The Oregon Ducks have officially done it. On Saturday, Dec 7, the Ducks clinched the BIG-10 championship in a high-scoring game against number three ranked Penn State. The game started off fast with the Ducks taking a commanding lead, but the Nittany Lions, behind talented quarterback Drew Allar, quickly climbed their way back into the game. It was back and forth all game with each team scoring at a high level offensively, but the game was eventually sealed in the fourth quarter when Oregon cornerback Nikko Reed made an amazing interception.
As a die-hard Ducks fan, it was great getting to see my team win the BIG-10 championship and cap off an undefeated regular season in their first year in the conference. Many analysts said that the PAC-12 (Oregon’s former conference) was uncompetitive and that they would struggle in the BIG-10 this year, but the Ducks completely exceeded expectations. Not only did they claim the number one seed in the college football playoffs, they are the only undefeated team in the country this year. That is highly impressive considering the difficulty of their schedule and the rocky start they had against Idaho at the start of the season, only winning 24-14.
Along with the conference championships that took place over the weekend of Dec 7, the College Football Playoff Committee, who decides which teams make the playoffs every year, was busy at work. Different than ever before, this year, instead of only four teams in the playoffs, there is a 12 team bracket. Although I am a fan of letting more teams into the playoffs, the format baffles me. The top four seeds are the respective winners of their conferences, so this year’s top teams are Oregon at number one (BIG-10 Champion), Georgia at number two (Southeastern Conference Champion), Boise State at number three (Mountain West Champion), and Arizona State at number four (BIG-12 Champion). These teams all earned a first round bye, and play the winners of the first round games.
While I am glad Oregon is number one, they have the hardest path to the championship in the eyes of many. Although teams like Ohio State, Texas and Penn State didn’t win or didn’t make their conference championship game, they are still considered some of the best teams. This is unfortunate for the Oregon Ducks because they have to play the winner of the eight versus nine seed game which could be either Ohio State or Tennessee. The Ducks have beaten the Buckeyes once earlier in the season, but it was their toughest test and having to face them again, so early in the second round, will be a difficult task.
If Oregon makes it past that game, they will most likely end up playing the Texas Longhorns who made the 4 team playoffs last year and have been a force to be reckoned with. On top of that difficult semi-final game, the Ducks could either meet the Penn State Nittany Lions who they narrowly beat in the BIG-10 championship or red hot Georgia who has won two national championships under head coach Kirby Smart in the National Championship. The point is, the road to the championship is most difficult for the Ducks, and that doesn’t make sense for a team who has rightfully earned an easier path to the finals.
Despite the fact I am frustrated with Oregon’s seeding, I am a fan of how this playoff format is giving teams that would have no shot of making the previous four team playoffs a chance to win. Examples of teams that fit this category this year are Boise State, Arizona State and Southern Methodist University (SMU). The Boise State Broncos are a fan favorite led by Heisman candidate running back Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty has broken numerous records this year and is the favorite to win the trophy. The Arizona State Sun Devils are led by another star running back in Cam Skattebo who is also on the Heisman watchlist and head coach Kenny Dillingham who was Oregon’s offensive coordinator last year. The SMU Mustangs got the last spot in the playoffs after a hard fought loss in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship to Clemson, and they will look to make a run. As a whole, this bracket format allows for the success of smaller teams, but punishes the top teams like the Oregon Ducks. Nevertheless, it should be an exciting postseason.
