Tyler Stearns |
Next year is the beginning of a new era for College Football with the 12-team playoff being implemented. The six highest-ranked conference champions will get automatic bids into the playoffs. That means that this year, following the final CFP rankings, it would have been (in no particular order) Alabama, Michigan, Texas, Washington, Florida State, and Liberty. The next best six teams will be selected for the playoff as well. The format can change considering the end of the PAC-12, but for now, let's pretend it doesn’t.
Projected Conference Winners:
Big Ten: Ohio State
Michigan is most likely going to lose Coach Harbaugh to an NFL team. They lose a lot Blake Corum, JJ McCarthy, key offensive linemen, and important defensive pieces. Ohio State has reloaded this year and also gotten some new players in Will Howard and Quinshon Judkins. They also bring back a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. Oregon will be good this year considering their recruiting and development so far under Lanning, but I don’t think a move to a new conference will immediately grant them the B1G Championship.
SEC: Georgia
Saban is gone. That was the only person who Kirby Smart had to deal with. Now that Georgia can officially begin their reign over College Football, there won’t be a team to stop them for a while, at least in the SEC. Texas and Ole Miss have loaded rosters this year, but the size of the athletes at Georgia and the athletic ability they possess will be too much for conference opponents.
Big 12: Utah
The Big 12 is not going to be good this year. Utah may even be the worst conference winner out of the new Power 4 conferences. There isn’t a team that can contest with them now that Jedd Fisch has taken the job at Washington. Colorado has a good roster this year, but don’t expect them to take a huge jump under Coach Prime’s second campaign.
ACC: Florida State
Clemson has descended into mediocrity since they are unwilling to adapt to the new times of collegiate sports. Their inability to recruit in the transfer portal, their outdated scheme, and their wailing culture is going to hurt them in the long run. Florida State boasts a solid recruiting class and an even better transfer class. Mike Norvell has only improved during his time in Tallahassee and I don’t expect that to change this year. Revenge year for the Seminoles?
Mountain West: Boise State
With the transfer of Malachi Nelson, Boise State now has a quarterback and a roster ready to compete with the top teams in the nation. They are the reigning champions of the Mountain West and there shouldn’t be an expectation that it changes.
Conference USA: Liberty
Liberty just went 13-1, with their only loss to Oregon. They had a strong start versus the Ducks, but their size and lack of talent eventually hurt them. Nonetheless, Conference USA should be relatively easy for Jamey Chadwell and the Flames to take control of again.
Projected Top 12:
Georgia
Ohio State
Florida State
Michigan
Texas
Oregon
Alabama
Notre Dame
Utah
USC
Boise State
Liberty
First Round Bye:
Georgia
Ohio State
Florida State
Michigan
Matchups:
Texas Versus Liberty
Oregon Versus Boise State
USC Versus Alabama
Notre Dame Versus Utah
Projected Winners:
Texas
Oregon
USC
Notre Dame
Final Eight:
Georgia Versus Notre Dame
Ohio State Versus USC
Oregon Versus Florida State
Michigan Versus Texas
Projected Winners:
Georgia
Ohio State
Oregon
Texas
Final Four:
Georgia Versus Texas
Ohio State Versus Oregon
Projected Winners:
Georgia
Ohio State
National Championship:
Georgia Versus Ohio State
Projected National Champion:
Georgia
Georgia is the most dominant team in the nation. They, like Alabama’s teams under Saban, don’t have to reboot, they have to reload. If they can play sound football on both sides of the ball, they will dominate the SEC and the Playoff to win their third National Championship in the last four years.
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