The College Football Playoff field was revealed on Sunday afternoon. While there were a couple surprises when it comes to who made it and who didn’t, Ohio State’s road to back-to-back titles went about as expected after the Buckeyes lost to Indiana 13-10 on Saturday night in the Big Ten Championship Game.
So what stands out the most about this year’s playoff field? There are some fun games in the first round, as well as possible matchups later in the playoff. There are also some potential duds on the first weekend.
Today we break down what’s good and what’s bad when it comes to this year’s CFP field.
Worst matchups of the first round
James Madison vs. Oregon | Tulane vs. Ole Miss
James Madison making the College Football Playoff is an incredible story. Unfortunately the fairy tale will be over and the Dukes will turn back into a pumpkin on Dec. 20.
Remember when Oregon absolutely destroyed Liberty in a New Year’s Six game a few years ago? This game will likely look a lot like that contest. The only game James Madison played against a Power 4 school was a 28-14 loss at Louisville.
Even though I’m sure Bob Chesney’s team felt good about hanging around the Cardinals, it doesn’t inspire much confidence when it comes to an upset attempt in Eugene.
Oregon is a serious threat to win it all after their only loss of the season came to Indiana. Dan Lanning will have his team ready to run through walls after they lost in the Rose Bowl to Ohio State last year. It also doesn’t help James Madison that the Ducks will have a few weeks to get healthier after dealing with some injuries to receivers late in the season.
There’s no reason this game should be anything less than a three touchdown Oregon win.
There certainly will be some intrigue when it comes to how Ole Miss will perform in the playoff now that Lane Kiffin is at LSU. Tulane has their own coaching concerns since Jon Sumrall has accepted the head coaching job at Florida.
Even though Sumrall will coach the Green Wave through the end of the playoff, who knows how focused he’ll be with trying to balance closing out his time at Tulane and setting the Gators up for the future.
These teams actually played earlier in the season and Ole Miss destroyed Tulane 45-10 in Oxford. The Rebels rolled up over 500 yards of offense on the Green Wave and that was with Trinidad Chambliss still adjusting to being the starting quarterback.
Things haven’t changed much in a couple months so this has the makings of another blowout.
Best first round matchup
Miami v. Texas A&M
Obviously this game is the most important of the first round to Buckeye Nation since it will decide who Ohio State meets in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
The Hurricanes had to campaign hard the last few weeks that their head-to-head win over Notre Dame to start the season should be enough to put them in the field over the Fighting Irish. Should Miami win they’ll be looking for a bit of revenge on the Buckeyes for what happened in the BCS National Championship game to end the 2002 season.
Even though the Yell Leaders are weird as hell, it should be an amazing atmosphere in College Station for the first game of Saturday’s trip of CFP battles. The Aggies have some tremendous athletes, so between the two teams there will be speed all over the field.
Texas A&M squandered their chance at an SEC title and a first round bye when they lost to Texas the day after Thanksgiving, which will make it interesting to see how they respond after not playing for nearly a month.
Who will Ohio State play in the Cotton Bowl?
Texas A&M
As much as I would like to see the Buckeye defense do unspeakable things to Carson Beck, I think Texas A&M is the better team.
It also doesn’t hurt that I trust Mike Elko a lot more than Mario Cristobal, especially if the game is close late. Between having the home crowd behind them, as well as being tested more by playing in a tougher conference, Texas A&M should move on to the quarterfinals.
Last year Ohio State went to Dallas and beat Texas in the Cotton Bowl, so the Buckeyes might as well continue their ownership of the Lone Star State and do the same to Texas A&M!
What could await the Buckeyes after the Cotton Bowl?
Georgia in the Fiesta Bowl
Is there a chance Ole Miss could avenge their loss to the Bulldogs from earlier in the season? Of course there is. Will it happen? I wouldn’t bet on it.
Georgia is finding their stride and should be too tough for the Rebels in the Sugar Bowl.
Had Ohio State beaten Georgia in the Peach Bowl a couple years ago they likely would have gone on to beat TCU in the title game. Now the Buckeyes have the chance to beat the Bulldogs on a truly neutral field. For as tough and mean as Georgia is, the Ohio State defense could make life miserable for quarterback Gunner Stockton.
The Bulldogs are inconsistent on offense, which could lead to the Buckeyes making their second straight appearance in the title game.
Other potential fun matchups beyond the first round
Oregon v. Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl | Oregon/Texas Tech v. Indiana in the Peach Bowl
I remember a few years ago the Ducks and Red Raiders met in a thrilling contest in Lubbock with nowhere near as much on the line. Now they will likely meet with a spot in the semifinals up for grabs. The thought of the Texas Tech defense trying to slow down Dante Moore and the Ducks is very interesting. The Red Raiders have been the best defense aside from Ohio State and Indiana this season.
Then the winner likely will go on to play Indiana in the Peach Bowl. No offense to Alabama or Oklahoma but neither team has that dog in them to keep up with the Hoosiers. Indiana showed why they are the best team in the country, grinding out a win over Ohio State on Saturday night.
Personally, it’d be loads of fun to watch probable Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza try to solve Jacob Rodriguez and the Texas Tech defense. If Oregon ends up in Atlanta then the Ducks will try and reverse the script from last year, and beat the top-ranked team after they were downed in the same position last season.
Who do we see in the championship game?
Ohio State and Indiana
This is likely a boring answer to everyone who isn’t a Buckeye or Hoosiers fan. Honestly though, who doesn’t want to see the two teams battle again after what happened on Saturday night in Indianapolis? There’s no question these are the two best teams in the country.
Much like last year when Ohio State lost a tight game to Oregon and then beat the Ducks in the playoff, this has a lot of the same feel. Hopefully Ryan Day locks himself inside the WHAC for the next month to get his mind right for the CFP.
If the Buckeyes don’t shoot themselves in the foot with some awful coaching decisions like they did on Saturday night, the result plays out differently. Indiana got their first Big Ten title since 1967 but Ohio State gets the championship that truly matters.
The good news for Buckeye Nation is last year the entered the playoff after a 13-10 loss and went on to roll in each of their next four games. This year Ohio State will only have to play three games, but the script could look very similar.
