Sports The countdown to the inaugural 12-personnel Faculty Football Playoff is on.
In precisely six months to the day, the gap spherical of the 2024-25 CFP will gain underway as eight groups seeded 5-12 will play, with the upper seeds net hosting the lower seeds on their respective campus (or other sites designated by the upper-seed personnel).
What would a slack-December recreation in snowy Ann Arbor, Michigan, see like? How a pair of recreation at Rice-Eccles Stadium, overlooking the snow-capped mountains in Salt Lake City?
FOX Sports faculty football consultants Michael Cohen and RJ Younger take an early see at the 2024-25 CFP inform and request which groups would be in the mix, which convention can fill the most representatives, and naturally, which campus they’d most desire to see host a CFP recreation in slack-December.
Which personnel that accomplished exterior the close 10 in closing three hundred and sixty five days’s closing AP Pollhas the glorious probability to total contained in the close 10 at the stay of this season?
Michael Cohen: Notre Dame.
The Combating Irish won 5 of their closing six video games in 2023 to total the season with their arrow pointing up and a No. 14 ranking in the closing AP Ballot, sandwiched between Penn Disclose and Oklahoma. They won these 5 video games by an moderate of 35.2 aspects to land amongst the close 10 nationally in both scoring offense and scoring protection. Now, there may perchance be an awfully good deal of optimism in South Bend coming into Year 3 of the Marcus Freeman generation thanks to one other tough offseason of acquisitions and retention.
Basically the most necessary addition became broken-down Duke quarterback Riley Leonard (No. 44 switch, No. 8 QB), a factual dual-threat player who threw for 2,967 yards and 20 touchdowns whereas rushing for 699 yards and 13 additional rankings in 2022, the closing time he became fully healthy. Leonard will pair with contemporary offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, previously of LSU, to lead an offense with a formidable one-two punch at tailback in Jadarian Impress and Jeremiyah Fancy, plus several contemporary wideouts from the switch portal in Kris Mitchell (Florida World), Beaux Collins (Clemson) and Jayden Harrison (Marshall).
The protection returns 5 starters from a community that accomplished fifth in the country closing season underneath coordinator Al Golden, the broken-down head coach at Miami. That involves a handful of upperclassmen who bypassed the NFL Draft for one other three hundred and sixty five days of college football, with defensive care for Howard Sinister III and security Xavier Watts — who won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy — main the vogue. Cornerback Benjamin Morrison, a junior, will likely be regarded as amongst the glorious in the country at his blueprint.
RJ Younger: Oklahoma Disclose.
The Cowboys accomplished No. 16 in the closing AP rankings closing season. Yes, they got destroyed in the Colossal 12 title recreation by Texas, 49-21 in Arlington, Texas, but they beat Oklahoma earlier in the season (who beat Texas). Even supposing you happen to will no longer be engaging to name that a wash — a rating in opposition to OU, a loss to Texas — neither of these groups are on Oklahoma Disclose’s schedule for the first time since 1905.
The toughest opponent on OSU’s schedule will likely be “Stillwater self-sabotage” — like the personnel’s inexplicable 33-7 loss to South Alabama at dwelling closing season. This three hundred and sixty five days’s Oklahoma Disclose personnel will likely be as talented as any personnel they face all three hundred and sixty five days — including Arkansas and Utah. The Pokes return the glorious tailback in the country in Ollie Gordon (1,732 shuffle yards), all 5 starters on that 2023 offensive line with 214 mixed begins, a seventh-three hundred and sixty five days QB who threw for 3,460 yards, a receiver who fell correct 9 yards looking 1,000 yards receiving in Brennan Presley, and three 100-care for performers, including Cut Martin, who notched 140.
OSU followers would perchance perchance also restful launch the season believing the Colossal 12 Championship is no longer only within behold, but a 2024 marketing campaign with out one is a busted season.
Conversely, which top 10 personnel from closing three hundred and sixty five days will wrestle to abet that ranking by the stay of the 2024 marketing campaign?
RJ: Washington.
Jedd Fisch took over at Washington after Kalen DeBoer made like a duck in the winter and flew south. When Fisch, who a month earlier told Arizona followers he wasn’t going anyplace, left to step onto Montlake, he saw the cabinet no longer correct empty, but battling what felt like an oncoming famine. They fill two returning starters at UW from that Pac-12 title personnel, and neither is known as “Penix” or “Rome,” even though let me boom you, Fisch is doing his damnedest no longer to let the thing burn. He held onto 22 scholarship gamers and added Mississippi Disclose switch QB Will Rogers, who holds career records in Starkville for passing yards, completions and TDs, having played in the slack Mike Leach’s air raid system for a complete lot of of his career. In 2021, he threw for bigger than 4,700 yards with 36 TDs and nine INTs.
Unnecessary to claim, Fisch added other transfers. He had to field a personnel, but they’re no longer enjoying in the Pac-12 anymore. They’re enjoying in the Colossal Ten, the place heat and sunny weather goes to die a wintry death by Nov. 1.
Fisch employed Steve Belichick to coordinate the protection and brought Brennan Carroll over from Tucson to shuffle the offense, whereas interesting their famend fathers, Bill and Pete, respectively, to return by to position the scent of the NFL over the program like a lemony Lysol a younger person uses to hose his favourite shirt down with. Texas Christian lost to Georgia in the outdated three hundred and sixty five days’s nationwide title recreation, 65-7 — the worst bowl beating in ancient past — and even the Horned Frogs did no longer scent this unhealthy by summer season.
Michael: RJ is spot-on with his Washington make a selection. The Huskies had been the kind-hearted darlings of closing three hundred and sixty five days’s faculty football season, but no personnel skilled more destruction and devastation at the mixed fingers of the instructing carousel, switch portal and NFL Draft than the closing champions of the Pac-12. Washington is the evident resolution.
For fluctuate’s sake, let’s take a survey at Florida Disclose, the reigning ACC champions whose undefeated authorized season restful wasn’t sufficient to crack the closing edition of a four-personnel Faculty Football Playoff. There is just not any longer any motive to mediate the Seminoles will regress rather as mighty as Washington, which can also drift spherical .500 in the expanded Colossal Ten, but it absolutely’s crucial to abet in mind correct how mighty head coach Mike Norvell and his employees lost from their stellar 2023 marketing campaign. Long past is starting up quarterback Jordan Travis. Long past is starting up working lend a hand Trey Benson. Long past are the three main receivers: Keon Coleman, Johnny Wilson and Jaheim Bell. Long past is All-American edge rusher Jared Verse and his working mate, defensive lineman Braden Fiske. Long past are secondary standouts Renardo Inexperienced and Jarrian Jones.
All of these gamers had been chosen in this three hundred and sixty five days’s NFL Draft.
Soundless, Norvell has stocked the Seminoles with sufficient expertise and sufficient transfers — including 5 from Alabama on my own — to the place the ACC shuffle would perchance perchance also restful near all the vogue down to Florida Disclose and Clemson, with quarterback play vulnerable to be the differentiator when every little thing is alleged and performed. But the scheduling gods did FSU no favors with a lend a hand half of the season that involves Miami (away), North Carolina, Notre Dame (away) and Florida in the span of 5 weeks. It would be subtle sledding for the Seminoles.
Four colleges can fill the alternative to host a Faculty Football Playoff recreation in the contemporary 12-personnel format this three hundred and sixty five days. Which college/stadium would you most desire to abet a CFP recreation at, and why?
Michael: Beaver Stadium in College Park, Pennsylvania.
With all due respect to Michigan and Ohio Disclose, there are tons of explanation why Penn Disclose would be the premier northern faculty football program to host a recreation in the expanded Faculty Football Playoff. The full thing a pair of winter-time recreation at Beaver Stadium would originate for an electric expertise: from the topsy-turvy plane wander true into a pint-sized Disclose Faculty Regional Airport to the natural grass enjoying surface that would be crispy with frost or ice or snow, from the non-circular stadium originate that enables winds to whip and whirl in extraordinary directions to a capability crowd of bigger than 106,000 that vibrates the structure’s metal girders. And are you able to specialize in if Penn Disclose held a 2nd “White Out” of the season for a top-time playoff recreation? The energy diploma in that stadium would perchance perchance be sufficient to energy puny cities.
If the personality of head coach James Franklin’s tenure is any indication, then Penn Disclose net hosting Faculty Football Playoff video games feels like a supreme cheap proposition. Save for 2016, the Nittany Lions were unable to fall either Michigan or Ohio Disclose and rating the Colossal Ten Championship, and now Oregon will likely be joining the league’s upper echelon to safe an additional roadblock. It seems more likely than no longer that if Penn Disclose qualifies for the CFP in 2024, it’d be doing so with an at-gigantic berth. And meaning the functionality for a dwelling recreation is firmly in play.
RJ: Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma.
I’ve given my grownup existence to writing and talking about faculty football on narrative of I cherished that personnel and admire folks who admire that personnel. I lived in Norman for six years, working and earning my master’s diploma on campus. I hopped into my pickup truck and drove it lend a hand west to Moore, Oklahoma, when the 2013 twister leveled the lives of folks I admire — neighbors and classmates I held and possess dear. I engage with folks in every single place who I’ll argue about anything with, but we can align on Brent Venables being the man who desires to be instructing Oklahoma. Successful double-digit video games every season is the long-established. Beating Texas is a three hundred and sixty five days-spherical endeavor and every “Boomer!” receives a Sooner!”
The Sooners made the playoff thrice in Lincoln Riley’s first four years, but they’ve but to rating a playoff recreation. Part of me has step by step wondered how Oklahoma would perchance perchance’ve fared if 2019 LSU, 2018 Alabama, 2017 Georgia or 2015 Clemson had been compelled to play in entrance of 84,000 folks who believed, lived and died Sooner football. Could well restful it tumble that arrangement for the Sooners, doubt us at your anguish. In Oklahoma, it be understood that you just would perchance well additionally very effectively be sporting your title across the lend a hand of your jersey and the hopes of 4 million across your chest.
Which convention arrangement you watched can fill the most representatives in this three hundred and sixty five days’s Faculty Football Playoff? What number of groups?
RJ: The SEC.
The SEC has been represented 22 times in the CFP and is 16-6 in 10 years. That is twice as many appearances because the Colossal Ten (11), a convention that’s correct 4-7 and has made one less appearance than the ACC (12), which is 6-6.
In actuality, Alabama on my own has won more nationwide titles since 2014 (three) than the total Colossal Ten, Pac-12 and Colossal 12 mixed (two).
Now that there is one less energy convention than there became, with the SEC, ACC and Colossal Ten every containing 18 groups, whereas the Colossal 12 has ballooned to 16, I don’t put a query to the wealth to gain shared. I correct put a query to more at-gigantic bids to head to the convention the CFP resolution committee has historically thought arrangement more extremely of than the comfort. In the event you do no longer trust me, ask 13-0 Florida Disclose about being uncared for in make a selection of 12-1 Alabama correct closing three hundred and sixty five days.
RJ Younger breaks down Home vs. NCAA and what it capability for the future of CFB Michael: An argument would be made that a standout season for the expanded Colossal Ten would perchance perchance also push a handful of groups into contention this tumble. Ohio Disclose and Oregon are potentially in the close tier of doubtless qualifiers, with both groups feeling like locks to originate the expanded field. Michigan and Penn Disclose are potentially at the lend a hand of them in the 2nd tier. After which Iowa, USC and Wisconsin essentially feel like fringe candidates reckoning on how their respective quarterback eventualities unfold. It be contained in the realm of probability that four Colossal Ten groups would perchance perchance also produce entry to a 12-personnel field.
But all over again, RJ has made the correct make a selection right here by turning his attention to the SEC. Georgia and Texas can replicate Ohio Disclose and Oregon as top-tier groups whose eventual inclusion in the CFP feels largely inevitable. Ole Miss, Alabama and Missouri will no longer be far at the lend a hand of in the 2nd tier. What separates the SEC from the Colossal Ten is the series of groups vulnerable to be ranked in the younger folks of this three hundred and sixty five days’s preseason poll, meaning they’re effectively within inserting distance of cracking the close 12. This involves purposes like LSU, Tennessee and Oklahoma, all of whom would be talented sufficient to total 9-3 — or better — and arrangement an at-gigantic berth. With no no longer as much as eight groups in the dialog, it be hard to deem any league getting more groups into the playoff than the SEC.
Michael Cohen covers faculty football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Colossal Ten. Inform him on Twitter at @Michael_Cohen13 .
RJ Younger is a nationwide faculty football creator and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast ” The Number One Faculty Football Display. ” Inform him on Twitter at @RJ_Young and subscribe to “The RJ Younger Display” on YouTube .
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