Championship Saturday is in the books and the ball is now in the court of the college football playoff committee.
Alabama’s Heisman trio is far from done
It does seem as if the 2020 Heisman should be a member of the Crimson Tide offense. But who do you got? Mac Jones, Devonta Smith, and Najee Harris all have legitimate Heisman cases to be considered. Najee Harris seems to be the best player in my eyes and would get my vote, but it is very close. 27 total touchdowns in just 11 games goes to show not only the impact, but the importance of his role in the offense.
The Mac Jones and Devonta Smith connection has been the best QB-WR connection all season long. There is even talk that Jaylen Waddle could return for the playoff. With these thoughts in mind, I don’t know of any secondaries in the playoff picture currently that could limit this passing attack.
This team seems destined for a National Championship appearance. Whether its Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Cincinnati, or Oklahoma pick whoever you want but Alabama should take down whoever they are matched up against in the first round.
Is 6 games enough for a playoff team?
In a year with unprecedented circumstances, everybody needs to adjust. This holds true for college football and their playoff process. Ohio State has played great football through 6 games and picked up two resume building wins over Indiana and Northwestern. I believe those wins plus the conference championship and an undefeated season is all I need to consider them a playoff team.
They also have the team that can challenge Alabama and Clemson offensively. This great unit includes: Justin Fields, the RB duo of Master Teague and Trey Sermon (who had a record breaking Saturday), and a great WR duo in Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson. This group of players matches up with great skill players left in the playoff. We will have to monitor Chris Olave’s status for the playoff, as the passing attack did take a hit without him on the field.
For those still up in arms over the Big Ten changing their rules to let Ohio State in the conference championship, consider this. If Ohio State had loss to Michigan last week, they still would have been in the Big Ten Championship game. So was the Big Ten supposed to take away a team’s right to play for a conference championship because another team they were supposed to play had issues? That doesn’t seem fair and I think the Big Ten adjusted their rules accordingly.
At the end of the day, Ohio State is the best the Big Ten has to offer. And in 6 games, they proved they are capable of matching up with the giants of college football in Alabama ad Clemson.
Is Notre Dame still a playoff team?
I believe so. For the past 11 weeks, Notre Dame has been looked at as a playoff caliber team. They feature one of the more experienced and productive offensive lines in the country. Kyren Williams has been a sophomore sensation, and Ian Book has played some of his best football as a member of the Fighting Irish.
They looked flat against Clemson today, but that should not negate an entire season worth of passing the eye test. Also their resume features something Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and Cincinnati do not have. A win over a current playoff team. Just because Trevor Lawrence did not play does not mean the win is irrelevant. That game was a classic and if Notre Dame can channel a performance like that in the playoff, they can surely compete with the best of the best.
That win plus a win over a North Carolina team that will surely be ranked inside the top 15 puts their resume at the top when compared to these other teams. For me, Notre Dame has the best resume of the teams remaining, and in terms of the eye test, Notre Dame is the best team remaining.
Well, what about A&M, Cincinnati, and Oklahoma??
As for A&M, I do not believe they did enough to be considered a playoff team. They have just two wins over teams with a winning record. The rest of their wins were convincing, but came against teams such as Vanderbilt, Arkansas, and South Carolina who find themselves at the bottom of the SEC standings. I think A&M is right where they should be, the #5 team in the country. Still a great season to feel confident about, but not quite a playoff team.
For Cincinnati, this game against Tulsa was very close. I would have liked to see them win more comfortably with a potential matchup with Alabama looming. I think Notre Dame has done more against a tougher schedule than Cincinnati has with a lighter schedule.
Now this is the team I have most trouble putting Notre Dame over. The Oklahoma Sooners have played lights out football since losing to Iowa State in early October. They avenged that loss today in the Big 12 Championship game. Their defense has allowed 14 points or less in 5 of their 10 games which is a complete makeover from a unit that was one of the worst in the Big 12. Spencer Rattler has settled down and played efficient football, as the offense continues to roll.
But, I believe the regular season should matter when we are comparing these teams. Oklahoma has two losses, and one of them being to a Kansas State team which has finished poorly. And while Iowa State is a great win to have, it is not enough for me to put them in over Notre Dame.
We are about an hour and a half from seeing what the committee does. What do you think the playoff should be? Let me know on twitter @James_Costanz.
James Costanz’ final playoff rankings:
- Alabama
- Clemson
- Ohio State
- Notre Dame
