that they ultimately can’t recover from.
Missouri - 34, Ole Miss - 31 (Missouri Advances to Quarterfinals)
Player of the Game: Mizzouri WR, Luther Burden III (150+ receiving yards, 2 receiving TDs)
Missouri Tigers star duo, QB Brady Cook and WR Luther Burden celebrate during a win in 2022.
Photo: L.G. Patterson / AP
Quarterfinals (Traditional Bowl Games):
The Cowboys put up a fight in the first half, but the Dawgs decimate them in the last 30 minutes. Even Power 4 champions aren’t a match for the Georgia buzzsaw.
Georgia - 35, Oklahoma State, 21 (Georgia Advances to Semifinals)
Player of the Game: Georgia QB, Carson Beck (300+ passing yards, 4 TDs)
Alabama puts up a good fight, but ultimately the stacked Buckeyes are too much. QB Will Howard shows up in the big moments that Kyle McCord faded out in last year, and that is the difference maker for Ohio State. DeBoer makes a good run in his first season at the helm in Tuscaloosa, giving Tide fans much more to look forward to in the post-Saban era.
Ohio State - 27, Alabama - 21 (Ohio State Advances to Semifinals)
Player of the Game: Ohio State QB, Will Howard (250+ passing yards, 3 total TDs)
The Seminoles finally make it to the CFP this season after being snubbed last December. However, it won’t be a happy ending for FSU, as they walk into a machine of an Oregon Ducks squad. The Ducks defense makes DJ Uiagalelei look like he was at Clemson, and picks him off 3 times in a defensive matchup. Gabriel does enough to keep the offense afloat.
Oregon - 23, Florida State - 14 (Oregon Advances to Semifinals)
Player of the Game: Oregon WR, Evan Stewart (100+ receiving yards, 2 total TDs)
Another game for Mizzou facing a great SEC offense, and another shootout. QBs Quinn Ewers and Brady Cook go at it all game, but in the end Ewers and the Longhorns have more firepower, as he throws a last minute touchdown to star WR Isaiah Bond to get Texas into the semis.
Texas - 35, Missouri - 31 (Texas Advances to Semifinals)
Player of the Game: Texas QB, Quinn Ewers (300+ Passing yards, 4 passing TDs)
Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers throws a pass during the National Semifinal on New Years Day 2024.
Photo: John David Mercer / USA TODAY Sports
Semifinals (Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl):
In a rematch of the semifinal from 2022, the Dawgs prevail. Georgia walks away with the victory, as a Malaki Starks interception in the final seconds ends a Buckeye comeback. RB Trevor Etienne leads the Bulldog offense with 2 rushing scores and a receiving TD.
Georgia - 38, Ohio State - 34 (Georgia Advances to National Championship)
Player of the Game: Georgia DB, Malaki Starks (1 game sealing INT)
Another matchup of 2 juggernaut offenses and 2 great coaches in Texas’ Steve Sarkisian and Oregon’s Dan Lanning, it’s Coach Sark that earns a spot in the Natty. Ewers and Gabriel have great games throwing to Bond and Johnson, respectively, but in the end the Ducks run out of juice and the Horns score to put the game out of reach in the closing minutes.
Texas - 34, Oregon - 29 (Texas Advances to National Championship)
Player of the Game: Texas WR, Isaiah Bond (150+ receiving yards, 2 TDs)
New Texas transfer WR Isaiah Bond scores a TD during the Longhorns spring game on April 20th of this year.
Photo: Sara Diggins / American-Statesman / USA TODAY Sports
National Championship (Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA):
Two SEC teams facing off in the National Championship. How else should the first year of the new format for the CFP end? No other way, I say. As much as I love Texas, nobody in the world is beating Georgia. Beck connects with WR Dominic Lovett to put the cherry on top of another championship season.
Georgia - 38, Texas - 30 (Georgia Wins National Championship)
Player of the Game: Georgia QB, Carson Beck (300+ passing yards, 4 TDs)
Bulldogs QB Carson Beck throws a pass in Georgia's 65-7 rout of TCU in the 2023 title game. Can he win another one in 2025?
Photo: Joshua L. Jones / Athens Banner-Herald / USA TODAY Sports
Final Thoughts:
While many of the predictions across all 4 conference previews and this CFP preview could be totally wrong, I still had a great time researching and writing these blogs. I hope you have had a blast in our adventure together through the rollercoaster of this year's college football landscape.
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