CFW Week 22 Forecast – Is Deion staying put?
No. 5 versus No. 6
In the rankings.
The 7 seed versus the 8 seed in the bracket.
I’m talking about the two teams who will be playing Monday night for the national championship – Notre Dame and Ohio State.
Back on December 8 when the College Football Playoff selection committee released their final rankings for the season, Notre Dame was ranked 5th and Ohio State was ranked 6th. That says if we still had the four-team playoff that we’ve had for the past 10 years, Notre Dame and Ohio State would not have been in the playoff. That makes you wonder how many times in the past 10 years did the committee get it wrong.
Then, because of the crazy rules for seeding the 12 playoff teams, Notre Dame was seeded 7th and Ohio State was seeded 8th. That tells you that the four highest-ranked conference champions shouldn’t automatically be positioned as the four highest-seeded teams in the playoff bracket.
After the semifinal games last week, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum commented that expanding to the 12-team playoff was detrimental to the SEC. If we still had the four-team playoff in place this season, the four teams would have been Oregon, Georgia, Texas and Penn State – the four highest-ranked teams in the CFP selection committee’s final rankings. No. 2 Georgia and No. 3 Texas would have played each other in one of the semifinal games. That would have assured one SEC team in the championship game. As it turned out in the 12-team playoff, one SEC team – Tennessee – lost in the first round; a second SEC team – Georgia – lost in the quarterfinals, and a third SEC team – Texas – lost in the semifinals. And it’s funnier when you think that in the four-team playoff, Notre Dame and Ohio State would not have been anywhere in sight.
All considered, there is no doubt in my mind that Notre Dame and Ohio State are the two best teams in the country right now. It is just a matter of which one will become the best team in the country. Notre Dame has won 13 national championships – the last one in 1988. Ohio State has won eight national championships – the last one in 2014.
I’m not only for the 12-team playoff, but I’m also all for expanding it to 16 teams, with no privileged seedings for any of the conference champions – Power Four or Group of Five. Seed the 16 teams in the playoff in the exact order as they are ranked in the final CFP selection committee rankings. If no Group of Five team is ranked in the Top 16, then no Group of Five team should be in the playoff. On the other hand, if two or three Group of Five teams are ranked in the Top 16, then those two or three Group of Five teams should be in the playoff. It’s as simple as that. Enough said.
Notre Dame and Ohio State are the two best teams in the country. Let’s hope Monday night’s game lives up to its hype. Let’s hope it is a classic. The two semifinal games were classics. Now it’s up to Notre Dame and Ohio State to give us their best.
It’s been interesting to read and hear a few pundits out there write and/or comment that if Ohio State wins the national championship, it would only be justice and appropriate for Buckeyes’ coach Ryan Day to resign from his job, tell Ohio State fans goodbye and take one of the NFL head coach openings. Day actually received death threats after Ohio State lost to Michigan.
And speaking of NFL openings, the latest has Colorado coach Deion Sanders and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones in talks with one another. According to Fox Sports, there is mutual interest between the two. Sanders spent five of his NFL playing years with the Cowboys from 1995 to 1999. Previously, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Sanders had expressed interest in the Las Vegas Raiders opening. Sanders has said he would only leave Colorado if he has the chance to coach both of his sons in the NFL.
For a while it looked like quarterback Quinn Ewers was pulling a Carson Beck. Several days ago, Ewers, who has another year of eligibility, said he was most likely entering the NFL draft this spring. A few days later, Ewers let it be known that he may enter the portal and transfer to another school. Regardless, he wasn’t going to be playing for Texas next season. Then yesterday, Ewers said he was most definitely entering the NFL draft. Apparently, unlike Beck, no schools waved any $4 million deals at him. ESPN’s Paul Finebaum is skeptical about Ewers’ future in the NFL. Finebaum commented, “Quinn Ewers will be very good as a placeholder for point after attempts in the NFL.”
May the best team win Monday night.
Touchdown Tom
January 16, 2025
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
Touchdown Tom’s Prediction for the College Football Playoff (Championship Game)
Notre Dame (14-1) vs. Ohio State (13-2) – (Ind. vs. Big Ten) – College Football Playoff Championship – (Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta, Georgia) – 7:30 pm ET, Monday, ESPN (Gametime temp and weather forecast: 29 degrees and clear. Fortunately, for those attending the game, Mercedes-Benz Stadium is an indoor stadium.) – This is it. This is what every team has been playing for this season. Notre Dame and Ohio State made it. Both the Irish and the Buckeyes win their games on defense. That’s not to say that their offenses are bad. Their offenses are good, but their defenses are better. And Ohio State’s defense is the better of the two – slightly better. Notre Dame’s defense has been giving up 17 points a game in its three playoff games. The Irish gave up 14 points a game during the season. Notre Dame has been winning its playoff games by 8.7 points a game – 27.7-17. On defense, the Irish are 2nd in the country in passing yards allowed (165) and 2nd in the country in points allowed (14). They are 9th in the country in total yards allowed (299). Ohio State’s defense has been giving up 17 points a game in its three playoff games. The Buckeyes gave up 12 points a game during the season. Ohio State has been winning its playoff games by 19.7 points a game – 37-17.3. On defense, the Buckeyes are 1st in the country in total yards allowed (251), 1st in the country in passing yards allowed (161), 1st in the country in points allowed (12) and 3rd in the country in rushing yards allowed (90). That’s pretty impressive. Other than points scored per game, neither offense ranks among the elite. Notre Dame’s offense has been averaging 11 fewer points a game in the playoff than during the season. Ohio State’s offense has been averaging about the same points per game as it did during the season. The Buckeyes have been playing better on offense in the playoff than they did during the season. Of the two quarterbacks, Ohio State’s Will Howard has the better statistics. Howard has passed for 3,779 yards and 33 touchdowns, completing 73% of his passes. He averaged about 265 yards a game passing and threw 11 interceptions. Notre Dame quarterback Riley Lenard passed for 2,606 yards and 19 touchdowns, completing 66% of his passes. Riley averaged about 194 yards a game and threw 8 interceptions. Against Tennessee and Oregon, Ohio State’s offense was overwhelming. It was hot. Against Texas, it calmed down. It cooled off. Notre Dame’s offense has been methodical in all three playoff games. It wasn’t flashy but it got the job done. This game could well be won on defense – a chess match between the coaches. Ryan Day says, “checkmate” – Ohio State 27, Notre Dame 20.
Quotes of the Week
“To hear from Jerry Jones is truly delightful. And it’s intriguing. I love Jerry and believe in Jerry. After you hang up and process it and think about it, it’s intriguing. But I love Boulder and everything there is about our team, the coaches, the student body and the community,” Colorado coach Deion Sanders.
“Ryan Day has lost to Alabama, Georgia, Clemson and Michigan twice. Everybody beats him does so because they’re more physical than Ohio State. I know Notre Dame will take that same approach,” Lou Holtz, on why he thinks Notre Dame will beat Ohio State.
“If Notre Dame doesn’t win, it’s because we want to preserve Ryan Day’s job,” former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz.
“I’d like to know where Lou Holtz is right now. What he said about our team, I cannot believe. This is a tough team right here. We’re proud to be from Ohio. It’s always been Ohio against the world. I don’t know where he gets off saying those types of things. I have some other things I’d like to say too, but I’m not going to say them because I’m more respectful than he is,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day, responding to Lou Holtz.
Touchdown Tom
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
(The next CFW – Week 22 Results – will be posted Tuesday morning, January 21.)
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