Re-Seeding the College Football Playoffs

After a round of action, it feels like we’ve narrowed down the college football playoffs to (almost) only teams that could actually win it. With all the trouble that’s come with the playoff’s format thus far, one would think the tournament would re-seed, right?

Wrong. Today I’ll re-rank the remaining teams and tell you how I’d prioritize them in a re-shaped bracket.

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1. Oregon Ducks

No-brainer here. Oregon was the only team to go undefeated through the entirety of the regular season and conference championship weekend.

With no reason to think anything’s deteriorated for the Ducks since then, they stay first.

2. Georgia Bulldogs

While Texas may have a slightly better all-around profile than Georgia, I have to prioritize the Bulldogs on their tiebreaker over the Longhorns. Georgia has beaten Texas twice this year and sports the same record overall, albeit with a worse loss.

This one could go either way in terms of who the better team is, but for ranking and seeding purposes I have to give coach Kirby Smart‘s team the benefit of the doubt.

3. Texas Longhorns

With their only losses being to Georgia and a dominant win over Clemson in the books, the Longhorns are a strong number three. They had one of the two most difficult matchups of any team in round one and got it done emphatically, leveling the Tigers at home.

They also have the distinction of having only lost to one team this year, and one that’s still very much alive. Between regular season record, strength of resume, and playoff performance, I think Texas would be the best third option in a re-seeded tournament.

4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Crazy right? I think we’d all agree that Ohio State is better than Notre Dame but for playoff seeding purposes, the Fighting Irish essentially have to be ahead as they’ve only lost once.

Coach Marcus Freeman‘s squad rolled Indiana in the first round (as most expected them to) and now totes the second-best record in the tournament alongside Boise State. It may not be fully indicative of team quality, but Notre Dame should land fourth.

5. Ohio State Buckeyes

Some would expect to see Penn State here based on its conference championship appearance but between head-to-head results, statistical profiles, and the pure eye test, Ohio State is the better team. It beat the Nittany Lions by a touchdown at Beaver Stadium early this year and coach James Franklin‘s team doesn’t have a conference title to fall back on.

I don’t know that any team looked better in the first round than the Buckeyes as they beat the visiting Tennessee Volunteers 42-17 in a matchup that wasn’t even as close as the score. In any sane format, they’d be playing someone other than Oregon in round two.

6. Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State rounds out the real contenders after they wiped the floor with SMU in round one. This team has many key components of a national title team including (but not limited to) a great head coach, a great quarterback, a great run game, and a great pass rush.

While they figure to skate through their first two games in actuality, a proper format would’ve given the Nittany Lions a tougher path.

7. Arizona State Sun Devils

Some would argue for Boise State over the Sun Devils on record but conferences have to matter. Unfortunately, the next two teams have no chance of winning the dance.

Arizona State is a fun story this year with high-energy coach Kenny Dillingham and Heisman-fringe running back Cam Skattebo, but they don’t hold a candle to the top six on this list. Them not having played in the first round is an atrocity but they’ll now take on Texas at a neutral site. Good luck.

8. Boise State Broncos

Standing alone beneath the rest of the tournament is Boise State who’s ridden one player to its success as much as any team I’ve ever seen. Running back Ashton Jeanty has had a season for the ages en route to a Heisman Trophy ceremony appearance, but things get real now.

Based on having a loss and playing in a non-power conference, I have to slot the Broncos in below the rest of the field and where in real life they’ve had a bye leading into a neutral site matchup with Penn State, my bracket would’ve had them against one of the best teams in the country right away. Boise State is currently an 11-point underdog to the Nittany Lions where we should be seeing one of the actual contenders opposing them.

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