Since College Football kicked off last year, there has been one thing one everyone’s mind, every week, for every game. The College Football Playoff. It’s exciting, it’s controversial, and lets face it, it probably should be 8 teams. The main thing it brings however, is speculation. That’s what we all d. We speculate. Whether it is who will make it, who won’t or who is the best, we speculate on all of this for one reason. It is a lot of fun. So, for weeks now, I have been speculating on how I think it will all unfold and these are my predictions on the College Football playoff.
The Four in:
- Ohio State- This one is the easiest pick to me. This Ohio State team has so many weapons on offense, the most I have seen in a couple of years, and they have an above average defense that makes them virtually unbeatable in the big ten. The also have a favorable schedule, with really only one more true test in Michigan State. They obviously have to avoid the usual upset alert games with Penn State and Michigan, but as long as they play like they should, they will be undefeated come playoff time.
- TCU- A lot of people do not really believe the hype of TCU for some reason. I am not one of those people. I think they have one of the best offenses in the country and a defense that is experienced and good enough to get them wins. Trevone Boykin is a Heisman candidate and he is well worthy of being in that conversation. The TCU defense is Experienced with starting 4 seniors and 4 juniors, so they know what they have to do to be successful. They have some huge games against Oklahoma and Baylor, but other than that a favorable schedule to run the table.
- USC- This is one of my favorite teams this year. From their unbelievably accurate QB Cody Kessler to the best do it all player in the country Adoree Jackson, they are a very complete team and have all the intangibles to be a top 4 team in the country. The only issue they will run into is their schedule. They are in arguably in the toughest conference in College Football, the Pac-12. The play powerhouses like UCLA, Oregon, Arizona, Utah, and California and they have that annual out of conference game against Notre Dame. This is a team who is stacked with talent and, even if they drop one or two along the way, they can still make the playoff as a one loss team if they win the conference.
- LSU- My final team in the playoff is LSU. This one was tough for me because the SEC is up in the air right now, especially with the near meltdown of Auburn. I see almost no scenario that this playoff does not have the SEC represented so the obvious choice would be the conference champion. Led by the hulk of a running back Leonard Fournette, LSU has a fantastic run game and a very tough defense. The only problem they could run into is their first year starter QB Brandon Harris and the not so existent passing game. In their match up against Mississippi State, he was 9-14 for 71 yards. If they want to make the playoff and win the SEC, they will need him to step up and hold his own.
Possible Dark Horses:
- Texas A&M- I absolutely love Texas A&M and Kyle Allen and the team they have this year. The Arizona State game was just the beginning in what I feel will be a great year full of upsets and surprises for A&M. The big games they need to look at if they want to make the playoff is an October 17th match up against Bama and a November 28th showdown to end the year against LSU. Kyle Allen is one of the best young players in college football and, as long as the defense can stay strong on these powerhouses they play, they will undoubtedly have a shot.
- Northwestern-Now I know you may say this is an overreaction to one win, and might very well be, but I think this team is on the move north. They play phenomenal defense and they have  more favorable schedule than Ohio State, due to them avoiding Ohio State and Michigan State in the regular season. If they could win the division and then more than likely see Ohio State or Michigan State and beat them to win the Big Ten, you would have no choice but to consider them for the playoff. I know it is a long shot but it is called a dark horse for a reason.
Predictions:
Semifinals
Ohio State 34, LSU 24
TCU 31, USC 28
Championship Game-
Ohio State 31, TCU 24
Champion- The Ohio State University
BAMA AND SPARTY NOT IN THE PICTURE?
Hear ya Ken, Bama rolls over at least 5 out of 6 of these teams. Much stronger this second season as Kiffin now has the offense transformed to a modern spread. All these teams study each other. Bama still the deepest team in CFB and Saban will use whatever it takes to win, even inviting Tom Herman to a paid visit down there. Notice how many plays Bama sprung on the Badgers straight from the Buckeye playbook? Another thing, strength of schedule, maybe the SEC won’t be that much different a challenge than what OSU might be facing!? Thinking the Tide won’t be in the playoffs is a bit far fetched at this point.
They will be in the picture of course, probably 5th and 6th. I just feel LSU has a slight stronger defense and that alabamas offense is overrated. Texas A&M and Northwestern are not 5th and 6th. They are dark horses that I could see possibly shaking thinks up. It was hard for me to pick between LSU and Bama though.
Hey Justin, You’ve made that Nov 7th game in Tuscaloosa a can’t miss. A few years ago it was more of a second thought to contemplate the consequence of upcoming SEC games such as these. Now with the playoffs much more interesting to see how this all pans out, and the point of your post. Thx