The college football season has been nothing short of pure cinema. There have been many teams that have done everything in their power in hopes of being one of the 12 teams selected into the bracket for a shot at the National Championship. But at the end of the day, the college football committee, which chooses the bracket, must look into every detail of each team. Coming down to the strength of schedule, head-to-head matches between teams, and win margin against common opponents. So how do these twelve teams stack up against each other, and how good are their odds to win it all? Here are the matchups.
(12) James Madison Dukes vs. (5) Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium (Oregon)
James Madison comes in with an impressive 12-1 record with their only loss coming to the best opponent they faced all season, Louisville. This team has been fun to watch all season and you can’t ignore their dominance, especially on the offense side of the ball. They are led by quarterback Alonza Barnett III, who has accounted for thirty-five touchdowns through the air and on the ground. But it will be a tough matchup as he will have to face the number four-best defense in the country.
Oregon is led by quarterback Dante Moore, who is one of the best in all of college football. Oregon also accounts for statistically the fourth-best defense in the country. Nonetheless, both teams have explosive offenses and shutdown defenses, and a game like this will come down to coaching and game planning from start to finish.
The game will be taking place at Autzen Stadium, the home of the Oregon Ducks, which will definitely give them an edge because of the atmosphere the fans create. Overall, the Ducks likely will have the edge in this one as they come from one of the best conferences in football, and their offense will be a handful to stop. My prediction is Oregon will win 38-17.
The winner will face (4) Texas Tech.
(9) Alabama Crimson Tide vs. (8) Oklahoma Sooners at Memorial Stadium (Oklahoma)
Alabama is no stranger to the college football playoffs and looks to have found its rhythm under head coach Kalen DeBoer. Alabama comes in at 10-3 with its extra loss coming in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championship to the Georgia Bulldogs. The Tide is led by quarterback Ty Simpson, and their explosive offense that includes wide receivers Germie Bernard and Ryan Williams. Alabama overall has a very complete team that likely can make a deep playoff run.
The Sooners, on the other hand, have been an interesting team of their own. Their offense, since quarterback John Mateer has returned from injury, has not been as dynamic as it once was, and they have heavily relied on their tough defense.
Alabama and Oklahoma will meet for the second time this season, as in their first matchup, Oklahoma won 23-21 thanks to the great performance of the Sooners’ defense, which halted Alabama’s offense. The Sooners will have homefield advantage in this one as well, and a matchup to watch will be how this explosive Alabama offense will compete against this Oklahoma Defense.
My prediction is Alabama will upset the Sooners with a 24-20. The winner will face (1) Indiana.
(11) Tulane Green Wave vs. (6) Ole Miss Rebels at Vaught Hemingway Stadium (Mississippi)
Tulane was a team that was under the radar for many people at the beginning of the season, but quickly made it known that they can be a team to watch out for. This will be the second time these two teams face each other, as the Rebels took the first matchup back in Week four of the season, 45-10. Tulane is led by Brigham Young University (BYU) transfer Jake Retzlaff at quarterback, who has accounted for thirty touchdowns himself, with sixteen of them being rushing scores. He even leads the team in rushing yards, showing how dynamic he makes this Tulane offense.
Ole Miss comes in with the recent weeks being nonetheless chaotic. Their previous head coach, Lane Kiffin, took the job at Louisiana State University, which now leaves the Rebels without their head coach for the playoffs. Even without Kiffin, it’s hard to shy away with how dominant the Rebels are, led by Division II transfer Trinidad Chambliss, who has thrown for over three thousand passing yards since being named the starter in Week Three. Running back Kewan Lacy has also rushed for over 1,200 yards and has accounted for twenty rushing touchdowns himself.
The Rebels will have home-field advantage in this one, which likely gives them more power and confidence than they already have. My prediction is Ole Miss will win 48-10. The winner will face (3) Georgia.
(10) Miami Hurricanes vs. (7) Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field (Texas)
Miami comes in as one of the more controversial teams to make the playoffs, especially after getting in over teams such as Notre Dame and BYU, who held their own cases to get into the spot the Hurricanes now hold. They only had two losses coming against unranked opponents, but possible flukes in those games and wins against all the ranked opponents they faced, including Notre Dame, mean they earned their spot. Miami is led by Carson Beck, the previous quarterback at Georgia, who brought loads of experience to the Hurricanes. Other notable names in Miami include freshman sensation Malachi Toney and defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr.
The Aggies, leading up to the playoffs, have been one of the best teams in the nation. With their only loss coming to rival Texas in the final week, they’ll look to bounce back at it. They are led by phenom Marcel Reed, a quarterback who has brought tons of explosion to the offense through the air and on the ground as he continues to develop. It’s worth noting that this will be a day game and the fans at Kyle Field will be rocking, as the fans are also known as the “Twelfth Man” for the atmosphere they create at home games.
My prediction is Texas A&M will win 28-24. The winner will face (2) Ohio State.
