College Football’s Most Wonderful Time of the Year

by Chito Chibuye

Dawgs OTL Writer/ UGA Alumnus

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Students are finishing finals before Christmas break. Fantasy leagues are in the middle of their playoffs while NFL teams fight for position, and the CFP bracket is set to kickoff. The NIL and coaching carousel are in full rotation while 12 teams fight for a chance at a trophy 🏆.

It feels like the format has changed every year since the inception of the playoff and with that comes new strategies of the best way to win a title. It used to be that the SEC champ was a major favorite to win it all, but now we have back to back Champions from the BIG10 since UGA won its’ back to back titles.

Rest vs Rust: The Biggest CFP Debate

One of the more popular questions outside of seeding and matchups is the “rest vs rust” debate. Is it more beneficial to be a top 4 seed, secure a bye and rest your team? Or is it better to avoid your conferences’ championship game, play a weaker team and find your rhythm early but have the seeding out of your control?

Matchups and seeding will always be the most vital in my opinion, but with the amount of games that teams play now, I truly think a healthy team will beat a talented team as the season wanes.

Context Matters: Why Last Year’s CFP Results Are Misleading

A quick look at last year however, tells a different story IF* you don’t provide the context. All four teams with a bye lost last year. Mind you those teams were Boise State (joke outside of Ashton Jeanty), UGA (Carson Injury), Arizona State (Skattebo szn), Oregon, and they were beat by Penn state, Notre Dame, Texas, and Ohio State. All better teams that were healthy, two of which played for the title.

This year I think the top 4 (outside maybe Tex Tech) are legit championship teams. Before we break down my bracket, let me start by saying that I think UGA or OSU wins it all this year given their respective paths.

CFP Round 1 Predictions

Round 1:
12 JMU vs 5 Oregon -Oregon is the better team.
9 Alabama vs 8 Oklahoma - if you haven’t been paying attention, Venables defense has been elite, the blueprint is out, and they’ve already beaten Bama who’s offense hasn’t looked good and they are not healthy. In Norman? Give me the Sooners.
11 Tulane vs 6 Ole Miss - I think Pete Golding is up for the task. The Rebels already smoked this team and I expect the defense to be better and offense to stay strong regardless of QB.
10 Miami vs 7 Texas A&M - I think A&M is the 2nd best SEC team and even though Marcel Reed didn’t finish his campaign with Heisman consideration, he can take over games with his legs and arm. Miami’s front is ferocious but less effective on mobile QB’s. Can Carson avoid turnovers? Doubt it.

CFP Quarterfinal Predictions

Quarterfinals:
5 Oregon vs 4 Texas Tech- Tech’s season doesn’t impress me. They lost at ASU and their best wins… BYU twice. Dan’s Ducks will be warmed up and the most talented QB and roster the red raiders have seen all year.
8 Oklahoma vs 1 Indiana- this is going to come off as disrespect, and I don’t care. This Sooners team is a problem! I know IU just beat OSU, but now you’re in the big leagues now and you haven’t been up here for very long. Can your Heisman winner win you a Rose Bowl? That’s a lot of pressure for a team that’s never felt it.
6 Ole Miss vs 3 Georgia - The Rebels had a real chance when they came to Athens. Kiffin is gone and Chambliss may be too, and this defense has been different since the first matchup. Give me a dominant run game and give me the Dawgs.
***7 Texas A&M vs 2 Ohio State- This is the most important game in my entire bracket. The cotton bowl is in Texas and I think Mike Elko and company have enough talent to pull the upset. The Aggies secondary will decide this game. Can you stop Jeremiah Smith and Julian Sayin? If Tex A&M can knockout the Buckeyes I think UGA wins it all

CFP Semifinal Predictions

Semifinals:
5 Oregon vs 8 Oklahoma- Two programs that are building strong foundations meet, but I feel like Oklahoma is a year away and doesn’t match up well with the first explosive dual-threat QB they see in the CFP.

3 Georgia vs Texas A&M- Two talented teams that have found a way to get to this point. Georgia handles Ole Miss, but the Aggies need everything and maybe even overtime to beat OSU. Not enough in the tank for a line of scrimmage game that UGA will assert with its depth and talent.

CFP National Championship Prediction

Championship:
5 Oregon vs 3 Georgia- Call it a homer take if you want but this Bulldog team is dangerous both defensively and dare I say it? Offensively! We are healthy at the right time and I truly think it’s between us and Ohio State. A lot will have to go right, but the Dawgs have a real shot at 3rd title in the Kirby era. Go Dawgs!