By: David Cabrias
We are reaching the end of the U.S. college football season, and the final week of the regular season, or “Rivalry Week”, comes this weekend. This season has more playoff implications than ever before, due to the new bracket format that is debuting this year. Before this season, the CFP (college football playoff) was comprised of only 4 teams, who were voted in by a 13 member selection committee. When this system was implemented in 2014 it became quite controversial, as fans were never able to agree on which of the teams were deserving of a spot. The 2024-25 season introduces a more traditional solution.
In 2023 they announced plans for a new 12 team format, which gives guaranteed spots to the winners of the five most competitive divisions in college football. The same selection committee will continue to rank all teams, in order to determine who receives the remaining spots. While Bowl games used to be reserved for the schools that missed the four-team playoff, those games will now be part of the first round of this year’s tournament. While there was a mixed reaction when the new format was announced, most fans won’t deny it has made for a much more exciting lead up to the end of the regular season. At this point last year, only about seven teams were in contention for a playoff spot, going into this past weekend there were 25.
Last Saturday, most of the top ranked teams handled the pressure that comes with such high expectations. Wins from #2 ranked Ohio state, Penn State (#4), and Miami (#6) kept the hierarchy relatively unchanged at the top. The #13th ranked Alabama Crimson Tide are a team people have been paying attention to for years now. Since 2011, the Tide has won their conference, the SEC, nine times as well as five national championships in that span. This was all achieved under legendary head coach Nick Saban. However after last season, Saban announced his retirement, and Alabama was forced to begin a new era under Kalen Deboer. The Tide’s loss to Oklahoma this past Saturday was a reminder that this isn’t the same program that was once considered a dynasty. Because of the new 12 team playoff system, they still have a chance to make the postseason, but they’ll need to win against Auburn this weekend to get there.
Another team that has the nation’s attention is the #3 ranked Texas Longhorns. Not only is their roster one of the deepest in the country, but they seem to have two of the most promising quarterbacks in the sport. While a backup quarterback is always important, the nature of the game only requires one on the field at any given moment. Because of this fact, it was a shock to most fans in 2022 when #1 high school recruit Arch Manning committed to the Longhorns, as Texas already had a star QB in Quinn Ewers. Arch is the nephew of the iconic brothers Eli and Peyton Manning, which means he’s had extra media attention since he started playing. But in the 2 seasons since Manning’s commitment, he has served as the backup to the older Ewers. This narrative became especially significant this past weekend as Ewers suffered an ankle injury at the end of Texas’ win against Kentucky. While Texas remains the top team in the SEC, it might be up to the inexperienced Manning to lead his team into the playoffs. The Longhorns last game of the regular season is against rival Texas A&M, which might be Manning’s chance to put the college football world on notice.
As fans prepare for the most extensive college football playoff in recent memory, more teams than ever are in playoff contention going into the season’s final week. The top ranked team, Oregon, had a bye last week but are playing rival Washington to wrap up their schedule. One of the greatest rivalries in sports history, Ohio State vs Michigan, also has another instalment lined up for this Saturday. While Ohio State is dominating like usual, Michigan have struggled this season and are currently unranked. Michigan’s season becomes more disappointing when you remember that they are the reigning national champions. With so many spots up for grabs, this playoff season in college football is set to be like no other.
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