College Football Playoff top-4 seeds revealed!
College Football Playoff announced the bracket for the first-ever 12 member tournament happening in two weeks.
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Ashton Jeanty, Carson Beck (Top), Sam Leavitt, Dillon Gabriel (bottom) (Images via Oregon Ducks/X/Laprese)
The Oregon Ducks headline the College Football Playoff top four and earn a first-round bye in the CFP National Championship. The CFP published the list of teams that will make the 12-member tournament.
After a scintillating victory in the Big Ten Championship game against the Penn State Nittany Lions, the Ducks have been adjudged the No. 1 seed in the CFP. The Georgia Bulldogs, Boise State, and Arizona State Sun Devils will follow the Ducks as the No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 seeds, respectively.
The Oregon Ducks will be heading to the Rose Bowl, where they will meet the duel winners between No. 8 Ohio State and No. 9 Tennessee. They are considered to be a prime favorite for the championship accolades as they continue with their unbeaten run. The Ducks who missed out on titles in 2010 and 2014 will be playing in the Rose Bowl for the ninth time in history.
THE BRACKET IS SET ✍️
— ESPN (@espn) December 8, 2024
Who are you taking to win the #CFBPlayoff? pic.twitter.com/9BDWwesEVL
Georgia Bulldogs, take the second spot after pulling a win in the overtime over favorites Texas Longhorns. The Dawgs overcame the Horns in a close 22-19 game to make it to the Sugar Bowl. They have a 5-6 history with the Sugar Bowl, including a 1981 undefeated run to the national championship under Vince Dooley. The Dawgs will play the winners of the Indiana and Notre Dame game on December 20, 2024.
The Boise State Broncos claimed a back-to-back Mountain West championship and matched the winners of SMU and Penn State, thankful to a masterful game headed by Ashton Jeanty, their running back. The Broncos climbed up the ladder following the win against UNLV in the aforementioned game.
The Arizona Sun Devils conclude the top four of the first-round bye entrants of the CFP 2024-25. The Sun Devils erased the memories of the last two seasons with a dominant win in the Big 12 Championship over Iowa State.
After a three-win season last year, the Sun Devils making and winning the championship, onlooked by spectators and big names, in their first year in the new conference is a welcome storyline. While the Boise State plays the Fiesta Bowl, the Sun Devils play in the Peach Bowl.
SMU Mustangs outdo Alabama Crimson Tide to sneak into the College Football Playoff tournament
Earlier, the Clemson Tigers’ last-minute gasping win over the SMU Mustangs in the ACC Championship produced a dilemma. Should the 11-2 championship runners-up enter or the 9-3 SEC?
Heading into the ACC Championship game, the Mustangs held the No. 8 ranking and maintained an undefeated record in league play. SMU coach Rhett Lashlee and ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips argued that this alone should secure their spot, regardless of the outcome against Clemson. It was a hard decision indeed for the College Football Playoff, with Clemson Tigers being touted as the first college playoff stealer in history.
College Football Playoff league chair Warde Manuel expressed the same. He admitted that the race came too close but confessed that after their performance against the Clemson Tigers, it would be unfair if they weren’t playing in the playoffs.
A schedule comparison gives Alabama the edge over SMU in several metrics, including strength of record (No. 9, compared to SMU’s No. 15) and FPI (fourth, with SMU at No. 13). Alabama has three victories over Top 25 teams. However, the Crimson Tide also have three losses, including two to .500 teams. SMU Mustangs, on the other hand, despite having no wins over any top 25 ranked team, had only two narrow losses.
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Mohammed Bazim
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