CFB: Oklahoma, Oregon are on track for a playoff berth
Alabama is still projected to be the top seed in the playoff after starting the season 2-0. The Crimson Tide have taken #14 Miami (44-13) and Mercer (48-14) before traveling to #11 Florida this coming weekend. Bryce Young has looked incredible to start his career, throwing for 571 yards and seven touchdowns on a 70.8% passing rate. Nick Saban's secondary also continues to be a strength with Jordan Battle, Josh Jobe, and Kool-Aid McKinstry. Oregon moved into our CFP projections after an impressive road win at Ohio State, led by Anthony Brown and CJ Verdell, who totaled 195 yards and three touchdowns in the 35-28 victory. The Ducks also defeated Fresno State (31-24) in the season opener. Mario Cristobal's team will take on Stony Brook on Saturday night before starting Pac-12 play. The Orange Bowl will take place on Dec. 31.
Georgia also hopes to get back to the playoff after just missing out on a national championship in 2017. The Bulldogs have started the year with victories over #3 Clemson (10-3) and UAB (56-7) despite being without Arik Gilbert, George Pickens, and Darnell Washington. Brock Bowers had led the team in receiving yards in both games, combining for 150 yards and two touchdowns on nine receptions. Kirby Smart's squad will look to improve to 3-0 against South Carolina this weekend. Oklahoma recently jumped into the projected playoff with early season losses from Clemson and Ohio State. The Sooners barely snuck by Tulane (40-35) in the season opener before taking out their frustration on Western Carolina (76-0) a week ago. Spencer Rattler has 547 passing yards and six touchdowns through two games as Oklahoma prepares to play Nebraska next.
Ohio State's defense struggled in the recent loss to Oregon as they allowed 269 yards on the ground. With that said, the Buckeyes remain favorites to win the Big Ten behind CJ Stroud, Chris Olave, and an explosive offense. Ryan Day's team is projected to go 11-1 with wins over #10 Penn State and #25 Michigan. The Buckeyes would be in the conversation for a playoff spot but would need help from others so a Rose Bowl berth is the most likely scenario right now. If Oregon remains in the top four then the Pac-12 representative could be Arizona State, UCLA, or USC. The Sun Devils are my second highest ranked Pac-12 team with a road test at #23 BYU on Saturday night. Jayden Daniels played phenomenal against Southern Utah and UNLV, combing for 469 yards on a 73.2% completion rate. The Rose Bowl is on New Year's Day as always.
Texas A&M has aspirations of reaching the CFP after just missing out last season. That just got a little more difficult for Jimbo Fisher though after starting quarterback Haynes King left last game with a foot injury and will be out until at least mid-October, according to Saturday Down South. The Aggies will get to 3-0 with a win this weekend but the schedule kicks up after that with matchups against #1 Alabama, #17 Ole Miss, and #20 Arkansas. If they can pick up a couple wins during that stretch, Texas A&M should secure their second consecutive New Year's Six bowl game. Clemson is hoping to reach the playoff for a seventh straight year but that's in jeopardy after losing to #5 Georgia. The Tigers are projected to go 11-1 with an ACC championship but there résumé will be lacking marquee wins with upcoming games at Pittsburgh and South Carolina.
Cincinnati has a chance to go undefeated in the regular season for a second year in a row. If the Bearcats are able to do so, they will have a much better shot at earning a playoff berth with road games against Indiana and #12 Notre Dame. Desmond Ridder has been sharp to start his senior season, throwing for 538 yards and six touchdowns in a pair of blowout wins. Luke Fickell's team has competition for the Group of Five selection, though, with Coastal Carolina, Liberty, and UCF also unbeaten. The second Big Ten program to earn a projected spot in the New Year's Six is Iowa, who already has two ranked wins over #9 Iowa State and #17 Indiana. Kirk Ferentz has one of his most aggressive and disciplined defenses but the offense hasn't impressed me enough to vault them above Ohio State. The Fiesta Bowl will be played at State Farm Stadium.
Notre Dame hasn't been very consistent to start 2021 but they survived in overtime at Florida State (41-38) before coming back late to beat Toledo (32-29). The Fighting Irish will need to improve on the fly with a challenging schedule against #8 Cincinnati, #15 Virginia Tech, #18 Wisconsin, and #21 North Carolina ahead. I don't think Brian Kelly's team will be able to get through all four of those games unscathed but should still have a good enough record to earn a Peach Bowl invitation. The other team would likely come from the SEC with Florida, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M in position to compete. The Gators are 2-0 with in-state victories over Florida Atlantic (35-14) and South Florida (42-20). Ty'Ronn Harper has a team-high six tackles but this defense will be more than tested against Alabama on Saturday afternoon.
Photo Credit: Saturday Blitz.
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