Coming into the tenth and remaining 12 months of the 4-team Faculty Soccer Playoff, we have now a 2-time defending nationwide champion in Georgia, who’s one in all solely 5 groups to win a title within the post-BCS period. It’s been an oversaturation on the high with the identical groups taking part in in an important video games of the 12 months. And in case you’re a type of fortunate handful of groups to expertise a CFP recreation, congratulations. If not, it’s nauseating to see the identical matchups again and again. A breakdown of what’s taken place within the final 9 years of the CFP is downright nuts.
Solely 14 groups have made the CFP, and half of that area has made a championship recreation. Florida State, Washington, Michigan State and Cincinnati are one and accomplished in CFP video games. The trio of Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Michigan are a mixed 0-8, with the Sooners proudly owning 4 losses within the playoff by themselves. Oregon within the inaugural CFP and TCU final 12 months have been nationwide runners-up of their solely respective appearances within the playoff. Joe Burrow led LSU to a championship within the Tigers’ solely look within the playoff. Ohio State is the one staff to seem within the CFP no less than 5 instances and solely have one title to point out for it. Then there’s the dominance of Georgia, Clemson and Alabama to spherical out the group. So which groups exterior that group stand the perfect likelihood to make the CFP this season?
Of the groups ranked within the AP Top 10, solely Texas, USC and Penn State have by no means made the CFP. The Longhorns are the one ones of that trio to not have a close to miss of the playoff, with Penn State clearly being the fifth-best staff within the nation in 2016 and USC being one win away from making the playoff final 12 months earlier than dropping the Pac-12 title recreation after which the Cotton Bowl. Increasing to the AP Top 15, three extra groups which have by no means made the CFP will be added to the listing in Tennessee, Utah, and Kansas State. You may eradicate the Volunteers from breaking that streak this season, after they struggled to blow out FCS-level Austin Peay at dwelling. The opposite 5 aforementioned non-CFPers within the Top 15 you possibly can’t rule out. Scanning the remainder of the Top 25, and I don’t see a reliable contender. So we’re down to 5.
Kansas State surviving a harder matchup than most would count on on the street towards Missouri on Saturday could be an important begin to the Wildcats making a New 12 months’s Six bowl for a second straight season. It wouldn’t shock me in any respect to see Texas vs. Kansas State face within the Large 12 championship recreation later this season with CFP implications on the road. I lean towards the Longhorns in that matchup as a result of I’d be silly to wager towards Quinn Ewers. Texas additionally has pretty much as good of a non-convention win as anybody in faculty soccer, successful on the street towards Alabama final weekend. My best choice for anybody to buck the pattern is the Longhorns, with the added context that the Large 12 can be simpler to maneuver via than the Pac-12 or Large Ten.
I’ll give Utah the worst odds among the many 5 that I consider could make their first CFP this season. The Pac-12 is simply too rattling powerful and with how the Utes have appeared the primary two weeks, struggling a number of losses alongside the best way appears doubtless. If Texas doesn’t make it, I’ll give the perfect odds to Penn State. There can be a much bigger goal on USC this season, with Caleb Williams nonetheless on the core of that staff. Someway, it feels just like the Nittany Lions may be underrated in Large Ten circles with Ohio State and Michigan dominating these conversations.
Need an out-of-this-world loopy prediction for an additional staff? Wyoming. The Cowboys have already knocked off Texas Tech this season and a spot is open for a Group of 5 contender with Tulane dropping to Ole Miss. Who does Wyoming play this weekend? Texas. A win over the closely favored Longhorns and the Cowboys can be on the CFP radar the remainder of the season so long as they keep undefeated.
