Are you sick of Alabama-Clemson national championship games? Well, how about the Tide and the Tigers in the first round of a 12-team expanded playoff?
Using the CFP selection committee’s latest rankings, Nick Saban would host Dabo Swinney in what would surely be an electric environment in Tuscaloosa. The winner would go on to play … top-seeded Georgia. Oh, what fun!
There are plenty of other intriguing first-round games that involve teams from very different geographic and cultural footprints of this great nation of ours. Gus Malzahn and his UCF Knights travel to the Big House in mid-December (hello, cold!), Utah plays a game on the bayou and the Vols host Penn State. There is potential for a few titanic quarterfinals, like Michigan-USC in the Rose Bowl!
The 12-team playoff can’t get here soon enough. When you look at the below bracket, please keep in mind that we are using the same expansion model adopted this summer: (1) the six highest-ranked champs get automatic berths; (2) the next six highest-ranked teams get at-large spots; (3) byes go to the top four conference champs; and (4) first round games are played at the better seed’s home stadium, and quarterfinals and semifinals are played in a rotation of six bowls.
1. Georgia (SEC champion)
Sugar Bowl
2. Ohio State (Big Ten champion)
Orange Bowl
3. TCU (Big 12 champion)
Cotton Bowl
4. USC (Pac-12 champion)
Rose Bowl
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Semifinals: Peach (No. 1 v No. 4) and Fiesta (No. 2 v No. 3)
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5. Michigan (Big Ten at large)
12. UCF (American champion)
Ann Arbor, Mich.
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6. Tennessee (SEC at large)
11. Penn State (Big 10 at large)
Knoxville, Tenn.
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7. LSU (SEC at large)
10. Utah (Pac-12 at large)
Baton Rouge
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8. Alabama (SEC at large)
9. Clemson (ACC at large)
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
