2025 College Football Playoffs

[stlnd01]

Aside from maybe Ohio State I don't know that most of the likely CFP teams are meaningfully better than any of the others.
They all have their strengths, but also their flaws. We look good enough to beat any of them, but also have enough flaws ourselves to lose to most.
In other words, I'm pretty confident that we're in, and I don't really care where we're seeded (though a home game would be nice). Figure we land somewhere between 7 and 10 and let's just go play the games. This will be fun.

 

[OhioIrish]

I think ND drops to 10. Alabama won't drop below ND and Oklahoma will jump ND.

Oklahoma 8, Alabama 9, ND 10

ND will have gone from being the top ranked 2 loss team to the 3rd ranked 2 loss team all in one week.

Not saying it won’t happen, but I’ll be surprised if Bama is ahead of us. Sure, they beat a very good Georgia team, but they also lost to a putrid FSU team. Their other wins are fairly pedestrian. Whatever voters have seen in this Alabama team, I have not seen it. Outside of A&M and Georgia, the SEC is not elite — just a bunch of solid teams with strong branding. I think it ends up OU, ND, Bama at 8, 9, 10. I could even see ND, OU, Bama given the way OU lucked into that win.

 

[stlnd01]

Not saying it won’t happen, but I’ll be surprised if Bama is ahead of us. Sure, they beat a very good Georgia team, but they also lost to a putrid FSU team. Their other wins are fairly pedestrian. Whatever voters have seen in this Alabama team, I have not seen it. Outside of A&M and Georgia, the SEC is not elite — just a bunch of solid teams with strong branding. I think it ends up OU, ND, Bama at 8, 9, 10. I could even see ND, OU, Bama given the way OU lucked into that win.

Bama has a better win than us but two worse losses (one far worse). Beyond that, meh. I don't know that Vandy/Mizzou/Tennessee really stand up as big wins at the end of it all. Though I suppose neither will Pitt and they don't have that SEC juice. Could see it going either way.

 

[LifelongFan]

The real question:

3 Loss Bama (lose SEC championship)
2 loss Oklahoma
2 loss Notre Dame
2 loss Oregon
2 loss USC (beating Oregon)

One has to be left out. Who?

 

[benneboy]

The real question:

3 Loss Bama (lose SEC championship)
2 loss Oklahoma
2 loss Notre Dame
2 loss Oregon
2 loss USC (beating Oregon)

One has to be left out. Who?

Oregon, Bama or maybe both.

 

[Johannes]

The real question:

3 Loss Bama (lose SEC championship)
2 loss Oklahoma
2 loss Notre Dame
2 loss Oregon
2 loss USC (beating Oregon)

One has to be left out. Who?

Putting all else aside, does 3-loss SEC championship game loser Bama get in at all? The committee didn't have to wrestle with this last year. Imagine the lobbying from Sankey & Co in this scenario.

 

[LifelongFan]

I was thinking Oregon, because USC and Notre Dame would be over them. But, Bama might have the lowest SP+ after that and would have choked down the stretch. It would be a tough choice and 2 loss Utah or BYU would be lurking as well.

 

[irishu]

 

[burmafrd1944]

texas is cooked after yesterday; OU shined. Alabama looked BAD. All the bedwetters here really going to have to work at it.
Our loss to TAM is still a good one; their comeback yesterday will impress a lot.
and the pansies here forget one key fact: the committee places a lot of emphasis on teams that end the year hot. We win out and we have the longest winning streak of any teams outside TAM and OSU.
Our win yesterday over a team that has respect will also count; especially how we dominated them

OU jumping us is reasonable; but Alabama will drop past us almost for sure. People are being reminded once again that the Saban Empire is no more.
who by the way is pretty much assured of a losing season at NC

 

[thekid33]

There isn't a single team (outside of OSU) in playoff contention that I wouldn't like our chances against. There are a lot of very good, but not great, teams.

And even when it comes to Ohio State, at some point we are due.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

USF and Texas should be out.

 

[Irish#1]

OU will jump us with that win. Not sure Bama will fall below us, but we’ll see. Outside of the Buckeyes, I think UGA might be the best out there. Early loss has everyone ignoring them, but they’ve been playing well.

 

[jprue24]

Hoping SCum wins out makes me feel gross.

 

[ND87]

Oh shit. Just realized I voted wrong this week (and missed altogether last week)
Guess I'm not a charm after all

 

[calvegas04]

USF and Texas should be out.

Now we worry about James Madison

 

[Old Man Mike]

Since playing in the tournament is just as good for me, wherever we finish other than winning a championship, I'll stick to my minority opinion: I don't care how "soon" we get Ohio State. We either beat them or we don't. IF we beat them, then we get "their seed" bracket from then on. Earlier in some ways is better, if one is concerned about depth and in-game injury possibilities earlier. And, if we have to lose to someone this year, losing to the champion plays better for next year's reputation. ... my "irrefutable" albeit absurd position.

 

[ReesusCrist]

Since playing in the tournament is just as good for me, wherever we finish other than winning a championship, I'll stick to my minority opinion: I don't care how "soon" we get Ohio State. We either beat them or we don't. IF we beat them, then we get "their seed" bracket from then on. Earlier in some ways is better, if one is concerned about depth and in-game injury possibilities earlier. And, if we have to lose to someone this year, losing to the champion plays better for next year's reputation. ... my "irrefutable" albeit absurd position.

I understand that position, but there is also the external perception that the deeper you go in the tournament, the better you are. If we had Tennessee's seeding last year, played Ohio State in the first round, and then lost to them in the exact same manner as the national championship game, the perception would remain that "ND can't win the big one." We also wouldn't have had the victories over Penn State and UGA to build our brand equity.

All that stuff matters, both for recruiting as well as for ranking "credit" in future seasons. I would have a hard time believing we would be as high as we are in the CFP rankings this year if we still had the BCS/NY6/CFP drought hanging over our heads.

 

[IrishLax]

ND is 5th. Neither Bama nor Oklahoma are top 10.

 

[Old Man Mike]

Re' Reesus: I get the alternative way of thinking. My (overly optimistic?) view is that we even in a loss would play OSUs ass off, and others wouldn't. Good football people would remember that, even if internet fans wouldn't.

 

[ReesusCrist]

Re' Reesus: I get the alternative way of thinking. My (overly optimistic?) view is that we even in a loss would play OSUs ass off, and others wouldn't. Good football people would remember that, even if internet fans wouldn't.

I agree with you on that, and I would be more okay playing OSU early this year than I would have been last year. Those playoff wins last year were cathartic for everyone.

 

[Irish2155]

I hate to agree with “Coach D” but I do see his point. OSU “hasn’t been tested” because they haven’t played with their food. IU had a “big win” to give Mendoza a “Heisman moment” when they squeaked out a win against a 3 win PSU team. I’m not gonna knock OSU for just smothering teams all season.

OSU is ranked #1 in the country. Not sure what he’s bitching about.

 

[Irish2155]

I think ND drops to 10. Alabama won't drop below ND and Oklahoma will jump ND.

Oklahoma 8, Alabama 9, ND 10

ND will have gone from being the top ranked 2 loss team to the 3rd ranked 2 loss team all in one week.

ND would beat both Bama and Sooner on a neutral field. Hell, I’m starting think that ND might be the best team in the field.

Ok 8, Bama 9, ND 2 or 3 if we’re ranking off our pocket books.

 

[LifelongFan]

Oklahoma is a team i want to avoid early, not necessarily because they are really good but rather very physical. It's almost like a service academy game with bigger players. Unnecessary knocks early will make it harder to make a run.

With Navy suddenly having a real shot at the 12 seed, that could be really bad for the 5 seed as well.

 

[ulukinatme]

A good Michigan team? Are we talking about the same team?

Mediocre is a better word, but they are Top 25 currently so there's that perception.

 

[ulukinatme]

Hoping SCum wins out makes me feel gross.

Why would anyone want this? OSU is in regardless at this point, even with a Michigan loss. I would rather OSU go into the playoffs cocky and jaded instead of on wake up mode like last year. Last year that Michigan loss lit a fire under their asses.

 

[EvilleIrish]

There is absolutely a path for us to still miss this thing. T Tech losing in the big 12 title game could be devastating.

 

[jprue24]

Why would anyone want this? OSU is in regardless at this point, even with a Michigan loss. I would rather OSU go into the playoffs cocky and jaded instead of on wake up mode like last year. Last year that Michigan loss lit a fire under their asses.

Because I rate good wins over good losses. SCum is the only win that can compare to Bama or Georgia or BYU or Utah.

 

[Dale]

Conspiracy take: the cleanest thing to do is put Alabama behind Notre Dame. If Alabama wins out, they are automatically in anyways. If they lose either game, they would be a 3 loss team. If it is to A&M, well there is no chance they lose a closer game than ours. Is it not cleaner to just have them further back for now?

 

[OrlaNDomer]

Tech would have zero quality wins and 2 bad losses. Don’t see them staying in without big 12 CCG win.

 

[burmafrd1944]

There is absolutely a path for us to still miss this thing. T Tech losing in the big 12 title game could be devastating.

you are full of it