As Week 7 of college football approaches, we begin to look past one of the craziest days in the sport, possibly dating back to 2007's chaotic season. With upsets nationwide, Georgia handled business and avoided one from its rival, Auburn.
Now, the College Football Playoff picture becomes more muddled, with many teams all vying for a spot, and plenty of the season remains. However, it's time we take a look at what the first-ever 12-team CFP will look like. Here are my predictions.
Power Four Conference Champs:
SEC: Despite the odds not being in Georgia's favor after taking a loss to Alabama, I think that Kirby Smart is going to lead his team to an SEC Championship this season and lock up a first-round bye. Currently, Texas is the odds-on favorite, as they are the only 5-0 team left in the SEC and have looked like the best team when factoring in consistency. However, we'll learn quite a lot about the Longhorns when they host Georgia in under two weeks. That game alone may shape the rest of the SEC season. Even if Georgia wins, it still has tough remaining tests in Tennessee and Ole Miss, which would likely be must-wins to get to Atlanta. However, despite the poor showing at Kentucky and in the first half against Alabama, the team that came back against the Crimson Tide in the fourth quarter looked like one of, if not the, best in the country. If Georgia can find that form again and hit its stride, it remains the best team in the conference.
Big 10: We will learn just about everything we need to know from Ohio State this week when they play at Oregon, but they are currently my pick to win the Big 10. Not only do they have one of the most talented rosters in the country, but they are also extremely well-coached, and I think offensive coordinator Chip Kelly will do wonders for that offense when they can showcase it against top teams. At this point, everyone knows the name Ryan Williams, but how much of the country knows Jeremiah Smith? Georgia fans sure do, and he's already one of the top receivers in the nation. The Buckeyes still have to play Oregon and Penn State on the road, along with Indiana and Michigan at home, but if they can avoid two losses out of those four, they'll be in prime position to win the conference. To go a step further, I think they'll finish undefeated.
ACC: Continuing on the topic of undefeated teams, I think that Miami will finish the regular season without a loss, but they will not win the ACC. Instead, Clemson, the team Georgia dismantled in the second half and everyone wrote off, will reclaim the throne in the ACC, topping Miami. Since Clemson's loss to Georgia, the team has looked outstanding, albeit against weak competition. Quarterback Cade Klubnik has commanded the offense, and they look like a top-10 team in the country. As for Miami, two weeks in a row, they've had games come down to the wire and escaped with victories, both thanks to questionable officiating. The Hurricanes won't be tested much, other than Louisville, but very little has shown me this season that they will beat Clemson for the ACC Championship.
Big 12: The Big 12 is a complete toss-up, but I'm going with the current odds-on favorite in Iowa State. Iowa State has quietly been a great football team throughout the season, with a good win over Iowa on the road. They won't be tested much in the regular season until late when they finish against Utah and Kansas State, but I think the Cyclones, led by Matt Campbell, can make it to the championship game, defeat whoever they face, and clinch a first-round bye in their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.
At-Large Bids:
The at-large bids are where things will get very interesting, and we will quickly see what the playoff committee values most, whether that be record or strength of schedule. There will be seven spots available for teams who did not win their conferences, each playing in the first round, with the 5-8 seeds hosting on campus.
SEC: My remaining SEC at-large teams will be Texas, Alabama, and Texas A&M. While Tennessee is a solid football team, they can't afford losses to both Alabama and Georgia, which I expect them to suffer. Texas is good enough that I believe they will only finish the regular season with one loss, and I also expect Alabama to regroup and handle business moving forward. As for Texas A&M, they've quietly established themselves as a contender in Year 1 under Mike Elko, despite dropping the season opener to Notre Dame. Currently undefeated in conference play, if they can split one of LSU and Texas, both being at home, they'll be in a good position for a CFP berth, assuming they handle business elsewhere.
Big 10: Outside of Ohio State, I think that both Oregon and Penn State will also find themselves in the CFP. Neither of these teams will likely finish with more than one loss, but even with two, barring a "bad" loss, they'll be in.
ACC: I only see one other ACC team making it, and that's undefeated Miami after losing the ACC Championship. They won't have a super impressive win, but finishing the regular season undefeated in the ACC will be more than enough to reach a 12-team playoff.
Independent: Despite owning one of the worst losses in all of college football, falling at home to Northern Illinois, Notre Dame will still find itself in the CFP. They already have a fantastic win against Texas A&M and should go to play USC as a one-loss team. USC is not what we thought, now having lost two games, and the wheels could start to fall off, to the point that I think Notre Dame will be able to defeat them to close out a one-loss season and clinch a CFP spot.
Group of 5 Representative:
With the Heisman front-runner in Ashton Jeanty, Boise State is my pick to be the highest-ranked Group of 5 team that makes the CFP. Currently ranked No. 17, Boise State should win the rest of its games and the Mountain West, as long as they can beat UNLV, which would leave them as a one-loss team (at Oregon) and surely the highest-ranked Go5.
Rankings & Matchups:
With those teams all making it, here's my prediction for the seeding of the bracket and what that will leave us with for first-round matchups.
1. Ohio State
2. Georgia
3. Clemson
4. Iowa State
5. Texas
6. Penn State
7. Oregon
8. Alabama
9. Miami
10. Notre Dame
11. Texas A&M
12. Boise State
No. 12 Boise State @ No. 5 Texas
No. 11 Texas A&M @ No. 6 Penn State
No. 10 Notre Dame @ No. 7 Oregon
No. 9 Miami @ No. 8 Alabama
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