Predicting the Playoff
- By jhead34382
- The Bunker
- 48 Replies
Alright fellas, with it officially being 6 games into the college football season, I thought it might be fun to see the Bunker take a stab at predicting the playoff. Would love to see @Docdumpsta @Powerman26 @FIG-JAM @hunter48 @crococile22 @wareaglegsu @warjags @AUDUckhunter @Boisgreat and several others in this thread giving me your take as projection is always the most difficult/subjective part of college football in my opinion. Here’s my my best guess, andI look forward to seeing the Bunker’s thoughts as well:
Top 4 Seeds
1. Texas - I think it’s likely possibility they go undefeated because of the way their schedule sets up especially with UGA at home, but on the road in A&M could be more difficult than I’m giving it credit for atm.
2. Ohio State - Yes I know they just lost to Oregon, but my guess is these two teams see each other again in Indianapolis and it’s a different outcome.
3. Clemson - Really like the way Dabo has his team playing atm and I think Miami is playing with fire the way Ward has turned the ball over pretty recklessly at times. Both will be playoff teams, but I like Clemson over Miami in the ACC championship game.
4. BYU - Easily the biggest surprise on this list given the perception of the program in the preseason, but hats off to the boys from Provo as they play a physical brand of football.
Five through Eleven Seeds
5. Oregon - Really like their schedule the rest of the way, I just believe on a neutral field Ohio State gets it done in the Big Ten championship game.
6. Georgia - UGA will be likely the most battle tested team in this part of the bracket with remaining games against Texas, Ole Miss, and Tennessee left on the schedule.
7. Penn State - Big win for the Nittany Lions yesterday, but I think they’ve got two loses on the schedule and because of that I’ve got them slotted behind UGA atm.
8. Miami - I think the Canes go undefeated against what they have left in the regular season, but as I mentioned earlier I believe Clemson is the better team right now and wins the ACC championship game for the top 4 seed.
9. Alabama - I think I’ll get some pushback here and understandably so as Bama hasn’t looked particularly good over the last two games. That said I think Tennessee is not as good as most thought they’d be and LSU is a flawed team as well, and those are the two hardest teams left on the schedule. Alabama is good for at least one more loss, but I think sneaks into the playoff as a flawed but 10-2 team all the same.
10. LSU - I struggled here as I also considered SMU and Iowa State in this spot, but I’m going to bet on this team continuing to improve down the stretch and only losing one more game along the way. Given the number of helmet games and ranked opponents that the Bayou Bengals play over the course of the year, I think they get the nod over two teams with likely better records but not nearly as difficult a slate of games played.
11. Notre Dame - The Fighting Marcus Freeman's have a real chance to go 11-1 given what’s left on their schedule, with USC being the only team other than maybe Army or Navy (because of the triple option) that can give them a scare. While I don’t think they’ve had to play the schedule that others have, Notre Dame is a massive brand and if they go 11-1 they’ll be in the playoff.
12 Seed
12. Tulane - Love the way Jon Sumrall has his boys dialed in atm and I think Boise is good for a loss to UNLV in a couple of weeks. So give me the Tulane Green Wave to represent the G5 and likely a more difficult opponent than Oregon wants to play in the 1st round of the playoff.
Top 4 Seeds
1. Texas - I think it’s likely possibility they go undefeated because of the way their schedule sets up especially with UGA at home, but on the road in A&M could be more difficult than I’m giving it credit for atm.
2. Ohio State - Yes I know they just lost to Oregon, but my guess is these two teams see each other again in Indianapolis and it’s a different outcome.
3. Clemson - Really like the way Dabo has his team playing atm and I think Miami is playing with fire the way Ward has turned the ball over pretty recklessly at times. Both will be playoff teams, but I like Clemson over Miami in the ACC championship game.
4. BYU - Easily the biggest surprise on this list given the perception of the program in the preseason, but hats off to the boys from Provo as they play a physical brand of football.
Five through Eleven Seeds
5. Oregon - Really like their schedule the rest of the way, I just believe on a neutral field Ohio State gets it done in the Big Ten championship game.
6. Georgia - UGA will be likely the most battle tested team in this part of the bracket with remaining games against Texas, Ole Miss, and Tennessee left on the schedule.
7. Penn State - Big win for the Nittany Lions yesterday, but I think they’ve got two loses on the schedule and because of that I’ve got them slotted behind UGA atm.
8. Miami - I think the Canes go undefeated against what they have left in the regular season, but as I mentioned earlier I believe Clemson is the better team right now and wins the ACC championship game for the top 4 seed.
9. Alabama - I think I’ll get some pushback here and understandably so as Bama hasn’t looked particularly good over the last two games. That said I think Tennessee is not as good as most thought they’d be and LSU is a flawed team as well, and those are the two hardest teams left on the schedule. Alabama is good for at least one more loss, but I think sneaks into the playoff as a flawed but 10-2 team all the same.
10. LSU - I struggled here as I also considered SMU and Iowa State in this spot, but I’m going to bet on this team continuing to improve down the stretch and only losing one more game along the way. Given the number of helmet games and ranked opponents that the Bayou Bengals play over the course of the year, I think they get the nod over two teams with likely better records but not nearly as difficult a slate of games played.
11. Notre Dame - The Fighting Marcus Freeman's have a real chance to go 11-1 given what’s left on their schedule, with USC being the only team other than maybe Army or Navy (because of the triple option) that can give them a scare. While I don’t think they’ve had to play the schedule that others have, Notre Dame is a massive brand and if they go 11-1 they’ll be in the playoff.
12 Seed
12. Tulane - Love the way Jon Sumrall has his boys dialed in atm and I think Boise is good for a loss to UNLV in a couple of weeks. So give me the Tulane Green Wave to represent the G5 and likely a more difficult opponent than Oregon wants to play in the 1st round of the playoff.