After a season full of college football antics, we have finally reached the playoffs, with the playoff selection committee releasing the bracket Dec. 6.
The biggest change to the bracket’s format from last year is that they are using a straight-seeding method rather than just giving the top four spots—and with it a first-round bye—to the conference champions. This means that the teams with a first round bye are No. 1 Indiana, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 Texas Tech.
The straight-seeding couldn’t have come in a better year, as two of the five conference champions that automatically get into the playoffs are from the group of five, these being Tulane from the American Conference and JMU from the Sun Belt Conference.
The first playoff game of the season comes from Oklahoma, where they will host Alabama, Friday, Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. These SEC teams played each other earlier in the season, which ended in a 23-21 victory for the Sooners, but as proven through the conference championships across the nation this season, it is hard to beat the same team twice. Especially after how close their first meeting was, it could go either way.
Alabama is suffering from a few injuries in key positions that might affect their ability to win in the playoffs, the biggest of which being running back Jam Miller, who notably missed the SEC title game. This game will most likely be the closest of the first round, and the winner will go on to play No. 1 Indiana in the Rose Bowl Thursday, Jan. 1 at noon.
The next playoff game is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 20 at noon, between Miami and Texas A&M. Both of these teams are making their first ever appearances in the college football playoff, so anticipation is running high for this matchup. The Aggies have had a very strong season, going 11-1, while Miami barely made the playoffs, with the decision coming down to a week two game against Notre Dame.
This game will be a defensive showdown, with both teams having top 20 defenses nationally. Miami’s defense is best known for their run stopping ability, as they average only 86.8 rushing yards against them per game. A&M will need to build pressure on Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck, as he is known to give up turnovers when faced with constant pressure. Texas A&M is favored in this game, but the noon kickoff might hurt the effects of the “12th man” crowd. The winner of this one will go on to face No. 2 Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, Wednesday, Dec. 31, at 7:30 p.m.
The third match of this year’s playoff will be in Oxford, Mississippi, as Ole Miss hosts Tulane, Saturday, Dec. 20 at 3:30 p.m. This game will mark the third time a group of five team will play in a playoff game, as Tulane is representing the American Conference. Surprisingly, these teams also played each other earlier this year, when Ole Miss won 45-10. In that earlier matchup, Tulane’s offense only put up 282 total yards, while Ole Miss had 548 yards of total offense.
Odds are that Ole Miss will get another blowout victory in this one, as their quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has been on a roll all season. Tulane’s biggest key to success in this game is to contain Chambliss and not allow him to scramble or give him enough time to find open receivers. Ole Miss needs to take this game seriously so that they don’t let their guard down to an overall decent Tulane. The winner of this game will go on to face No. 3 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, Thursday, Jan. 1 at 8 p.m.
The final game of the first round is between Oregon and JMU, and will take place Saturday, Dec. 20, at 7:30 p.m. The Dukes of JMU have proven that they are working hard, as this is just their fourth season in FBS play, and they have already made the playoffs and won a Sun Belt Championship. Even though they have grown immensely, JMU shows what is wrong with the current format of the college football playoff, as they only have a good record because of their easy schedule and are most likely going to be blown out against the Ducks.
JMU relies on a strong defense and a powerful running game led by running back Wayne Knight, although their loss to Louisville showed that they are still no match against Power Four teams. The Ducks are fielding an impressive team this year, led by quarterback Dante Moore, and a defense that is ranked among the nation’s best. Between the significant talent difference and the home field advantage for the Ducks, Oregon is the heavy favorite to win over JMU. Oregon’s goal for this one is to keep doing what they’ve been doing all year and cleanly advance to the second round, where they will see No. 4 Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl, Thursday, Jan. 1, at noon.
No matter what happens in the first round, fans can be sure that there will be lots of close games and interesting results for the entire playoff season.
