Following an exciting conference championship week, the playoff bracket is officially set in college football. Eight teams will kickoff in four matchups beginning next Friday, while the remaining four will await the winners in the following round. The second year of the 12 team playoff has already sparked controversy amongst fan bases, but appears to be as entertaining as any other playoffs given the variety in talented teams.
#12 James Madison @ #5 Oregon
James Madison opens this game as the clear underdogs in the program’s first ever playoff appearance. Despite dropping their only power 5 game against Louisville, the Dukes have won eleven straight games, including the Sun Belt Championship against Troy. After a competitive quarterback battle against Matthew Sluka, Alonza Barnett III has been one of the most productive James Madison quarterbacks in history. Barnett threw for over 2,500 yards along with 21 touchdowns as JMU cruised to an undefeated Sun Belt Championship. Oregon, on the other hand, is familiar with playoff football. Oregon head coach Dan Lanning has built his team for a playoff run.
Hingham High School sophomore Colin Patterson says, “I think this Oregon team is ready. They learned from their one loss and have built the confidence to succeed late in the season.”
Despite the confidence from many Oregon fans, the Ducks are yet to beat a playoff team this season, falling in their only attempt to Indiana 30-20. In his first year as a starter at Oregon, Dante Moore has had to follow a long line of star Oregon quarterbacks. He proved his worth by leading Oregon to six straight wins, solidifying Oregon as the five seed in the playoffs. Texas Tech will await the winner of this showdown in the next round.
#9 Alabama @ #8 Oklahoma
Alabama will be traveling to Norman, Oklahoma after a poor effort two weeks before in the SEC championship. Alabama was the face of controversy being the only three-loss team in the playoffs. Their matchup for next weekend is a familiar foe who the Crimson Tide has lost two in their last two meetings. Alabama is led by their loyal senior quarterback Ty Simpson and one of the best receiving cores in the country. Germie Bernard, Ryan Williams, and Isaiah Horton are all NFL quality receivers who need to be game changers if Alabama wants revenge this weekend against the Sooners.
Oklahoma needs to rely on their defense to pull off another big win. The Sooners’ quarterback, John Mateer has dealt with injury and inconsistency throughout the season with a six to five touchdown to interception ratio. Their defense, on the other hand, has been excellent in big games and will look to step up once again next weekend. The winner will play the #1 seeded Indiana Hoosiers.
#11 Tulane @ #6 Ole Miss
Next Saturday in Oxford, another rematch ensues as two hot teams will square off in round one of the playoffs. Ole Miss dominated in their first showing, which ended with a final score of 45-10. Tulane looks to focus more on their ground attack next week with freshman Jamauri McClure. McClure has rushed for at least 90 yards in four of the last five games for the Green Wave. The first time Tulane played Ole Miss their leading rusher was quarterback Jake Retzlaff who ran for just 51 yards. Their opponent, Ole Miss, is playing with a chip on their shoulder in the first game without head coach Lane Kiffen. Kiffen left the Ole Miss team early in order to get the head coaching job at LSU.
Hingham High School senior Andrew Sullivan says, “I think that Ole Miss comes out firing this weekend. The players are really what makes them great. Kiffin was never anything special.”
This Ole Miss team is firing on all cylinders offensively. Ole Miss has a two pronged offensive attack with quarterback Trinidad Chambliss leading the Rebels through the air and running back Kewan Lacy on the ground. Chambliss is top ten in the nation in average yards per completion while Lacy is top ten in total rushing yards on the season. The winner of this game will go on to play #3 Georgia in the second round.
#10 Miami @ #7 Texas A&M
Just last Sunday, the Miami Hurricanes were awaiting the final decision on if they would be in the CFB playoffs. This Sunday, they will be preparing to play a Texas A&M team who has been consistently a top four team for the majority of the season. Miami started off the season red hot with ranked wins over Notre Dame and South Florida. The Hurricanes are led by Georgia transfer quarterback Carsen Beck who has only thrown multiple interceptions in three of the teams games this season (two of those resulted in losses). The game will be decided by Becks’s play. If he can limit his turnovers, Miami will have a really strong chance of knocking off the Aggies.
For Texas A&M, they will need to respond after suffering their first loss of the season two weeks ago. Similar to Miami, Texas A&M is yet to face a playoff opponent this season. Head coach Mike Elko is trying to lead the Aggies back to the top of college football, but is going to need to pull off some signature wins early in the playoffs. #2 Ohio State awaits the winner in round 2.
