Well, we finally made it to the start of college football season! I know we have had games playing for a little less than a month now, but this Saturday marks the official beginning of the season in my book. The SEC finally begins play, and the other major conferences will all start their conference play, as well. Sure we are missing the BIG10 and PAC12 right now, but that doesn’t matter. College football is back and I could not be happier about it!
Now, with college football coming back, this means the discussion for the playoffs has to come up. Who is going to make it, and how will they get there? Luckily for you, I am here to help answer this question. Keep in mind that even though the BIG10 will not begin play for around another month, they will still be eligible for the playoffs. In all actuality, although the BIG10 will be eligible, should they be forced to cancel any number of games, this could impact their chances at making the playoffs. However, for the sake of argument, I will just assume that all games are played across all leagues.
Starting things off, we have the ACC. In a normal year, Clemson is a sure lock as no team is even remotely close to them. This is not a normal year, though. Notre Dame has joined the conference temporarily and will challenge Clemson for that top spot. The two teams will meet up on November 7th, and this should give us a better idea of how the ACC will play out. I think Notre Dame has a very real chance at beating Clemson, but Clemson does have the best college football quarterback on their roster. This gives them an edge for me, and allows me to slot them in as the ACC Champions and a guaranteed spot in the playoffs.
I am going to go ahead and get the BIG10 out of the way now. There are four teams that realistically have a shot at making the playoffs: Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, and Wisconsin. All four are top end programs with storied histories. But let’s be real. Ohio State will go undefeated in conference and win the conference title matchup at the end of the year to secure their seat. In all actuality, I think Ohio State is the most talented team in the country and barring any outside forces playing a factor, they are my favorites entering the season.
Moving to the SEC now, this conference probably has the most room for parity within the conference. Alabama always has a shot. LSU took the crown last year. According to 247sports.com, Georgia has more talent than anyone in the country. Florida was picked by the media to win the SEC East, and Texas A&M is a popular dark horse to come out of the west. Diehard SEC fans will even let you know that Auburn always has a chance, as well. With all of that being said, I think Alabama will be out for vengeance. Last year was the first time they did not make the playoffs and this has only angered Saban. They will probably lose one or two along the way, but will still be the team representing the SEC.
Lastly, we have the BIG12. With the PAC12 not playing, the BIG10 might be the worst overall conference still playing football. Two weeks ago, they had the “cupcake” games on their schedule and they went a combined 0-3 against the Sun Belt conference. Yes, you read that right, the Sun Belt. Despite this, they still have an elite team in Oklahoma, and a really good team in Texas. We have only seen one game from OU so far, but their freshman QB looked like the real deal. The BIG12 representative will come from one of these teams and I have already gone on record saying I think Texas will beat Oklahoma on October 10th. As long as they do not slip up with any of their other games, they are my pick from the BIG12.
To recap, we have Clemson, Ohio State, Alabama, and first-time participant Texas making the playoffs in my estimation. Obviously, this is all subject to change due to COVID concerns, but this is the most likely outcome, in my opinion. Regardless, I think we can all agree that we are just happy that football is back. Here is to a great college football season!