Bracket Projection- 12/25/16

MIDWEST(1)-Kansas City, MO
Tulsa, OK
1 Baylor
16 UC-Irvine/NC-Central
8 SMU
9 VCU
Salt Lake City, UT
5 Maryland
12 Middle Tennessee State
4 USC
13 Valparaiso
Greenville,SC
6 Notre Dame
11 UNC-Wilmington
3 Kentucky
14 IPFW
Indianapolis, IN
7 Florida State
10 Arkansas
2 Butler
15 Akron

SOUTH(4)-Memphis, TN
Sacramento, CA
1 Gonzaga
16 Nicholls State
8 Cincinnati
9 Virginia Tech
Orlando, FL
5 Purdue
12 Wichita State
4 North Carolina
13 Tennessee State
Greenville, SC
6 Oregon
11 UT-Arlington
3 Duke
14 Chattanooga
Tulsa, OK
7 Northwestern
10 Seton Hall
2 Kansas
15 Florida Gulf Coast

EAST(2)-New York, NY
Buffalo, NY
1 Villanova
16 Bucknell/Wagner
8 Pittsburgh
9 TCU
Salt Lake City, UT
5 Arizona
12 Nevada
4 Virginia
13 Monmouth
Milwaukee, WI
6 St. Mary's
11 Rhode Island
3 Indiana
14 Eastern Washington
Indianapolis, IN
7 Oklahoma State
10 Texas A&M
2 Louisville
15 Yale

WEST(3)-San Jose, CA
Sacramento, CA
1 UCLA
16 Texas Southern
8 Temple
9 Illinois
Orlando, FL
5 Xavier
12 Wake Forest/South Carolina
4 Wisconsin
13 Winthrop
Buffalo, NY
6 Florida
11 Colorado/Clemson
3 West Virginia
14 New Mexico State
Milwaukee, WI
7 Minnesota
10 Stanford
2 Creighton
15 Vermont

Danger Zone
Last 10 in: Virginia Tech, Arkansas, Seton Hall, Texas A&M, Stanford, Rhode Island, Wake Forest, Colorado, Clemson, South Carolina

First 10 Out: Providence, Michigan, Miami, FL, Arkansas State, Dayton, Ole Miss, Iowa State, Kansas State, Houston, Georgetown

Multiple Bid Conferences

ACC- 10
Big Ten- 7
Pac-12- 6
Big 12- 5
Big East- 5
SEC- 5

AAC-3

A-10- 2

WCC-2

College Football New Year's Six Bowls Projection

With the season complete, the final rankings will be revealed tomorrow. There are a lot of questions that come into play. Will the Top 4 stay the same? Does Penn State get in over Ohio State? Does Washington or Clemson get left out? Does the Big Ten get two teams? Does Ohio State fall from 2 to 5? There are different ways to evaluate each resume. The simple solution is for the Top 4 to stay the same. Alabama dominated Florida and will be the #1 seed in the playoff. Clemson beat Virginia Tech while Washington destroyed Colorado. Ohio State was idle but with wins over Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and Michigan gives them a strong case to stay in the Top 4. Penn State has the head-to-head victory over Ohio State and won the Big Ten Championship. Their biggest con on their resume is having Two Losses. The other four teams are either undefeated or have one loss.

The committee has stressed conference championships as most important the past two seasons. Two years ago, TCU fell from 3 to 6 and was hopped by conference champion and undefeated Florida State, conference champion Ohio State, and co-Big 12 champ Baylor who they lost to. Does the same happen to Ohio State?

I believe Penn State and USC have made an argument of why the committee will consider expanding the playoff to 8 teams in the future. Its simple, teams change a lot from September to December. Some teams get better as some teams get worse. If Penn State gets in, I believe they should get in over Ohio State and not Washington or Clemson. Overall, here are my projections:

Peach Bowl: 1 Alabama vs 4 Penn State
Fiesta Bowl: 2 Clemson vs 3 Washington


Sugar Bowl: Oklahoma vs Auburn
Rose Bowl: USC vs Ohio State
Cotton Bowl: Western Michigan vs Wisconsin
Orange Bowl: Florida State vs Michigan

M+J's College Football Final Top 25 Rankings

1 Alabama
2 Ohio State
3 Washington
4 Clemson
5 Penn State
6 Michigan
7 Oklahoma
8 Wisconsin
9 USC
10 Colorado
11 Western Michigan
12 Florida State
13 Stanford
14 Oklahoma State
15 West Virginia
16 LSU
17 Iowa
18 Auburn
19 Utah
20 Pittsburgh
21 Louisville
22 Virginia Tech
23 Washington State
24 Temple
25 South Florida

Championship Week

Championship Week-Impact Games-Friday

MAC Championship-17 Western Michigan vs Ohio

This is the biggest game (so far) in Western Michigan football history. A win here almost certainly will make them the highest rank Group of 5 Champion, which will place them in a New Year's 6 Bowl. A loss will give them a 12-1 season with no New Year's Bowl and the thought of what could have been a perfect season is done.

Prediction: Western Michigan 41, Ohio 20

PAC-12 Championship- 4 Washington vs 8 Colorado

This game has major playoff implications for both teams especially Washington. If the Huskies win, they will almost definitely be in the Playoff. However, if Colorado wins, the PAC-12 winner would not be guaranteed as the Buffaloes would have to see what happens in the ACC and Big Ten Championship Games. They would also have to see if a PAC-12 Championship would override a loss to Michigan. Either way, there is a lot to play for on both sides, and it should be a fun game.

Prediction: Washington 27, Colorado 24

Championship Week-Impact Games-Saturday

AAC Championship-19 Navy vs Temple

Since Western Michigan won, Navy's chances at a New Year's 6 are probably done unless the committee values an AAC Champion with 2 losses over an undefeated MAC champion. The Owls have been strong down the stretch, but Navy's offense was unstoppable last week.

Prediction: Navy 34, Temple 28

Conference USA Championship-Louisiana Tech vs Western Kentucky

Western Kentucky has been the best team in the conference this season. The game will likely feature a lot of offense.

Prediction: Western Kentucky 49, Louisiana Tech 37

Big 12- 10 Oklahoma State at 9 Oklahoma

The default Big 12 Championship Game does not have Playoff implications, but it is still the Bedlam game where the winner will be crowned the Big 12 Champion. The Sooners are yet to lose in conference play and are at home.

Prediction: Oklahoma 48, Oklahoma State 41

SEC Championship-1 Alabama vs 15 Florida

Even with a loss, Alabama will likely remain in the Playoff. The Crimson Tide have been unstoppable for most of their games, so it does not seem like a loss to Florida is even possible.

Prediction: Alabama 28, Florida 7 

MWC Championship-San Diego State vs Wyoming

Without Ohio winning over Western Michigan, A Temple win over Navy would mean nothing to the MWC Champion since the winner of this game has no chance at a New Year's 6 Bowl anymore. Still the winner of this game gets a great alternative prize to play in the Las Vegas Bowl. San Diego State has looked better, but the Mountain Division which Wyoming played in was much tougher.

Prediction: San Diego State 28, Wyoming 27

ACC Championship-3 Clemson vs 23 Virginia Tech

It is a do or die game for Clemson's Playoff hopes. A win and they will very likely be in. A loss and the Playoff does not seem as likely. Clemson has had its inconsistencies at time during the season that has made some of their games unexpectedly close. Will this be another one of those games? The Hokies have their eyes on a New Year's 6 Bowl, so Justin Fuente and company would love to spoil Clemson's chances to clinch that spot.

Prediction: Virginia Tech 30, Clemson 27

Big Ten Championship-6 Wisconsin vs 7 Penn State

This could be the most interesting game of the day especially if Clemson was to lose, which would make this a likely play-in game for the Playoff. If Clemson wins, what are the chances of the winner of this game to be taken over Ohio State, which did not win the Big Ten? Penn State has looked very good down the stretch and was the only team to beat Ohio State this season. Wisconsin has looked good especially on defense all season. This is definitely the most anticipated game. 

Prediction: Penn State 21, Wisconsin 20