Tag: 2024 college football playoff

Oregon to host a first-round playoff game in latest CBS projection

According to Jelly Palm of CBS Sports, 6-seed Oregon will host 11-seed Kansas State in the expended playoff format.

It’s hard to imagine a bigger game at Autzen Stadium this season than when No. 2 Ohio State comes to town to play No. 3 Oregon on Oct. 12. That’s assuming those rankings hold in a month into the season.

But according to CBS Sports writer Jerry Palm, an even bigger matchup is projected for Autzen.

Palm has projected the Ducks will be seeded No. 6 in the expanded playoff format and will host 11-seed Kansas State with the winner playing No. 3 Utah in the quarterfinals at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.

Oregon last played the Wildcats in the 2013 Fiesta Bowl. It’s the only time the two teams have met. That game was highlighted with De’Anthony Thomas returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown and it was all downhill for K-State.

If this prediction comes true, it would be interesting to see the turnout for the Peach Bowl, which would host two teams not in the SEC in the heart of SEC country.

Oregon is no stranger to facing the Utes as Utah turned into somewhat of a rival for the Ducks during their time in the Pac-12. The two teams have clashed and had some classic games, including last season when the Ducks marched into Salt Lake City and crushed then No. 13 Utah 35-6.

But the Utes are favored to in their new conference, the Big XII and with quarterback Cameron Rising returning from injury, Utah would be a formidable foe in what would be one of the better quarterfinal matchups.

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Texas A&M is predicted to make the College Football Playoffs by CBS analyst

One analyst has high expectations for Texas A&M ahead of Mike Elko’s first season

Texas A&M’s 2024 season will start and end in high-profile fashion, hosting Notre Dame to open the season, while the Lone Star Showdown vs. Texas will resume more than a decade after the Longhorns transitioned to the SEC this summer.

This month, progress has been made on both sides of the ball. At the same time, the defense has unsurprisingly taken center stage due to the dangerous pass rush duo of defensive ends Nic Scourton and Shemar Stewart, who are both poised to wreak havoc on most of the quarterbacks they face.

However, under new offensive coordinator Collin Klein, starting quarterback Conner Weigman, who is coming off a season-ending injury after four games last season, has continued to adjust to his scheme, which will feature tight end-heavy sets with more use of running backs in the passing game.

Avoiding Alabama and Ole Miss for the first time since entering the SEC back in 2012, the schedule is challenging but manageable if everything falls in place and the offense can consistently put more points on the board. While the national predictions for Texas A&M vary from 7 to even 10 wins, one analyst is much higher on the Aggie’s playoff chances.

According to CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm, Texas A&M is predicted to make the College Football Playoffs as an 8-seed. The Aggies would face 9-seed Penn State with a chance to face No. 1-seed Georgia in late December.

Just a thought: it’s very interesting how high some analysts are on Texas A&M’s playoff chances compared to those who view this season as a one-off because it is Mike Elko’s first season. However, this roster is too talented not to challenge every team they face every week, so Jerry Palm may be onto something.

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USC’s early 2023 title odds are a steal thanks to the best returning quarterback in college football

While other title favorites will have new quarterbacks under center, USC is returning Heisman winner Caleb Williams.

The Pac-12 hasn’t had a national champion since Reggie Bush mesmerized the world with his Heisman-winning moves as part of a star-studded USC team that claimed two titles in the early 2000s.

If that sounds like a long time, it is. Bush was just elected to the College Football Hall of Fame on Monday.

USC’s latest Heisman winner, quarterback Caleb Williams, has a chance to change that in what will be the Trojans’ final Pac-12 season in 2023.

USC has 13-1 odds to win the title next season, tied for fifth shortest at Tipico Sportsbook behind the usual suspects from the SEC and Big Ten: Georgia, Alabama, Michigan and Ohio State. USC has something those teams don’t, though, and that’s the best returning quarterback in college football. Williams’ odds to win next year’s Heisman are the best by a lot.

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That’s not all. USC’s rising junior class (2021) ranked eighth in the country, according to 247Sports, the school’s best recruiting class since 2017. In 2022, USC had the sixth-best overall class, including transfers. Between the two years, the program brought in four five-stars and 25 four-stars.

Many of those players will return after contributing to a team that had CFP hopes this past season, going 11-3 and reaching an AP rank as high as No. 4. The Trojans will also have key seniors returning at important positions like wide receiver and defensive back.

In the end, though, it all comes back to Williams. USC won’t out-talent the teams with better title odds at any position but quarterback. Georgia is losing Stetson Bennett, Alabama losing Bryce Young, Ohio State C.J. Stroud. Of the top teams, only Michigan is expected to return their starter, J.J. McCarthy.

Then, there’s Williams. The clear best quarterback in the country and enough to make USC’s early title odds a steal.

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