Written by: TJ Inman
After the emotional and thrilling Big Ten Championship Game, it was a foregone conclusion that the Indiana Hoosiers would be named as the number one seed on Sunday afternoon. Nonetheless, it was remarkable to hear ESPN’s Rece Davis utter the words: “The number one seed: the 13-0 Big Ten Champions, the Indiana Hoosiers”. Indiana is unbeaten and will be in the Rose Bowl, awaiting the winner of the Oklahoma versus Alabama winner. Let’s breakdown the entire 12-team bracket for the College Football Playoff as the battle for the National Championship begins.
Indiana’s Path to a National Championship
The Hoosiers know they will be playing the winner of the Oklahoma and Alabama and if they win, they will advance to the Peach Bowl and see either #12 James Madison, #5 Oregon or #4 Texas Tech. The opponent in the National Championship Game will come from the other half of the bracket and will be one of: #2 Georgia, #3 Ohio State, #6 Ole Miss, #7 Texas A&M, #10 Miami and #11 Tulane Green Wave.
If “chalk” were to hold, Indiana would play Alabama (the Tide are favored) in Pasadena followed by a matchup with Texas Tech (although Oregon would likely be favored) in Atlanta and then a clash with either Georgia or Ohio State in the National Championship Game.
First Round Matchups
#12 James Madison at #5 Oregon Ducks – December 20 at 7:30 pm
The Oregon Ducks enter the College Football Playoff at 11-1 with the lone loss coming at Autzen Stadium to the Indiana Hoosiers. The Ducks are hosting James Madison, the champions of the Sun Belt Conference. JMU head coach Bob Chesney is remaining with the team until their season is over. Once that occurs, he’ll migrate West and take over as the head coach for the UCLA Bruins.
The Dukes have played one power conference opponent: a week two defeat at Louisville by a score of 28-14. Oregon is hoping the three weeks of rest they will have before this game will get them healthy, particularly at the wide receiver position, and allow them to advance further than they did last season. Oregon will have a gigantic advantage at the lines of scrimmage and should breeze through this matchup.
Line: James Madison at Oregon (-20.5)
#9 Alabama Crimson Tide at #8 Oklahoma Sooners – December 19 at 8:00 pm
The Alabama Crimson Tide lost to Georgia in a lopsided SEC Championship Game and became the first team to make the College Football Playoff with three losses (they are 10-3). To be blunt, for the past six games, Alabama has not looked like a team that should be in the bracket.
It took a bit of miracle to win at South Carolina (the 4-8 Gamecocks), they were rather pedestrian at home against LSU, lost to Oklahoma in Tuscaloosa 23-21, were outgained by 131 yards by Auburn and then got handled 28-7 by Georgia. The Tide have some very good receivers and a dangerous passing game led by Ty Simpson and the defense has plenty of great athletes but the offensive line leaves a bit to be desired and they don’t really have a running game to speak of. There’s plenty of reason to hope though.
Just a few weeks ago, Alabama outgained Oklahoma 406-212 as Ty Simpson threw for 326 yards and it took three Crimson Tide turnovers for Oklahoma to pull out a 23-21 victory. The rematch occurs in Norman and OU brings an elite defense to the CFP field. Oklahoma had a brutally difficult schedule and amassed wins over Michigan (24-13), Tennessee (33-27), Alabama (23-21) and Missouri (17-6).
John Mateer is a dangerous runner and an extremely inconsistent passer that appears to struggle to see the field and can be fooled by defensive coverages. The strength of this team is on the defensive line. They shift upfront a ton in order to create confusion and then get after the opposing quarterback as well as any team in the country.
Line: Alabama (-1.5) at Oklahoma
#10 Miami Hurricanes at #7 Texas A&M Aggies – December 20 at Noon
We won’t spend much time previewing the other half of the bracket just yet but this clash in College Station could be the most entertaining of the first round games. Miami squeaked into the field thanks to the head-to-head victory over Notre Dame and a 10-2 record. They are the lone representative from the ACC. For those that have not seen him play, keep an eye on ‘Canes receiver Malachi Toney. The freshman is a dynamo with the ability to change the game every time he touches the ball.
Texas A&M is 11-1 but they do look like they peaked midway through the season and were operating on fumes coming down the stretch. Texas A&M can rush the passer really well on defense and they have a lot of explosiveness on offense plus the ability to pound the rock with the running game. The winner of this game will play the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl.
Line: Miami at Texas A&M (-3.5)
#11 Tulane Green Wave at #6 Ole Miss Rebels – December 20 at 3:30
We have seen this exact game before and it was not pretty. The two met in Oxford in week four and Ole Miss drubbed the Green Wave 45-10. The Rebels had 548 yards to Tulane’s 282 and the Green Wave were unable to get anything going through the air, throwing for just 104 yards. Tulane has likely gotten much better and Ole Miss will be playing without Lane Kiffin but the first matchup was uncompetitive. The winner will take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Orange Bowl.
Line: Tulane at Ole Miss (-16.5)