• New here? Register here now for access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Plus, stay connected and follow BP on Instagram @buckeyeplanet and Facebook.

2025 College Football Playoffs Discussion (12 Team Format)

I’m glad to see that the B1G is holding off on the SEC’s proposed 16-team-lots-of-at-large-teams playoff until the SEC goes to 9 conference games.

Since they only play 8, it gives the SEC a higher overall winning %, which they use to claim a tougher SOS for all of their teams, which they use to justify higher rankings. It’s a house of cards and the SEC wants to use it to justify getting 8 or 9 teams into the CFP. Screw that BS.
I agree. The B1G absolutely has no incentive to allow the SEC to schedule their way into continuing the "pecking order" that always puts them on top. We saw this past season that teams with 3 losses did not make the 12-team playoff, and I think that's pretty much the way it should be in general. 3 losses should disqualify almost every team, but with SEC teams only having 8 conference games, with a 16-team field they would likely be able to convince the committee that their top 3-loss teams like Bama and Ole Miss from this past season deserve to be in the playoff.

B1G absolutely should not allow 16-team playoffs with the SEC playing 1 fewer conference game. Loss totals matter so much in the ultimate selection, plus this seems to me to be a backdoor way for the SEC to gain greater representation in the playoff than other conferences. They hate being on a more even playing field with everyone else - or, God forbid, being at a disadvantage numbers-wise - and having them only with 3 teams and the B1G with 4 in the playoff this past season no doubt had them wanting to change the system.
 
Upvote 0
Google AI: Quality wins for the College Football Playoff (CFP) are defined b y the selection committee's evaluation of a team's on-field performance, with recent changes to metrics including "record strength" and enhanced "strength of schedule". This new "record strength" metric specifically rewards teams for defeating high-quality opponents and applies less credit for beating weaker teams, while also minimizing the penalty for losing to a strong opponent. Other important factors remain: winning conference championships, head-to-head results, comparing results against common opponents, and the overall quality of a team's schedule.

Just sayin': I'll go out on a limb here and say after week #1 Ohio State now leads all of college football with the best "quality win"......:gagnam:
 
Upvote 0
Google AI: Quality wins for the College Football Playoff (CFP) are defined b y the selection committee's evaluation of a team's on-field performance, with recent changes to metrics including "record strength" and enhanced "strength of schedule". This new "record strength" metric specifically rewards teams for defeating high-quality opponents and applies less credit for beating weaker teams, while also minimizing the penalty for losing to a strong opponent. Other important factors remain: winning conference championships, head-to-head results, comparing results against common opponents, and the overall quality of a team's schedule.

Just sayin': I'll go out on a limb here and say after week #1 Ohio State now leads all of college football with the best "quality win"......:gagnam:
Yeah, but is it really a “quality win” when Ohio State beats a team that can lose to Ohio State?





consequtively
 
Upvote 0

Ohio State’s Win Over No. 1 Texas Despite Subpar Offensive Showing Shows National Championship Potential of 2025 Buckeyes​

157619_h.jpg


Ohio State defeated the No. 1 team in the country on Saturday and only accumulated 203 yards of total offense.

Jeremiah Smith and Max Klare had uncharacteristic drops early. While the running game had its highlight moments, it also struggled to find consistency against Texas’ vaunted defensive front. Julian Sayin, to his credit, kept his poise, managed the game efficiently in his first start and didn’t turn the ball over, but it was clear the game plan had training wheels on it. Ryan Day admitted after the game that he and offensive coordinator Brian Hartline called a conservative game plan offensively once they saw how dominant their defense was holding up against Arch

Manning, the No. 1 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class, but when all was said and done Sayin probably could have handled more than he was asked to do on Saturday.

“I thought Brian called an unselfish game,” Day said Saturday. “I thought the defense was playing well … We wanted to let them beat us. And for a first-time starter, you just don't want to put (Julian) in that situation. So hindsight says we did the right thing, but you're never too sure.”

Frankly, all of that is fair. And honestly, it’s pretty exciting if you think about it.

If the Buckeyes can already take down what was supposed to be the nation’s best team with their offense not firing on all cylinders quite yet, how dangerous can this team be once it reaches its final form? Smith isn’t going to drop passes like that every week — if you remember, he also dropped one in the season opener against Akron last year, too, and then didn’t drop another pass for the rest of the season. C.J. Stroud and Justin Fields didn’t look like finished products in their first career starts against premier opponents, and it’s safe to say Sayin’s stat lines are only going to get better from here.

“I was just going out there and focusing on my job,” Sayin said. “I think the defense played really well, obviously, and then the offensive line and the receivers and the running backs ran hard. So it kind of made my job easy just trying to distribute the ball.”

Ohio State already has a championship-caliber defense; it proved that on Saturday. Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia put Manning in a blender all day – a sentence that was last uttered sometime between 2016 and 2017 – and he disguised coverages and formations well all day. Caleb Downs continued to be a superstar and Arvell Reese sure seems like he’s well on his way to becoming one. Perhaps at least a small part of OSU’s success defensively can be attributed to nerves/ineffectiveness from the mega-hyped younger Manning. Regardless, if you asked the question, “Does Ohio State have a legitimate chance of repeating in 2025,” the defense responded with a resounding “yes.”
.
.
.
continued
 
Upvote 0

Bowl projections: Ohio State makes big move in College Football Playoff bracket; Alabama, Boise State drop out

Brad Crawford's college football bowl projections break down how the 12-team CFP could play out after Week 1​


ohio-state-bowl.png


So much for Alabama hitting cruise control during the nonconference slate prior to opening SEC play against Georgia on Sept. 27. The Crimson Tide joined Boise State as one of two teams out of our projected playoff bracket from the preseason following Saturday night's five-alarm fire in Tallahassee, an opening-weekend stunner at Florida State that revealed major issues with one of the nation's perceived elites.

Alabama looked closer to a seven-win team than one vying for double-digit victories in Kalen DeBoer's second season and tumbled down our bowl projections after Week 1. Props to Mike Norvell and Florida State, who have successfully erased the stain of last fall's 2-10 finish with a momentum-changing victory for the program.

Ohio State's defensively dominant win over preseason No. 1 Texas was a heavyweight fight between two titans, as was LSU's road win at Clemson that snapped the program's five-year losing streak in openers. Brian Kelly said before the season his Tigers were in playoff-or-bust mode, and LSU has the look of a loaded team with a potential No. 1 overall pick at quarterback in 2026.

Let's look ahead at how things may shake out after Week 1 of the 2025 college football season.

Projected College Football Playoff field breakdown​

No. 1 Ohio State (Big Ten champion): The Buckeyes looked the part against the Longhorns, passing the eye test and nixing the assumption this team might be a step or two behind after winning the national championship thanks to considerable personnel changes and two new coordinators. However, with one of their two toughest games behind them in the win column, Ryan Day's squad now has margin for error in the Big Ten with a sizable nonconference achievement in their back pocket that the selection committee will appreciate.

No. 2 LSU (SEC champion):

No. 3 Miami

No. 4 Penn State:

No. 5 Notre Dame:

No. 6 Georgia:

No. 7 Texas:

No. 8 Oregon:

No. 9 Clemson:

No. 10 Texas Tech:

No. 11 Florida:

No. 12 Tulane:
.
.
.
continued

Just sayin': Obviously Ohio State vs Texas and Notre Dame vs Miami weren't "knockout games". All 4 schools are still projected to be in the 2025 CFPs.
 
Upvote 0
Back
Top