Anticipation is already building toward perhaps the most looked forward to college football season in recent memory. Several teams have emerged as contenders.
There’s more parity now in college football than there has been over the last decade. Last season, Michigan broke through for its first national title since 1997. Washington made its first national title game since winning it all in 1991. Texas made its first College Football Playoff in program history.
The parity extends elsewhere. Ole Miss and Missouri broke through among college football’s elite with New Years Six wins over Penn State and Ohio State. With legendary head coaches in Alabama’s Nick Saban and Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh no longer leading their programs on the field, more parity could be on the way.
More than anything, a 12-team playoff makes room for several teams to contend. It allows for powerhouses who sustain an early injury to play for a title with two losses. It allows undefeated Group of Five schools to compete without taking an one-loss power conference team’s spot in the tournament.
Let’s break down 247Sports analyst Brad Crawford’s biggest games of the year.