R.J. Young
FOX Sports National College Football Analyst
The first 12-team College Football Playoff bracket has been released.
All eyes will be on how the CFP selection committee will evaluate Mountain West champion Boise State, Big 12 champion Arizona State and ACC champion Clemson, and which program will earn the final spot in the CFP between SMU and Alabama.
We have our answer, as the Broncos are seeded 3 in the CFP bracket and the Sun Devils are seeded 4. Both teams will receive first-round byes. Meanwhile, Clemson, coming off a win over SMU in the ACC title game, is a No. 12 seed and will travel to Austin, Texas, to face the Longhorns in a first-round game.
For the SMU vs. Alabama debate, the committee favored the Mustangs, awarding Rhett Lashleee’s team an 11 seed and setting up an opener against Penn State.
Here are my key takeaways from the bracket reveal:
1. The CFP Committee places more importance on Group of 5 champions than Big 12 and ACC champions.
The College Football Playoff selection committee has shown that it does not value the quality of play in the Big 12 or ACC more than it does in the Mountain West. Group of 5 champion Boise State is seeded ahead of Big 12 champion Arizona State and ACC champion Clemson.
The Broncos have only one loss. However, there was one loss to the No. 1 team in the country in the last game. In that time, Talisman and Heisman finalist Ashton Jeanty rushed for 192 yards.
But the Sun Devils finished in a four-way tie for first place in the league, and the Tigers defeated an 11-win SMU team in the ACC Championship Game.
2. Samsung Electronics, overwhelming dominance of the Big Ten
The SEC and Big Ten are the most dominant leagues in sports, with seven of the 12 teams coming from those conferences. The CFP’s No. 1 seed, Oregon, is a Big Ten team, while No. 2 seed Georgia is an SEC program. This leads us to believe that the committee expects these teams to finish in the national title game, which would be a rematch of the 2022 matchup in Atlanta, where Georgia dominated Oregon 49-3.
3. Texas will receive the No. 5 seed.
Texas earned the honor of playing in a home playoff game and a coveted No. 5 seed. The Longhorns are scheduled to host ACC champion Clemson in what is sure to be a rematch worthy of Friday Night Lights. The 2021 Texas State Championship game between Southlake Carroll and Austin Westlake ended with Cade Klubnik’s Chaparrals defeating Quinn Ewers’ Dragons 52-34. Klubnik and Ewers will now get a chance to face each other again in a first-round matchup in Austin.
Now that the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket is set, here are my predictions.
1st round bye
1. oregon: Hello (Then the winner of 8 is played. ohio state vs. 9. Tennessee)
2. Georgia: Hello (Then I will play the winner of 7. Our Lady vs. 10. indiana)
3. boise state: Hello (Then the winner of 6 is played. penn state vs. 11. SMU)
4. Arizona State: Hello (Then the winner of 5 is played. texas vs. 12. Clemson)
1st match
5. texas big 12. Clemson
The Longhorns are coming off an emotional loss to Georgia, and the Tigers are coming off a dazzling ACC title win over a 12-team SMU team that was also on the road. Texas’ defense needs to show that it can stop Klubnik from escaping the pocket and hurting them in the run game like Georgia backup QB Gunner Stockton did in the SEC Championship Game.
Winner: Texas.
6. penn state big 11. SMU
The Nittany Lions believe they have a physical team that can impose their will on a smaller SMU team. However, with Brashard Smith having the best season by a SMU tailback since Eric Dickerson, the Mustangs may feel they can rely on the partnership of Kevin Jennings and Roderick McDaniel to get through the PSU front seven and stretch the secondary.
Winner: Penn State.
7. Our Lady big 10. indiana
The Fighting Irish will face the most complete team Indiana has seen all year. The Hoosiers have beaten 10 of their 12 opponents by double digits and believe they are the best team in the state of Indiana. However, Al Golden’s defense was so excellent that only one team scored 35 points in a game this season.
Winner: Indiana.
8. ohio state big 9. Tennessee
The Buckeyes have a chance to redeem themselves in front of their fans in the Shoe with Tennessee as they travel to Columbus, Ohio. They’ll have to do it against the SEC’s best tailback in Vols running back Dylan Sampson, who has rushed for 1,485 yards this season.
The Buckeyes have allowed 169 rushing yards per game this season, but they have been stingy with team scoring, boasting the best scoring defense in the country.
Winner: Ohio State.
RJ Young is a national college football writer, analyst and podcast host for FOX Sports.The best college football show.“Follow him on Twitter. @RJ_Young and Subscribe to “The RJ Young Show” on YouTube.
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