Although the season is just beginning, it is never too early to look ahead to January and preview the College Football Playoff. As the season starts to get underway, let’s examine the college football landscape and look at which teams from the major conferences will be legitimate contenders to reach the Playoff.
First up is the Atlantic Coast Conference, home of the defending national champions, the Clemson University Tigers.
Once again, Clemson appears to be the ACC’s most sound team and could very well be on its way to a third consecutive playoff. The Tigers are looking to Kelly Bryant to assume the mantle of quarterback, following the departure of back-to-back Heisman Trophy finalist Deshaun Watson.
Bryant has some large shoes to fill, and his play will be a critical factor in Clemson’s ability to win in an ultra competitive conference.
If the Tigers are unable to equal their success from the past two seasons, the Louisville University Cardinals are the next most likely team to represent the ACC in the Playoff.
The Cardinals, led by defending Heisman winner Lamar Jackson, will rely on their high-powered offense to lead the way. Clemson and Louisville played what was, in my opinion, the best game of the 2016 regular season. Expect their clash on Sept. 16 this year to be another memorable contest.
The Florida State University Seminoles also seemed poised for a strong season heading into their first game this past weekend.
However, a bleak performance against the University of Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday and a season-ending injury to quarterback Deondre Francois have dashed the Seminoles’ hopes of returning to the Playoff for the first time since the 2014-2015 season.
Next up is the Big Ten Conference, home to four teams that are more than capable of playing for a national championship — Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, University of Michigan and University of Wisconsin.
Each of these four teams has a strong offense as well as a formidable defense that can reliably shut down the opposition. Most of these teams’ strengths are comparable, making it hard to differentiate between them.
Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett and Penn State running back Saquon Barkley are Heisman-caliber playmakers that can give their respective teams an edge in tight games. Meanwhile, Wisconsin has a slight advantage with regard to scheduling. The Wisconsin Badgers are not in the other three teams’ division and will only play against another Big Ten team once during the regular season — a home game against the University of Michigan.
The Michigan Wolverines, on the other hand, will play each of the three teams. Two of those games will be on the road and the other will be at home against an Ohio State team that has not lost to Michigan since 2011.
The Big Ten will arguably be the strongest conference in the nation this year, so do not be surprised if the conference snags two Playoff spots.
After failing to send a team to the Playoff last season, the Big 12 has two teams with the potential to finish the 2017 season in the top four. And no, one of them is not the over-hyped University of Texas Longhorns, who started off the season with a disappointing loss to University of Maryland.
The Conference’s two top teams — University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University — hail from the Sooner State and are on a collision course for what will likely be the Conference’s de facto championship game on Nov. 4 in Stillwater, Okla. Oklahoma State’s schedule is relatively manageable, while Oklahoma has a daunting game at Ohio State this coming Sunday.
Should Oklahoma emerge from Sunday’s game victorious, the hype surrounding them will increase dramatically.
That being said, beating the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus will be no small task. Due to the Conference’s lack of depth, these teams must be absolutely flawless in order to be legitimately considered for a playoff spot.
The Pac-12 has a number of teams that could go on a run and reach the playoffs. The Conference’s strongest teams are the University of Southern California (USC) Trojans and the University of Washington Huskies.
For the time being, however, I am pumping the brakes on expectations for both of these teams. With regard to USC, the Trojans have failed to live up to the lofty expectations that are placed on them on a yearly basis. They were also not particularly impressive in their opening game on Saturday.
As for Washington, the Huskies are relying on regaining their magic from last season, during which they significantly outperformed expectations.
Several other teams, including University of Colorado, Stanford University and Washington State University, could very well make some noise in a conference that remains wide-open.
Additionally, do not forget the University of California, Los Angeles Bruins, who are a potential dark horse. The Bruins, led by star quarterback Josh Rosen — completed a historic come-from-behind victory this past weekend and could very well be a surprise contender this season. The Pac-12’s parity could make for an exciting season; However, the lack of a dominant team in the Big 12 could also end up keeping the Conference out of the Playoff.
Last but not least is the Southeastern Conference, which appears to be the University of Alabama’s to lose. The Crimson Tide was firing on all cylinders in their opening game against Florida State and look more than ready to avenge their second loss in last season’s National Championship.
In the SEC West, Auburn University and Louisiana State University are Alabama’s most formidable threats to reaching a fourth consecutive playoff, but they are just simply not on the same level.
Meanwhile, the SEC East continues to be relatively weak; Do not expect University of Florida, University of Georgia or University of Tennessee to contend with Alabama in a potential SEC Championship Game matchup.
Alabama — led by coach Nick Saban — is simply too well coached and too talented to be stopped and are expected to represent the SEC in the Playoff.
The season is sure to be full of surprises, but for the most part, the teams that have reached the first three college football playoffs have been powerhouse schools that lived up to their high expectations.
Of course, more than four teams will have dominant seasons, which will create an intriguing selection process come December.
With five major conferences fighting for four playoff spots as well as the potential for two teams from a single conference to finish the season in the top four, there will be plenty of intriguing storylines throughout the season and excitement along the way.
I am predicting a playoff comprised of Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma State and Penn State. However, in this sport, the only certainty is uncertainty, and it is nearly impossible to predict what is to come.
