The first ever 12 team College Football Playoff bracket has been officially announced. As you’ve likely seen, there has been a lot of controversy and discourse surrounding whether a team should or shouldn’t have made it into the bracket.
So let’s go team by team and explain the reasoning behind them entering the bracket.
No. 1 – Oregon
This pick has been largely undefeated and understood. After winning against Penn State in the Big 10 Championship, the Ducks solidified their place in the number one spot, adding onto their undefeated record. This undefeated record is the only one of its kind in the entire FBS, as this year has been full of upsets.
There’s really no question about Oregon’s seed – it’s as calm as it will get. They will receive a bye in the first week of games.
No. 2 – Georgia
It’s practically unheard of for a two loss team to be the number two seed in College football, but that sums up the year it has been. Georgia had already clinched a spot in the playoffs after their 8 OT win against Georgia Tech. But, their upset win against Texas in the SEC Championship secured their spot in the top 4, earning a bye.
However, it will be interesting to see how their starting quarterback, Carson Beck’s mid-game injury will play into their performance in the postseason.
No. 3 – Boise State
Again, Boise State was a conference champion, winning the Mountain West conference over UNLV by a healthy 21-7 win. Clemson’s win over SMU in the ACC championship helped them secure their spot with a bye in the top 4.
This is the first controversial pick, mainly due to their weak schedule from being in an “easy” conference. Aside from a game against Oregon early in the season, Boise State hasn’t had a particularly difficult season. It is worth noting that they only lost by 3 to Oregon, making them still a very competitive team.
No. 4 – Arizona State
Similarly to Boise State, Arizona State had a healthy win in their conference championship, earning them a bye week, this time in the Big 12 Championship. Similarly to Boise State, ASU has come under fire for their “easy” schedule, besides playing a couple lower ranked teams, being BYU and Iowa State.
No. 5 – Texas
After being widely renowned as one of the absolute strongest teams in the FBS, their only two losses, both being to Georgia and one in the SEC Championship, cost them their bye week, dropping them down to number 5.
Although they were leading at half and looking to secure a bye week spot, the Bulldogs came back with an OT win over the Longhorns, trading places in the bye week spot.
No. 6 – Penn State
After losing against Oregon by a slim margin in the Big 10 Championship, the Nittany Lions were bumped out of a bye week. After a season of unusually close wins over unranked teams, Penn State seemed to struggle against ranked opponents, namely Ohio State and Oregon, gaining losses to both.
No. 7 – Notre Dame
Notre Dame, although having an easier schedule than most SEC teams, has had a strong season with consistently healthy victories, aside from an upset by Northern Illinois in September. The Fighting Irish really proved their strength in a huge win over the previously undefeated Army.
No. 8 – Ohio State
This was a big drop for Ohio State and one that would’ve been unexpected a couple weeks ago. However, during Rivalry Week, they lost a game in a huge upset to the unranked Michigan, bumping them out of the Big 10 Championship, causing them to lose their potential bye week position.
Unlike most other non-SEC teams, Ohio State has fought through a difficult schedule, picking up wins against Penn State and Indiana, and coming close to Missouri and Oregon. This competitiveness will prove them to be a huge contender in the playoffs.
No. 9 – Tennessee
Because of their win over Vanderbilt in Rivalry Week, Tennessee was bumped into contention for the playoffs. Although they didn’t make it to the SEC Championship game because of losses to both Georgia and Arkansas, we know that SEC teams are always competitive, so this will be a team to keep an eye on.
No. 10 – Indiana
Indiana, throughout the season, had constantly been bashed for their poor strength of schedule – a discussion that picked up after their loss to Ohio State. Before OSU, they hadn’t played a ranked team and suffered when they did.
However, after an incredible 66-0 win over Purdue, Indiana proved their strength.
No. 11 – SMU
SMU or Alabama? This has been the lingering question relating to the bracket the last couple of weeks. Looks like SMU won the battle over the 3 loss SEC team. Even with a last-second loss against Clemson in the ACC Championship, SMU maintained their place in the bracket.
The controversy between SMU and Alabama has mainly been a conversation about strength of schedule. As Alabama is an SEC team, they had a much more difficult schedule than SMU, but more losses.
No. 12 – Clemson
After a last minute win over SMU in the ACC Championship, the Tigers clinched a playoff spot. They are the only conference championship winner to not receive a bye week – this is due to their 3 losses against South Carolina, Georgia and Louisville.
There you have it – a guide to the first ever 12 team bracket. Keep an eye on the bracket updates throughout the end of January – it’ll certainly be an interesting run.
