WE MADE IT! After a wild regular season that saw many twists and turns, we finally reached the postseason.
In a season where the unexpected became mundane, we went from having a surplus of playoff caliber teams to arguably not enough.
Earlier this season, there was talk of multiple playoff worthy teams being left out.
Fast forward to Selection Sunday, and there were only two teams that everyone agreed were worthy of playing for the national title.
The defending national champs put a bowtie on their season with a dominating performance against LSU in the SEC Championship game.
In what was supposed to be a step back year for the Bulldogs, they not only were able to replicate an undefeated regular season but also did what the 2021 squad could not and got the job done in Atlanta.
This time last year many, including myself, foolishly dismissed Stetson Bennett and believed he was incapable of leading Georgia to a national title.
Considering Bennett and the Dawgs haven’t lost a game since, it’s safe to say the same sentiment won’t be held entering the playoff this time around.
Georgia’s biggest threat to repeating as national champs is the team it trounced in the semi final last season.
Michigan followed up its Cinderella run last year with an even better showing in 2022.
The Wolverines made relatively easy work of an outmatched Purdue team (seriously Big Ten fix your division structure).
This year’s bunch has the downhill rushing attack last year’s group had, but also has a dynamic passing game led by sophomore signal caller, J.J. McCarthy.
Jim Harbaugh has done an excellent job of evolving his offense while simultaneously keeping its core philosophy.
Losing star tailback Blake Corum for the year is a tough blow, however Michigan hasn’t missed a beat with Donovan Edwards shouldering the majority of carries in Corum’s absence.
Assuming Michigan can take care of business against the Horned Frogs in Glendale, it’s e more than capable of winning the title, whether it be revenge against Georgia or a tripling down against Ohio State.
That isn’t to say TCU is a push over by any means, the Horned Frogshave shown they are legit in a Big 12 that is tougher than people give it credit for.
I respect the committee for not dropping TCU after an overtime loss to a very good Kansas State team that it already beat earlier in the season.
The Horned Frogs earned their way in regardless of what some may tell you; they should be in the playoff and should be ranked over Ohio State.
Sonny Dykes has wrapped up coach of the year while Max Duggan secured the people’s Heisman after a gutsy effort in Dallas on Saturday.
There was worry in Fort Worth Saturday evening that 2014 would happen all over again and the Horned Frogs would be dropped out of the tournament in favor of a name brand.
Fortunately, that fear was never realized as the committee didn’t repeat the mistake it made in its inaugural season.
While TCU is the distant longshot in this playoff, there isn’t a truly dominant team like there has been in years past.
Georgia and Michigan are excellent, however both aren’t on the same level as 2018 Clemson, 2019 LSU, 2020 Alabama or last year’s Georgia team.
If there was any year to be an underdog in the playoff, this is it.
With USC getting rolled by Utah Friday night, there was one spot still up for grabs after all the conference championships had concluded.
That is when an Ohio State team fresh off a humiliating loss entered the picture.
In a matter of six days, the Buckeyes went from having their season in ruin to being right back in the dance.
While Ohio State is certainly a flawed team, they were the obvious choice for the final spot.
There was no rational argument for putting a two-loss Bama with far inferior wins over the Buckeyes; why it was even a debate still baffles me.
Ryan Day is in a eerily similar spot that Kirby Smart was in this time a year ago, fresh off an embarrassing loss and dismissed as overrated.
This is still a squad that is good enough to win a national title, even with Jaxon Smith-Njigba being unavailable for the playoff.
Ohio State plays a style of ball that gave Georgia’s defense trouble in the past.
We saw what a doubted Georgia team was able to accomplish last season, Ohio State is looking to follow that up and exact revenge against the team up north on the sport’s biggest stage.
Finally, a noteworthy coaching shift took place in Boulder, Colorado as the conference title games were going on.
Coming off an abysmal 1-11 campaign, Colorado needed to ace its next coaching hire, and to say the Buffaloes did would be an understatement.
In what was the most newsworthy hire this cycle, CU landed Primetime in a move that has already led to an influx of potential talent in Boulder, Colorado.
Deion Sanders put Jackson State on the national radar, both on the field and in recruiting and now has power five level resources at his disposal.
This hiring couldn’t have come at a more pivotal time in the sport; it’s no secret conference realignment is imminent, and the future of the Pac 12 is uncertain.
Should the conference fold, Colorado has a much better chance of landing in a major conference with Deion as the face of its program.
Chris’ College Football Top 25 Rankings:
1.Georgia Bulldogs(13-0) W vs LSU 50-30, last week-1
2.Michigan Wolverines(13-0) W vs Purdue 43-22, last week-2
3.TCU Horned Frogs(12-1) L vs Kansas State 31-28, last week-3
4.Ohio State Buckeyes(11-1) Bye Week, last week-5
5.Tennessee Volunteers(10-2) Bye Week, last week-6
6.Alabama Crimson Tide(10-2) Bye Week, last week-7
7.Utah Utes(10-3) W vs USC 47-24, last week-10
8.USC Trojans(11-2) L vs Utah 47-24, last week-4
9.Penn State Nittany Lions(10-2) Bye Week, last week-8
10.Kansas State Wildcats(10-3) W vs TCU 31-28, last week-14
11.Clemson Tigers(11-2) W vs North Carolina 39-10, last week-11
12.Washington Huskies(10-2) Bye Week, last week-9
13.Oregon Ducks(9-3) Bye Week, last week-12
14.Florida State Seminoles(9-3) Bye Week, last week-15
15.UCLA Bruins(9-3) Bye Week, last week-16
16.Oregon State Beavers(9-3) Bye Week, last week-17
17.Tulane Green Wave(11-2) W vs UCF 45-28, last week-18
18.LSU Tigers(9-4) L vs Georgia 50-30, last week-13
19.South Carolina Gamecocks(8-4) Bye Week, last week-19
20.Texas Longhorns(8-4) Bye Week, last week-20
21.Notre Dame Fighting Irish(8-4) Bye Week, last week-21
22.Mississippi State Bulldogs(8-4) Bye Week, last week-23
23.UTSA Roadrunners(11-2) W vs North Texas 48-27, last week-25
24.Troy Trojans(11-2) W vs Coastal Carolina 45-26, last week-unranked
25.NC State Wolfpack(8-4) Bye Week, last week-unranked
Dropped out of rankings- North Carolina, UCF