Category: College Football Playoffs

Texas rolls past Alabama into the College Football Playoff picture

Who would match up with Texas if the CFP began today according to Erick Smith of USA TODAY Sports?

Last week it was the Florida State Seminoles who found their way into the College Football Playoffs according to the first bowl projections of the season. This time around, it is another legendary program making the cut.

The [autotag]Texas Longhorns[/autotag] haven’t made the field of four teams in the CFP since we moved from the BCS model to the four-team playoff. The Longhorns are getting plenty of love after Quinn Ewers led the team to the 34-24 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide.

If the projections held true then we would see a rematch of the 2005 Rose Bowl between the Longhorns and the Michigan Wolverines. It was an entertaining game that ended with a 38-37 Texas victory. It was also the beginning of a magical run back to the Rose Bowl for the Longhorns, who defeated USC 41-38 for the BCS national championship. Michigan and Texas are also set to meet on Sept. 7 in Ann Arbor in 2024.

Erick Smith has released his latest bowl projections. Our focus is on the New Years Six and College Football Playoffs.

Bowl Game Affiliations Matchup
CFP title game Semifinal winners Georgia vs Michigan
Sugar Bowl CFP semifinals Georgia vs. Florida State
Rose Bowl CFP semifinals Michigan vs. Texas
Fiesta Bowl At-large vs. At-large Washington vs. Ohio State
Orange Bowl ACC vs. Big Ten/SEC Clemson vs. Penn State
Peach Bowl At-large vs. At-large Alabama vs. Tulane
Cotton Bowl At-large vs. At-large Kansas State vs. Notre Dame

For the rest of the bowl matchup projections, check out Erick Smith’s list.

Florida State jumps into the CFP picture in latest bowl predictions

Who would match up with Florida State if the CFP began today according to Erick Smith of USA TODAY Sports?

The [autotag]Florida State Seminoles[/autotag] shook up the College Football Playoff picture in Week 1. That might be a bit of a knee-jerk reaction but it is what makes this sport so great. Mostly because they very much could have accomplished that feat.

Heading into the weekend, many believed that the LSU Tigers would be among those fighting for a spot in the CFP. However, for the second straight season, they find themselves 0-1 after a loss to FSU. There is still plenty of time to fight their way into the CFP title picture.

Another team that was upset this past weekend was the Clemson Tigers. Their loss to the Duke Blue Devils put them behind in the ACC already. With a resurgent Florida State program, it will put even more pressure on that Week 4 matchup.

While it is extremely early in the season, Erick Smith has released his latest bowl projections. Our focus is on the New Years Six and College Football Playoffs.

Bowl Game Affiliations Matchup
CFP title game Semifinal winners Georgia vs. Alabama
Sugar Bowl CFP semifinals Georgia vs. Florida State
Rose Bowl CFP semifinals Michigan vs. Alabama
Fiesta Bowl At-large vs. At-large Washington vs. Ohio State
Orange Bowl ACC vs. Big Ten/SEC Clemson vs. Penn State
Peach Bowl At-large vs. At-large Notre Dame vs. Tulane
Cotton Bowl At-large vs. At-large Texas vs. Oregon

For the rest of the bowl matchup projections, check out Erick Smith’s list.

College Football Playoff crashers: Who can be this year’s TCU?

These five teams could crash the party in 2023 if they can overcome a big obstacle.

Over the last couple of seasons we have seen the Cincinnati Bearcats, Michigan Wolverines, and TCU Horned Frogs make their first trip to the College Football Playoffs. Everyone is looking for the next story to follow throughout the season. So could be the 2023-24 version of TCU? A team that came out of nowhere to make the CFP?

We will steer clear of teams such as the Washington Huskies, Michigan State Spartans, and Oregon Ducks, who haven’t been to the annual invitational in some time. We are looking for the first-timers.

There are plenty of options but we nail it down to our five best options to crash the College Football Playoffs as the 2023 college football season gets underway.

These five teams have the toughest path to the playoffs in 2023

Who has the toughest road to the CFP invitational in 2023?

The path to the College Football Playoffs isn’t always an easy one. We recently dove into the contenders with the easiest road, the two-time defending champs have the easiest one per our rankings.

On the flip side, there are five teams who could be contenders in 2023, that will have to work harder to make it to the four-team tournament at the end of the season.

There are no TCU Horned Frogs on this list but another Big 12 team could make a run this upcoming season. However, their road will be filled with obstacles trying to prevent them from getting in.

As we move closer to the start of college football in 2023, we check in on our five toughest roads to the CFP.

These five teams have the easiest path to the playoffs in 2023

Which contenders have the easiest path to the CFP in 2023? CSW breaks down five teams who have a great shot based on the schedule.

When it comes to getting to the College Football Playoffs, some teams have easier paths than others.

This will change in the 2024 season when the field expands to 12 teams, giving all five power conferences an automatic bid for champions. Six more teams will have at-large bids and the highest-ranked Group of Five team will also get their ticket punched to the new-look playoff.

However, this upcoming season it will be the top four teams heading to the annual tournament. Last season it was two Big Ten teams, one from the SEC, and one from the Big 12 battling it out for the trophy. It was the Georgia Bulldogs who reigned supreme for the second straight season.

Following the completion of spring football and the second transfer portal window now closed, we take a look at our easiest path to the playoffs in 2023.

LOOK: CFP committee reveals what the 2022 field expanded to 12 would have looked like

CFP committee showed what the 2022 playoffs would have looked like with 2024 rules and game sites.

The college football landscape will have many changes when they kick off the 2024 season. Not only will the Oklahoma Sooners, UCLA Bruins, USC Trojans, and Texas Longhorns change conferences, but we will also have expanded playoffs.

The new rules will give all five power conferences an automatic bid with the highest-seeded Group of Five school earning the sixth automatic bid. The next six spots will be given to the highest-ranked teams. The top four seeds will be based on the four highest-ranked conference champions getting bye weeks.

The College Football Playoff committee distributed the matchups for the 2022 field if they were using the expanded field.

No. 1 Georgia would have played the Tennessee-Kansas State winner in the Sugar Bowl. No. 4 Utah would have played the TCU-Tulane winner in the Fiesta Bowl. No. 3 Clemson would have played the Ohio State–Penn State winner in the Peach Bowl. And finally, No. 2 Michigan would have played the Alabama–USC winner in the Rose Bowl.

That field would have been fun to watch. Bill Hancock also confirmed the first-round CFP games that begin in 2024 will have one game on Friday and three on Saturday. Semifinal games will be held during the week to avoid going head-to-head with the NFL playoffs.

The 12-team playoffs can’t get here fast enough.

Buy or Sell these 12 teams as contenders in the 2023 season

College Wire regional editor Patrick Conn breaks down the contenders and pretenders for the CFP in 2023.

The 2023 college football season is going to be one fascinating season. The biggest storyline involves the Georgia Bulldogs chasing history as the second team to win three straight titles.

However, that will be easier said than done. The team returns some talent but also loses a good chunk to the NFL draft once again. They have to figure out who will be the quarterback of their team much like the Alabama Crimson Tide and Ohio State Buckeyes.

There were some surprise teams a season ago with the Florida State Seminoles winning 10 games. First-year head coaches took center stage and we saw some quick turnarounds such as the LSU Tigers under Brian Kelly and the USC Trojans under Lincoln Riley.

As spring football draws to a close, we are breaking down the College Football Playoff contenders for the upcoming season. Do you buy or sell on these 12 contenders?

What would a CFP field look like if compared to the NCAA men’s Final Four?

Making a CFP field that is reminiscent of this year’s NCAA men’s Final Four.

This year’s Final Four field is a bit different than years past. There are no “Blue Bloods” among the teams competing for the national championship. Unless you consider UConn among the blue-blood squads. If you ask Miami head coach Jim Larrañaga, they definitely are.

The Huskies are the only team that has been on this stage before but it has been nine years since they cut down the nets. San Diego State, Florida Atlantic, and Miami are all vying to win their school’s first title.

How would this relate to the College Football Playoff? The upcoming college football season will be the last time that we see the field of four for the annual tournament to determine the national champions. Starting in 2024 there will be 12 teams competing for the title.

In the spirit of having a unique field of four in the College Football Playoffs, College Sports Wire tried to compare how that field would relate to this year’s NCAA men’s basketball Final Four field.