By: William Smythe

With no surprises among the top two in Georgia and Michigan, the committee had their hands full after no. 4 USC’s defeat to Utah and no. 3 TCU’s blemish against no. 13 Kansas State. Run from it, hide from it, but destiny comes all the same: former no. 5 Ohio State and its “generational” team has snuck into the CFP after weathering a perfect storm. 

For the third time in four years, the Buckeyes have found themselves within striking distance of their second national championship since 2015. Now, did they do so without some controversy? Absolutely not. Are they the best out of the rest – including the likes of two-loss Alabama and USC? Surely.

Their 22-point thrashing against Michigan seemed to put the nail in the coffin, yet all Ryan Day’s team had to do was wait. In a weirdly twisted way, the lack of a conference championship appearance helped the Buckeyes’ case; thanks to Utah’s brilliance, they will now have a “chance” against no. 1 Georgia in the semifinals of the CFP.

Hats off to you, TCU. Sure, you finally made things interesting by falling in the Big 12 Championship, but you’ve done enough to prove you belong. I don’t foresee this team rolling over like so many unheralded rosters have in the playoff – Washington, Michigan State and Cincinnati definitely come to mind – but Coach Sonny Dykes and his team better put their big boy pants on before facing the mighty Wolverines and their dynamic run game. 

No. 1 Georgia v. no. 4 Ohio State and no. 2 Michigan v. no. 3 TCU. Let’s break down the storylines surrounding the CFP and the rest of the bowl scene, with some colorful matchups and Heisman ramifications hanging in the air. 

This is Georgia’s national championship to lose after the LSU blowout

If any doubt remained surrounding Georgia’s dominance, Stetson Bennett and company just put it to rest. A pesky LSU team looked hapless against Georgia’s stout defense – despite what the score may suggest – and capitalized on several key errors from the Tigers in a 50-30 victory. This ‘Dawg team hasn’t rested on their laurels in their pursuit of another national championship. With only one loss in their last 28 games, Kirby Smart has combined a fearless defense with an underrated passing attack to breeze through much of SEC play.

The key for Georgia is the play of Bennett down the stretch. He’s been incredibly efficient in arguably his best year at the helm – having played a near-flawless game against LSU. If Bennett and the offensive unit is humming, good luck duking it out in a shoot-out. It just doesn’t happen often. Even with a defense that took a slight step back after losing a plethora of talent, the offense has more than compensated for their “shortcomings” (if you can even call it that) as of late. There has never been an easier road  – not 2018, not last year – for the ‘Dawgs to win a national championship – even if Ohio State’s offense may give Georgia reason to worry.

The worst year of the Heisman continues…Stroud, Williams or Hooker?

Virtually no questions were answered after conference championship week. USC’s Caleb Williams had the Heisman in his grasp, while TCU’s Max Duggan put together a gutsy performance to re-enter the Heisman conversation. Somehow, two quarterbacks who didn’t take the field Saturday – Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker – are still legitimate candidates to steal the award away in New York.

Call me crazy, but Hooker’s magical season pre-ACL tear seems the most compelling amidst the competition. To beat Alabama in a heavyweight battle at home and toss 27 touchdowns and only two interceptions? Not too shabby for the 24-year old.

Yes, this Heisman race will be closer than the Charles Woodson/Peyton Manning debate. Is it necessarily the most exciting race? No. Arguably none of the quarterbacks in the CFP deserve the Heisman, yet the bettors will likely place Stroud and Williams as the front-runners. Injuries have unfortunately hampered the hopes of Michigan running back Blake Corum and Hooker as of late, but the latter still has a chance to bring home the hardware after turning in UTK’s best season in years.

No. 7 Utah v. no. 9 Penn State will be another legendary Rose Bowl matchup

Recency bias will say that the Utes stomp the Nittany Lions. After all, they just won the Pac-12, defeated USC twice and looked physically dominant. They’ll also be motivated, having lost a thriller to Ohio State last season in the Rose Bowl. Utah has everything – momentum, talent and revenge on their minds – but don’t write off Penn State just yet.

Look, they’ve suffered two losses to two teams in the CFP and have dominated the competition in their past four games. The backfield duo of freshmen (!) Noah Singleton and Kaytron Allen – having combined for 1,771 yards rushing this season – is a classic sign of a physical Big Ten offense. 

Don’t expect the somehow-still-in-college Sean Clifford to light up the scoreboard even when facing a dynamic Utes offense. Everything revolves around the yin and yang that is Singleton and Allen, who will provide Utah with their toughest test of the season from a run-defense standpoint. Regardless of narrative, the Rose Bowl has failed to let us down time and time again. Last year’s 48-45 battle between the Buckeyes and Utes was a sight to behold, and this year’s contest could be a grittier, defensively-oriented version of 2022’s all-time classic. 

Other notable bowl games: *Rankings coming from AP Poll

Orange Bowl: no. 6 Tennessee vs. no. 10 Clemson (solid color coordination)

Sugar Bowl: no. 5 Alabama vs. no. 11 Kansas State (pissed off ‘Bama or don’t care ‘Bama?)

Cotton Bowl: no. 8 USC vs. no. 14 Tulane (how the mighty have fallen)