Tag: College Football Playoffs

‘Who’s that?’ Clemson football star says he’s never heard of Matthew McConaughey

On the lighter side of things…

After his team’s 34-31 victory over the SMU Mustangs to win the ACC Championship, Clemson Tigers coach Dabo Swinney exclaimed: “I’m gonna meet Matthew McConaughey!”

Clemson (10-3 overall) faces the Texas Longhorns (11-2) in the first round of the College Football Playoffs Saturday at 4 p.m. ET at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. The game can be seen on TNT.

McConaughey, a Texas super fan who has often been spotted at Longhorns games for many years and has been a guest on ESPN’s “College GameDay,” is a professor of practice at UT’s Moody College of Communication, the university’s website boasts.

None of that seems to have made an impression on Clemson’s T.J. Parker. The star defensive lineman, who leads the team with 11 sacks and six forced fumbles, said at the end of his media session with reporters on Tuesday that he had never heard of McConaughey.

“No, who’s that?” Parker said in response to a reporter who asked if the defensive end was a fan of McConaughey’s.

When told that McConaughey was an actor, Parker said:

“I don’t know who that is. I may know his face, but not by name. I don’t know him.”

Not everyone shares Swinney’s enthusiasm for meeting the Dazed and Confused star, it seems. Alright, alright, alright then.

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ESPN analyst picks Clemson to win the National Championship in a wild bracket

This ESPN analyst sees Clemson shocking everyone.

ESPN analyst Sam Acho made bold predictions for the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, shocking many by picking Clemson as the national champion.

Acho pointed to the Tigers’ improvement throughout the season as a reason for his pick, highlighting the development of younger players like receivers T.J. Moore and Bryant Wesco Jr., as well as quarterback Cade Klubnik. “They’ve gotten better,” Acho said during ESPN’s Championship Drive. Clemson learned from its rough opener against Georgia, where it trailed just 6-0 at halftime before being blown out.

Clemson (10-3) earned its playoff spot after edging SMU in the ACC Championship Game, securing the No. 12 seed. They’re set to face No. 5 seed Texas (11-2) in the first round on Dec. 21 in Austin. Despite being an 11-point underdog, Acho predicts Clemson will upset Texas and move on to face No. 4 Arizona State.

Acho believes Clemson’s playoff run won’t stop there. He sees the Tigers defeating Arizona State in the quarterfinals and then shocking top-seeded Oregon in the semifinals, citing standout linebacker Barrett Carter and cornerback Avieon Terrell as keys to Clemson’s success.

Acho’s bracket has Clemson meeting Georgia in the championship game, a rematch of their season opener where the Bulldogs dominated 34-3. This time, however, Acho expects Clemson to get its revenge and claim its third national title under Dabo Swinney.

“They snuck into the playoff, but Clemson is talented,” Acho explained. “This team can pull off upsets and surprise everyone.

Dabo Swinney on Clemson facing former Tigers’ star Andrew Mukuba

Swinney on facing Mukuba in the College Football Playoffs.

Clemson football’s College Football Playoff matchup against Texas will bring an interesting twist: the Tigers will face one of their former players, Andrew Mukuba. The defensive back, who spent three seasons at Clemson, now plays a key role in the Longhorns’ secondary.

After announcing the playoff field, Dabo Swinney shared his thoughts on Mukuba during a media call. Mukuba joined Clemson’s 2021 recruiting class during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, an experience Swinney vividly recalled.

“I have so much love for that kid,” Swinney said. “He committed without ever stepping foot on campus because of COVID restrictions. The first time I met him was when he arrived here. It was such a strange time, but his energy and heart were incredible. He made a big impression from day one.”
Mukuba wasted no time becoming a difference-maker. As a freshman, he started Clemson’s season opener, a rare feat, and earned national and conference honors for his performance. Over his career with the Tigers, he tallied 149 tackles, 20 pass breakups, and an interception, becoming a key figure in the secondary.

“He gave us everything he had,” Swinney said. “I wish his journey could’ve finished here, but he wanted to go back home, and I respect that. He’s an excellent player, and I’m thrilled he’s doing so well this year. He’s had an outstanding season.”

At Texas, Mukuba has continued to shine. He’s appeared in all 12 games, starting nine, and has racked up 52 tackles, four interceptions, 10 passes defended, and a forced fumble—proving to be a major contributor to the Longhorns’ success.

Who Ohio State football would face in the CFP if the season ended today

If the college football season ended today, the Ohio State Buckeyes would face the Clemson Tigers, who jumped to No. 12.

The polls had some major reconstruction to do as numerous teams ranked between 5 and 20 lost this past weekend and will ultimately have things shaken up when the College Football Playoff official ranking comes out on Tuesday.

The Ohio State Buckeyes took care of business though and throttled the Indiana Hoosers at home 38-15.

They will remain at No. 2 in almost every poll, still sitting behind the Oregon Ducks, the only team to take down the Buckeyes this season. For now, we can base our perspective on the US LBM Coaches Poll, which has the Buckeyes at No. 2.

However, it’s necessary to remember that, if Oregon stays atop the Big Ten to end the season, it would be the No. 1 seed and Ohio State wouldn’t get a first-round bye, meaning it would come in at No. 5 and play the No. 12 seed.

In this scenario, the Buckeyes will be facing the Clemson Tigers, who will face the No. 14 South Carolina Gamecocks to close out the regular season on Saturday. Just to get two opinions, the AP Poll agrees.

Considering the Tigers were destroyed by Georgia 34-3 earlier on in the season and don’t have many impressive wins since, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem for the Buckeyes should it play out that way.

However, it would be ignorant not to think things will change drastically in the coming weeks, so bucket up and get ready for the ride that is Michigan-Ohio State and then conference championships in the coming month.

Dabo Swinney on why Clemson is a College Football Playoff team for the 12-team format

Swinney on Clemson as a playoff contender.

Clemson football showed its grit in a hard-fought 24-20 win over Pitt on Saturday, overcoming a mountain of injuries to stay in the fight for a strong finish to the season.

The Tigers, ranked No. 20, came into the game missing five offensive linemen and lost another, Elyjah Thurmon, on the first play. They were also without linebacker Wade Woodaz and lost Sammy Brown to a targeting ejection in the first half. Despite everything, they rallied to pull off the comeback.

“We’re 8-2 with just one loss in the ACC,” head coach Dabo Swinney said after the game. “We’ve had to overcome so much—four starting offensive linemen out, no Wade, no Sammy—and still, guys are stepping up all over the place.” Swinney pointed to the team’s unbeaten road record this year, something Clemson has only accomplished ten times in its long history.

Swinney is confident that his team is built for the spotlight and has the talent to compete if they get a shot at the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff. “Winning is hard,” he said. “We’ve beaten every team that beat us last year except Duke, who we didn’t play. Cade [Klubnik] is right there statistically with Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence. Our young skills are improving weekly, and the defense is playing its best football.”

Still, Clemson’s path to the playoffs is narrow. They need to win out, claim the ACC title, and hope for some chaos elsewhere. “We’re in the fight, and that’s all you can ask for,” Swinney said. “We need some help, but we just have to handle our business and finish 10-2.”

Next up, the Tigers host The Citadel, looking to secure their 14th straight season with at least nine wins—a feat only Alabama has matched. But for this team, that’s not the ultimate goal. “This team believes,” Swinney said. “They’ve proven they can compete on the big stage. If they want a shot, they’ll need to finish strong.”

New CFP projections could have Ohio State-Oregon rematch in semifinals

If you trust Bleacher Report to make predictions, then fans may get a CFP semifinal matchup with Ohio State battling Oregon.

Unfortunately, if Ohio State doesn’t win the Big Ten Championship Game, it won’t be getting a coveted first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.

With Northwestern on the road then Indiana and Michigan at home to finish the season, the Buckeyes will be highly expected to take on the Oregon Ducks in a rematch of the lone Ohio State loss this season.

That might not be their only battle though.

According to a CFP projection from Bleacher Report’s Joe Tansey, the two opponents could meet in the semifinal, obviously should both win their quarterfinal games and Ohio State win its first-round battle.

In these rankings, Ohio State will base Boise State and then, if it wins, face BYU before a potential rematch with Oregon. For Oregon, it would have to beat the winner of Tennessee and Indiana.

Now, with three weeks and conference championship games still on the horizon, these are destined to change at least a bit from the final AP product.

However, if you’re the Buckeyes, one should be wetting their beak at the chance to take on and potentially eliminate the Ducks, who took them down in Eugene earlier in the season.

Ohio State football topped Georgia, and the CFP chair explains why

The Ohio State Buckeyes and Georgia Bulldogs both have one loss, but the Buckeyes came out on top. Here’s why.

The Ohio State Buckeyes beat the then-undefeated Penn State Nittany Lions Saturday.

While the game ended 20-13, it didn’t feel that close as the Nittany Lions totaled just six points offensively with that lone touchdown coming on the defensive side as Will Howard threw a pick-six in the first quarter.

Nonetheless, the Buckeyes rebounded and came out on top in front of a record crowd at Beaver Stadium. Just a few days later, they were placed No. 2 by the College Football Playoffs Committee.

CFP chair Warde Manuel, who also serves as the Michigan AD, talked about why the Buckeyes were ranked over the Georgia Bulldogs, who had been No. 2 in a plethora of other polls.

Here’s his explanation.

“Well, both are solid teams, as you know. Ohio State’s one loss on the road was against the No. 1 team, and they lost by one. They had an impressive win this past weekend at Penn State, and they have been very consistent. Top-5 defense. They have had changes on the offensive line but still performed, as you know, and Will Howard and Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, those three have really moved the offense. So for us, it was the consistency. Georgia, very good team, great win against Texas, a win over Clemson. Consistency in terms of their offense. They’ve had some inconsistencies there, but they have great defense, and they’re allowing only 17 points per game,” Manuel said via Letterman Row.

Here’s a full picture of the ranking.

While these rankings favor the Buckeyes, there is still a month of football left prior to any postseason play.

Ohio State will have a home battle against the Purdue Boilermakers, a side that has yet to win a conference game this season, this weekend. It has Northwestern, Indiana and Michigan in the following games to wrap up the season.

How would Ohio State football matchup in hypothetical battle with Boise State

The Ohio State Buckeyes could draw Boise State if all things stayed the same in a few months. How might they fair in the battle?

The Buckeyes are on a crash course for the Big Ten Championship Game.

While a rematch with Oregon and ultimately staking their claim as Big Ten Champions feels ideal, the College Football Committee can’t back that into their predictions, and the Ducks are the top team in the country and one of the lone undefeated teams left.

That means the Buckeyes, despite being a top-four team in the nation, still won’t have a first-round bye. In the latest CFP rankings, which can be seen below, that means Ohio State would take on Boise State.

When talking about the Broncos, one must mention running back Ashton Jeanty, who has 1,525 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns, solidifying his name in the Heisman conversation.

However, the Buckeyes sit 10th in the nation in opponents yards per rush attempt, so they shouldn’t be too discouraged by that as Ohio State has one of the best run defenses in the country.

In fact, it should be the opposite. Boise State has given up 45 to Georgia Souther, 37 to Oregon, 30 to Utah State and 24 in back-to-back weeks against San Diego State and UNLV. That’s going to signal opportunity for the Buckeyes offense to find some ground.

That said, the Buckeyes should matchup well, as they can limit what Boise State does best while ideally being able to march down the field on a defense that hasn’t been succeeded at a high level this season.

CFP rankings release show: Where to watch, live stream for Texas A&M football

Where will Texas A&M rank in the first official College Football Playoff reveal?

Texas A&M’s (7-2, 5-1 SEC) 2024 season hit a bump in the road amid the Aggies improbable seven-game winning streak, running into the buzzsaw inside a backs Williams-Brice Stadium, as South Carolina dismantled the Aggies 44-20 behind a 24-0 second half run by the Gamecocks.

Despite the loss, the Aggies are still tied for first in the SEC standings, with the Georiga Bulldogs at 5-1 heading into the second bye week of the season. While A&M’s chances to make the 12-team College Football Playoff remain intact, Tuesday’s first official rankings reveal will paint a clearer picture.

However, Monday’s news that star running back Le’Veon Moss will miss the rest of the season placed a hole in A&M’s offense as the junior leads the Aggies with 765 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns through nine games.

With Moss shelved, junior back Amari Daniels steps in as the lead back, while senior EJ Smith will now have an even more significant role in the backfield.

How to watch College Football Playoff rankings show

TV Channel: ESPN

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch CFP rankings reveal live on Fubo (free trial)” link=”https://www.fubo.tv/welcome/leagues/191261?irad=399332&irmp=1205322&subId1=SMG&subId2=NCAAF&subId3=2024″]

College Football Playoff rankings release date:

Date: Tuesday, November 5th

What time is CFP rankings release?

Start Time: 7 p.m. ET.

Texas A&M CFP rankings projection

Texas A&M moved down to No. 15 in the newest AP Top 25 rankings after losing to South Carolina, so expect the Aggies to be on the outside looking in. If A&M wins out, including a win over the Texas Longhorns, head coach Mike Elko and his team are almost guaranteed a spot in the playoffs, on paper, at least.

How many teams are in the College Football Playoff 2024?

For the first time, 12 teams will participate in the College Football Playoffs. Five automatic bids will go to each of the Power Four conference champions and one to the highest-ranked Group of Five champions. The remaining seven slots will go to the seven at-large teams.

How does the College Football Playoff format work?

The top four seeds will be on a bye as the CFP kicks off. The next four highest-seeded teams will host on-campus playoff games as follows:

  • No. 5 vs No. 12, winner will play No. 4
  • No. 6 vs No. 11, winner will play No. 3
  • No. 7 vs No. 10, winner will play No. 2
  • No. 8 vs No. 9, winner will play No. 1

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

Pair of Big 12 teams in latest CFP projection, BYU not among them

Despite perfect record, BYU not among CFP projections.

The Big 12’s college football regular season is roughly halfway through with each team having played four conference matchups. With five conference games left on each team’s remaining slate, there is still plenty to be determined with the Iowa State Cyclones and BYU Cougars leading the way. Iowa State is the highest-ranked team in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll checking in at No. 10 overall, BYU is on their heels at No. 12.

Beyond the top two teams in the conference, it is crowded at the top with six teams separated by just a game. One of those teams is the Colorado Buffaloes, who just keep winning football games in an impressive turnaround from Year 1 of the Deion Sanders era. The start of the season was a bit rough but Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter have this team humming along. This week the Buffs take on Cincinnati at home.

Before we dive into Week 9 action, Erick Smith of USA TODAY Sports released his weekly bowl projections. There are two teams from the conference projected to make the College Football Playoffs and one of them is not BYU.

College Football Playoff Projections

Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Despite a close call the last time out against the UCF Knights, who have been hot and cold, the Iowa State Cyclones are very much in the thick of the CFP chase. They land at No. 11 overall in Smith’s projections and would face the Oregon Ducks in Eugene in the opening round. That is a tough matchup but perhaps they beat the Ducks in a bowl game again, just as they did in the 2020-21 Playstation Fiesta Bowl?

As for the second team in the projections who hails from the Big 12 we have the Kansas State Wildcats. It might surprise some to see BYU get overlooked but the Wildcats are a proven commodity. They get the nod and based on the projection are viewed as the favorite to win the conference. The only argument and a valid one is BYU’s 38-9 win over Kansas State in Provo, Utah, on Sept. 21.

  • Iowa State vs Oregon (Campus site CFP first-round matchup)
  • Kansas State vs Texas (Fiesta Bowl, CFP quarterfinal matchup)

Big 12 Bowl Projections

Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Of the 16 teams in the conference, 11 are going bowling according to the latest projections.

  • Oklahoma State vs Maryland (Guaranteed Rate Bowl)
  • Cincinnati vs Vanderbilt (Liberty Bowl)
  • Utah vs Missouri (Las Vegas Bowl)
  • Colorado vs Duke (Holiday Bowl)
  • Texas Tech vs Pittsburgh (Pop-Tarts Bowl)
  • BYU vs Washington State (Alamo Bowl)
  • Arizona State vs Tulane (Independence Bowl)
  • TCU vs South Carolina (Texas Bowl)
  • West Virginia vs Marshall (First Responders Bowl)

Who gets left out of the postseason

Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The teams that are left out of the postseason projection all share an identical 1-3 conference record. The only team with one conference win that is projected to make the postseason is the Utah Utes, who are currently 4-3 overall. The Oklahoma State Cowboys are the only team in the Big 12 with a conference win at 0-4, were included in the postseason bowl projections. That’s a bold move Cotton, let’s see if it works out for them.

  • Houston (2-5, 1-3)
  • Baylor (3-4, 1-3)
  • Kansas (2-5, 1-3)
  • UCF (3-4, 1-3)
  • Arizona (3-4, 1-3)

Big 12 standings after Week 8

Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Updated Standings as of Oct. 23:

Team Conference Record Overall Record
BYU Cougars 4-0 7-0
Iowa State Cyclones 4-0 7-0
Kansas State Wildcats 3-1 6-1
Texas Tech Red Raiders 3-1 5-2
Cincinnati Bearcats 3-1 5-2
Colorado Buffaloes 3-1 5-2
Arizona State Sun Devils 2-2 5-2
TCU Horned Frogs 2-2 4-3
West Virginia Mountaineers 2-2 3-4
Arizona Wildcats 1-3 3-4
UCF Knights 1-3 3-4
Kansas Jayhawks 1-3 2-5
Utah Utes 1-3 4-3
Baylor Bears 1-3 3-4
Houston Cougars 1-3 2-5
Oklahoma State Cowboys 0-4 3-4