College football playoff system has been a bore

Getting into the tenth and remaining 12 months of the 4-team College Football Playoff, we now have a 2-time defending nationwide champion in Georgia, who’s one in every of solely 5 groups to win a title within the post-BCS period. It’s been an oversaturation on the prime with the identical groups enjoying in an important video games of the 12 months. And in case you’re a type of fortunate handful of groups to expertise a CFP recreation, congratulations. If not, it’s nauseating to see the identical matchups again and again. A breakdown of what’s taken place within the final 9 years of the CFP is downright nuts.

Solely 14 groups have made the CFP, and half of that subject has made a championship recreation. Florida State, Washington, Michigan State and Cincinnati are one and performed in CFP video games. The trio of Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Michigan are a mixed 0-8, with the Sooners proudly owning 4 losses within the playoff by themselves. Oregon within the inaugural CFP and TCU final 12 months have been nationwide runners-up of their solely respective appearances within the playoff. Joe Burrow led LSU to a championship within the Tigers’ solely look within the playoff. Ohio State is the one staff to seem within the CFP no less than 5 instances and solely have one title to indicate for it. Then there’s the dominance of Georgia, Clemson and Alabama to spherical out the group. So which groups exterior that group stand one of the best likelihood to make the CFP this season?

Of the groups ranked within the AP Prime 10, solely Texas, USC and Penn State have never made the CFP. The Longhorns are the one ones of that trio to not have a close to miss of the playoff, with Penn State clearly being the fifth-best staff within the nation in 2016 and USC being one win away from making the playoff final 12 months earlier than shedding the Pac-12 title recreation after which the Cotton Bowl. Increasing to the AP Prime 15, three extra groups which have by no means made the CFP will be added to the listing in Tennessee, Utah, and Kansas State. You may get rid of the Volunteers from breaking that streak this season, after they struggled to blow out FCS-level Austin Peay at house. The opposite 5 aforementioned non-CFPers within the Prime 15 you may’t rule out. Scanning the remainder of the Prime 25, and I don’t see a reliable contender. So we’re down to 5.

Kansas State surviving a harder matchup than most would count on on the highway towards Missouri on Saturday can be a fantastic begin to the Wildcats making a New Yr’s Six bowl for a second straight season. It wouldn’t shock me in any respect to see Texas vs. Kansas State face within the Large 12 championship recreation later this season with CFP implications on the road. I lean towards the Longhorns in that matchup as a result of I’d be silly to wager towards Quinn Ewers. Texas additionally has pretty much as good of a non-conference win as anybody in faculty soccer, profitable on the highway towards Alabama final weekend. My best choice for anybody to buck the development is the Longhorns, with the added context that the Large 12 shall be simpler to maneuver via than the Pac-12 or Large Ten.

I’ll give Utah the worst odds among the many 5 that I imagine could make their first CFP this season. The Pac-12 is simply too rattling robust and with how the Utes have appeared the primary two weeks, struggling just a few losses alongside the way in which appears possible. If Texas doesn’t make it, I’ll give one of the best odds to Penn State. There shall be a much bigger goal on USC this season, with Caleb Williams nonetheless on the core of that staff. By some means, it feels just like the Nittany Lions may be underrated in Large Ten circles with Ohio State and Michigan dominating these conversations.

Need an out-of-this-world crazy prediction for an additional staff? Wyoming. The Cowboys have already knocked off Texas Tech this season and a spot is open for a Group of 5 contender with Tulane shedding to Ole Miss. Who does Wyoming play this weekend? Texas. A win over the closely favored Longhorns and the Cowboys shall be on the CFP radar the remainder of the season so long as they keep undefeated.