Who are the four football teams gonna be?
(1) Clemson
(4) Ohio St.
(2) Oklahoma
(3) Georgia
What if it were eight teams?
(1) Clemson
(8) USC
(4) Ohio St.
(5) Alabama
(3) Georgia
(6) Wisconsin
(2) Oklahoma
(7) UCF
It will be interested to see how the selection committee views the candidacy of Ohio State & Alabama for that #4 slot. I am not sure how they will decide.
The committee is in a conundrum. It is obvious that Clemson and Oklahoma are locks. Georgia is probably a lock.
Does the committee penalize Auburn for their loss to Georgia, a team they already stomped in the season? They would have three losses which would be a first but they also were ranked #2 prior to the loss.
Is Alabama the last in after being ranked 5th and having two teams lose ahead of them? I don't really care for their schedule. They are getting way too much credit for beating Florida State who just gave up on their season after that loss. It's hard to determine how well they would have done with their starting quarterback for the whole season but they are a P5 king in a recruiting jackpot who should have had capable replacements.
USC is a conference winner, though unimpressive and likely the worst P5 conference. Still, an argument can be made.
In my mind, I think the last spot comes down to Alabama, Auburn, and Ohio State. We may have a result like back in the very first playoff where Auburn's win over Alabama eliminates the Crimson Tide so Ohio State being a two-loss conference champion elevates them above a three-loss non-champion. Back in the first playoff, Baylor, TCU, and Ohio State were fighting over the last pick and it resulted in OSU's since Baylor beat TCU in the season and eliminated them but had a horrible OOC schedule and propelled OSU ahead.
People are going really hard on OSU for the loss to Iowa. Iowa is a good program, finished 7-5, and has a coach that has been there for a long time while winning conference championships and NY6 bowls. Nobody is giving Auburn crap for losing to LSU who lost to Troy.
I'm torn on what I want to happen. On one hand, I don't want the Big Ten shut out of the playoffs for the first time, and I don't want the SEC to have two participants. On the other hand, revenge is a dish best served cold and Ohio State can suck it for taking Penn State's spot last year.
(1) Clemson
(4) Alabama
(2) Oklahoma
(3) Georgia
I am not sure how to pick any of these games. Will Clemson vs Bama be the real National Title game... again? I know I am hoping for a Clemson vs Oklahoma Title game.
SunBelt looking pretty strong in early bowl games.
27 - Georgia St. (7-5)
17 - WKU (6-7)
50 - Troy (11-2)
30 - N. Texas (9-5)