Now that spring is over, portal is closed, what is your 12 Team Playoff predictions?
Obviously, a kid could still join the team or leave, but the main portal movements are over. So anything else that happens is equal to an injury in fall, which both are things you can't predict.

Only rules are you need 5 Automatic bids (4 Conference champs & 1 G5). And 7 at large bids.

Who you got?

Who knows? But I am sure Vegas loves the current college football environment because picking winners will be even more difficult

My only bet is that there will be more SEC/B1G teams in the preseason projections than in the CFP. My guess is that there are a lot of CFP voters that will have trouble putting a 9-3 team in over a 11-1 team even if the 9-3 team is better.

Swap Ags out for Ole Miss and I like it!

Ugly said:

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My only bet is that there will be more SEC/B1G teams in the preseason projections than in the CFP. My guess is that there are a lot of CFP voters that will have trouble putting a 9-3 team in over a 11-1 team even if the 9-3 team is better.

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This. Even though I listed 4 at large SEC teams in my projection, I doubt it will be more than 2. I suspect we're going to have significantly more parity in the SEC this year with the realignment, Saban's retirement, etc. and we'll end up with a several 2 loss teams with an argument for the playoffs but not standing out as a no-brainer selection.

Conversely, I think B1G will be in about the same boat, but I have no idea which of their also-rans will have the resume to make the playoffs, so I left them out of my projection. Gun to my head the SEC and B1G both get 3 teams in, but I've no idea which other than liking my conference champ predictions as playoff selections (even if not the actual conference champions).

TL/DR: who knows?

Stinky T said:

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Utah is in the Big XII next year.

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Forgot about that. Told you I'd be wrong.

Moe 92 said:

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For the record, I am fully aware this will be nowhere close to accurate...

Conference Champions:

SEC: Georgia
Big 10: Ohio State
ACC: Florida State
Big 12: Okie Lite
GO5: Utah

At Large:

Horn
Notre Dame
LSU
Tennessee
Ole Miss
Michigan
Penn State

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This is about right but Missouri, Alabama, and A&M could be swapped out for any of tu, LSU, and Tennessee or even swapped out for Penn State or Okie State. Reality is there could easily be SEVEN SEC teams at 10-2 or better.

33 said:

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My unpopular opinion: Should only be two teams. The BCS got it right (mostly).

But America is starved for entertainment and money drives everything.

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12 team playoff means more meaningful games

More teams involved in playoffs thus more games in regular season that otherwise didn't mean much now have huge implications.

VP at Pierce and Pierce said:

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Moe 92 said:

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For the record, I am fully aware this will be nowhere close to accurate...

Conference Champions:

SEC: Georgia
Big 10: Ohio State
ACC: Florida State
Big 12: Okie Lite
GO5: Utah

At Large:

Horn
Notre Dame
LSU
Tennessee
Ole Miss
Michigan
Penn State

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This is about right but Missouri, Alabama, and A&M could be swapped out for any of tu, LSU, and Tennessee or even swapped out for Penn State or Okie State. Reality is there could easily be SEVEN SEC teams at 10-2 or better.

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RE: the three teams you mentioned being swapped out for tu, LSU, and/or UT, yep totally agree. If Okie Lite is the Big 12 champ they could not be replaced by an at large team (per my loose understanding, anyway). So I guess the scenario here is that Utah replaces them as Big 12 Champs and they don't make the at large cut? I could definitely see that happening. In fact, had I remembered that Utah was joining the Big 12 in 2024 I would have projected it that way.

I don't have a real feel for which GO5 conference champion will catch fire this year and make the cut only to be pummeled in the first round. Liberty? Air Force? Boise State?

Moe 92 said:

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VP at Pierce and Pierce said:

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Moe 92 said:

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For the record, I am fully aware this will be nowhere close to accurate...

Conference Champions:

SEC: Georgia
Big 10: Ohio State
ACC: Florida State
Big 12: Okie Lite
GO5: Utah

At Large:

Horn
Notre Dame
LSU
Tennessee
Ole Miss
Michigan
Penn State

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This is about right but Missouri, Alabama, and A&M could be swapped out for any of tu, LSU, and Tennessee or even swapped out for Penn State or Okie State. Reality is there could easily be SEVEN SEC teams at 10-2 or better.

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RE: the three teams you mentioned being swapped out for tu, LSU, and/or UT, yep totally agree. If Okie Lite is the Big 12 champ they could not be replaced by an at large team (per my loose understanding, anyway). So I guess the scenario here is that Utah replaces them as Big 12 Champs and they don't make the at large cut? I could definitely see that happening. In fact, had I remembered that Utah was joining the Big 12 in 2024 I would have projected it that way.

I don't have a real feel for which GO5 conference champion will catch fire this year and make the cut only to be pummeled in the first round. Liberty? Air Force? Boise State?

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Yea in my simulation Utah is Big 12 champ and they are the only Big 12 team making it. Michigan isnt getting in, they will be fortunate to win 9 games. This committee and ESPN who runs the committee are going to have some tough decisions. A 10-2 tu/LSU/Tenn/ or an 11-2 Okie State that didnt beat anybody and an 11-2 Penn State that didnt beat anyone, both playing ground and pound football. Or a team like Iowa that coukld be staring at 11-1 without really beating anyone either.
This upcoming season is going to be the most insane thing we have seen becasue so many big programs only have 1 or 2 big games which could result in there being 12+ big name teams at 10-2 or better then you have the silly GO5 rule.

Big Ten: Iowa, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State.
SEC: Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Missouri, Ole Miss, Tenn, A&M, tu,
ACC: Clemson, FSU
Big 12: Okie State, Utah
Indy: Notre Dame

I hear ya. I'm in my slim window of optimism. It will wither away soon enough.

i think we go 10-2 and make the playoffs.

Auto Bids:
SEC - Georgia
Big 10 - Ohio State
ACC - Florida State
Big 12 - Utah
G5 - James Madison (no idea)

At-Large:
Oregon
Bama
Ole Miss
Texas
Clemson
Penn State
Miami

I don't see the ACC getting 3 teams in.

Prediction: We never get in the playoffs at 10-2.

USAF9705 said:

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I don't see the ACC getting 3 teams in.

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I agree. Maybe Clemson; maybe Miami; maybe neither; not both. Then again, no one is wrong until late fall (other than my bonehead Utah as GO5 champion projection).

I had trouble with that final spot so took a flyer with Miami. I don't see the committee giving the SEC 5 teams and I'm not real high on Michigan from the Big 10 this year. Thought about Notre Dame but I couldn't get myself to essentially concede a loss to them.

1 t.u.
2 baylor
3 bama
4 ole miss
5 o.u.
6 Georgia
7 Michigan
8 tOSU
9 FSU
10 Oregon
11 Washington
12 tech



13 Ags

Ginormus Ag said:

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Prediction: We never get in the playoffs at 10-2.

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Don't know. Probably depends on when the losses happened and how we looked losing. If both are early in the year and/or near misses against teams with good resumes, we'd be in. But I think 10-2 is unlikely. We'd have to win 2 of 4 against ND, Mizzu, LSU, and tu and be perfect against Florida, Arkie, Clanga, USCe, Auburn and the non-marquee out of conference teams. That scenario would be an absolute home run turnaround season IMO, whether we make the playoffs or not.

Vegas has our wins at 8.5, and I wouldn't touch that action personally. I'd probably take the over with a gun to my head, but I'd be shocked and delighted if we got to 10.

From Sec:
Georgia
Ole Miss
Missouri
Texas
Tennessee or Lsu

Big 12
Utah or Tech

Big 10
Ohio st
Oregon
USC

ACC
Fla st
Clemson

Non power 5
One team

VP at Pierce and Pierce said:

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Moe 92 said:

---

For the record, I am fully aware this will be nowhere close to accurate...

Conference Champions:

SEC: Georgia
Big 10: Ohio State
ACC: Florida State
Big 12: Okie Lite
GO5: Utah

At Large:

Horn
Notre Dame
LSU
Tennessee
Ole Miss
Michigan
Penn State

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This is about right but Missouri, Alabama, and A&M could be swapped out for any of tu, LSU, and Tennessee or even swapped out for Penn State or Okie State. Reality is there could easily be SEVEN SEC teams at 10-2 or better.

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Definitely some light schedules for some of the better teams.

Implicit in this prediction is my unfortunate feeling that game 1 under Elko is just going to be a tough loss that Notre dame could bolster their resume with. And that our game against Texas may be our chance to knock them out of the playoffs every year. They will be pretty good this year. This playoff field would make me throw up.

Conference champs:
Ohio State
Georgia
Miami
Kansas
Liberty

At Large:
Oregon
Ole Miss
Texas
Notre Dame
Clemson
Penn State
Alabama

4 said:

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Ought to be 16 and they should all be at large bids.

The best teams should play, period.

It'll move to 16 within a couple of years, guaranteed.

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Except there is no real way to know who the best teams are since so many teams don't play each other. I have zero issue with having the Conference Champions get automatic bids. Not sure about the G5, but it doesn't really matter. 14 teams is significantly more than needed to know who really is the best. Last year was probably the year with the most teams that had a legitimate claim to possibly being the best. There were probably 6 teams who deserved to be in a playoff. In some years, there are not even 4.

Why do we need 16 teams? Having 14 already results in making the playoffs not be that big of a deal anymore.

kevmiller said:

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33 said:

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My unpopular opinion: Should only be two teams. The BCS got it right (mostly).

But America is starved for entertainment and money drives everything.

---

12 team playoff means more meaningful games

More teams involved in playoffs thus more games in regular season that otherwise didn't mean much now have huge implications.

---

It also means the regular season games don't mean as much for the top teams. Today, if you lose one game, you might not make the playoffs (I guess last year an undefeated team didn't even make the playoffs). In the future, many 2 loss teams will make the playoffs. The regular season is de-valued for the top teams.

kevmiller said:

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33 said:

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My unpopular opinion: Should only be two teams. The BCS got it right (mostly).

But America is starved for entertainment and money drives everything.

---

12 team playoff means more meaningful games

More teams involved in playoffs thus more games in regular season that otherwise didn't mean much now have huge implications.

---

A 12 team playoff actually means LESS significant games. Elite teams now are all but guaranteed to get a bid as long as they don't lose 3 games. (Some will still get in at 9-3) Those end of the year showdowns mean a whole lot less when you've already locked up a playoff spot

Teams will still play for the Top 4 seeds and 1st round bye.

TexAggie1999 said:

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kevmiller said:

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33 said:

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My unpopular opinion: Should only be two teams. The BCS got it right (mostly).

But America is starved for entertainment and money drives everything.

---

12 team playoff means more meaningful games

More teams involved in playoffs thus more games in regular season that otherwise didn't mean much now have huge implications.

---

It also means the regular season games don't mean as much for the top teams. Today, if you lose one game, you might not make the playoffs (I guess last year an undefeated team didn't even make the playoffs). In the future, many 2 loss teams will make the playoffs. The regular season is de-valued for the top teams.

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The more the CFP committee rewards better teams with home field, those games matter more.
The more they use bowl games, those regular season games mean less.

Sure a team that is 11-0 could sit guys in that 12th game and still make the playoffs (they wouldn't sit the players probably), but if a loss meant that they have to travel to Michigan to play a playoff game instead of hosting them, the regular season would actually now mean much more than it used too.

Just going with the traditional reps to win their conference.

Big Ten: Oregon
SEC: Texas
Big 12: Utah
ACC: FSU
G5: Memphis

At large:
Georgia
Alabama
Ohio State
Clemson
Kansas St
Notre Dame
Washington

Side note, it's still weird AF to see Cal and Stanford in the ACC

Auto Bids:
SEC - Georgia
Big 10 - Ohio State
ACC - Florida State
Big 12 - Utah
G5 - Liberty

At-Large:
Oregon
Alabama
Ole Miss
Texas
Clemson
Penn State
Michigan