Image Courtesy: Inkl
The last four team playoff will end what has been a crazy 2023 college football season. The question is always asked will this season’s playoff be the four “most deserving” or the “four best” teams this season? Based on the way the CFP committee has ranked the teams this season, I believe they will put the four “most deserving” teams in the playoff. This is because in the past, they have never left out an undefeated Power 5 champion and have done all throughout November. All undefeated Power 5 conference champions should be in: Michigan, Washington, and Florida State (like where they have been ranked for much of the season). But will all three be in this season? We will find out early this afternoon. The Wolverines went undefeated throughout the season having head coach Jim Harbaugh suspended twice. They have not blinked with Sherrone Moore leading them to a 6-0 record. Running backs Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards have helped their quarterback JJ McCarthy, get the ball to receiver Roman Wilson and tight end Colston Loveland. The Huskies locked up their playoff spot when they defeated Oregon for a second time in the final Pac-12 Championship game, 34-31. They may have only beaten unranked Arizona State, 15-7, Stanford, 42-33, and Washington State, 24-21, but they proved the doubters wrong with their win on Friday over the Ducks. Quarterback Michael Penix tailback Dillon Johnson, wide receivers Rome Odunze, and Ja’Lynn Polkcontinue to prove Washington’s offensive strengths but it will be up to their defense, headed by cornerback Dominique Hampton to get them a win in the semifinal round to potentially get to the national championship game. But, for the Seminoles, the question has to be asked. Do the Seminoles really get in without their quarterback, Jordan Travis who was lost for the season due to injury? The Seminoles scraped by Florida and Louisville without him and do not look like a playoff offense without him. If the committee were to pick them to make it, it would be because of their offensive playmakers Keon Coleman, Johnny Wilson, Trey Benson, and defensive playmakers Jared Verse, Tatum Bethune, Kalen DeLoach, and DJ Lundy. The next question is how to rank one loss conference champions, Alabama and Texas. The answer may be tougher to answer but this season, it is not. Despite Alabama’s win over top ranked Georgia in the SEC title game, the Longhorns defeated the Crimson Tide back on September 9, so they do warrant what would likely be the fourth spot. Texas has been dominant the past two weekends, defeating rival Texas Tech 57-7 and then defeating Oklahoma State on Saturday, 49-21. Texas’ defense has dominated opponents the last month with linebacker Jaylan Ford and have scored with relative ease with signal-caller Quinn Ewers, running back CJ Baxter, and receivers Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell, and tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders. Without winning a conference title, it is hard to see Georgia making the field, attempting to win a third consecutive national championship. This season’s scenarios are why a 12-team playoff will be fun to see play out next season and beyond.
Here are the four teams I believe that will be in this season’s College Football Playoff:
1.Michigan 13-0 (9-0) Big Ten Champion
2.Washington 13-0 (9-0) Pac-12 Champion
3.Florida State 13-0 (8-0) ACC Champion
4.Texas 12-1 (8-1) Big 12 Champion
Outside looking in:
5.Alabama 12-1 (8-0) SEC Champion
6.Georgia 12-1 (8-0) SEC Runner-Up
Final Projected College Football Playoff and New Year’s Six Games
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
Alabama vs. Oregon
December 29, 8 PM ET, ESPN/ESPN App
Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl
Missouri vs. Oklahoma
December 30, 12 PM ET, ESPN/ESPN App
Capital One Orange Bowl
Ohio State vs. Ole Miss
December 30, 4 PM ET, ESPN/ESPN App
VRBO Fiesta Bowl
Arizona vs. SMU
January 1, 1 PM ET, ESPN/ESPN App
CFP Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game
1.Michigan (13-0) vs. 4.Texas (12-1)
January 1, 5 PM ET, ESPN/ESPN App
CFP Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl
2.Washington (13-0) vs. 3.Florida State (13-0)
January 1, 8:45 PM ET, ESPN/ESPN App
My preview of these six games will come out on the afternoon of December 28th.
