Well, the first ever 12-team college football playoff has its field officially set.
If you guys know me, you’ll know I have some opinions.
Let’s start with the biggest talking point of all: SMU being selected as the final at-large team over Alabama. I agree with this decision. I get that Alabama plays in the almighty SEC, and their strength of schedule beat’s SMU, but there is one statistic that matters most of all: losses.
The Tide lost three times this season, more than any other team that made the playoffs in an at-large spot. It would be one thing if their losses were to the top teams in the country such as Tennessee, Texas and a big out-of-conference game against Ohio State or Oregon, but that’s not the case. Two of the teams Bama lost to went 6-6. Oklahoma beat them by 21 points two weeks ago. Once that happens, all bargaining chips go out the window.
People, including myself, were worried that SMU would be punished for losing their extra game that they earned the right to be in while Alabama was sitting at home. Given how the committee has shown its SEC bias in years past, I don’t think that’s too far fetched. That would have opened up a whole new can of worms though, if you lose a conference championship game and lose your spot in the playoff to a team that was idle, why would anyone ever play in that extra game again?
The next topic of discussion I have is the automatic byes that the four best conference winners get. Yes, if you win your conference, especially as a Power 4 school, you should automatically get a spot in the playoff. A bye seems a little egregious though. Arizona State and Boise State have had awesome years, but are they the third and fourth best team in the country? Certainly not.
What happens when those two teams automatically get through to the quarterfinals is that the actual third and fourth best teams, Texas and Penn State, get seeded fifth and sixth. Because of that, two teams that lost their conference title games get to play against the 11 and 12 seed in the first round and then the three and four seeds, who are really closer to nine and 10 in the second. It also causes teams like Ohio State and Tennessee to have lower seeds. Oregon was the best team in the country all season long and its reward is to play the Buckeyes or Vols in the second round? Yikes.
It isn’t all negative though. The first round will put the state of Indiana on center stage, as the Hoosiers travel to South Bend on the Friday night before Christmas to take on Notre Dame in a stand alone game. I’ll be covering a basketball game for most of it, but I should be able to catch the second half. This is going to be awesome. I will be pulling for Indiana, but the Irish are playing their best ball of the season right now. Color me intrigued.
Overall, I think this is a good learning year for the new system. Get rid of the automatic byes, seed by order of ranking and keep the automatic bids and you’ve got something there. I’m excited to see how it plays out on the field.
Before we move to quick hitters, I have one thing that was so massive this weekend that it gets its own section.
Missouri basketball beat Kansas on Sunday. It was the first time since I enrolled in 2016 that they took the Beakers down. Granted, they went quite a few years without playing each other after Mizzou left for the SEC, but in recent years with the rivalry renewed, they had been smoking us.
In typical Missouri fashion, they made us fans sweat it out. Up 24 in the second half, they let kU crawl all the way back into things before getting back into a groove at the end to finish things off. The students stormed the court and it nearly brought a tear to my eye. What a day to be a Tiger.
Quick hitters to finish things off:
Geez, Juan Soto, way to get that money. $765 million bones!
The animated Grinch special has been watched and the Christmas tree is set up. It’s officially Christmas time in the McCann household.
The Bears reek. End the season please.
My prayers go out to Stef’s mom, who is recovering from a surgery she had this week. Get well soon!
Alright, let’s pick some games.
THURSDAY NIGHT
Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers (-3)
A nice little rivalry game to start off the week on Thursday night. I remember when this slot was reserved for two really bad teams, but this has been an awesome season for Thursday nights. The Rams are only 7-6 this season, but over the last month or so, they have been awesome, especially on offense. The Niners finally shook off some losses by demolishing the Bears last week, but that feat is getting less impressive by the week. Give me the Rams to pull off the upset.
The Pick: Rams +3
1 O’CLOCK SUNDAY
Cincinnati Bengals (-4.5) at Tennessee Titans
I know the Bengals defense has caught a lot of flak over the course of the season, but the unit looked decent against a bad Cowboys offense on Monday night. They’ll be going up against another bad offense this weekend in the form of the Titans this weekend, and their offense is potent enough that they should cruise in this one. Tennessee is god awful, and Cincy is much better than the record. Give me the road favorites.
The Pick: Bengals -4.5
Washington Commanders (-7) at New Orleans Saints
Washington is coming off of a bye while the Saints barely squeaked by the Giants on the road Sunday afternoon. I have not kept my feelings about the Commanders a secret this season, but they are clearly the better team in this matchup. They’re still fighting for a playoff spot and a win here will do wonders for their chances. They get it done on the road to improve their standing.
The Pick: Commanders -7
Kansas City Chiefs (-4.5) at Cleveland Browns
Sorry Chiefs fans, your team is not winning the Super Bowl. Remember a few years ago when the Vikings barely won every game by a few points? Or a few years before that when the Steelers started the season on fire with a ton of close wins? This feels similar. KC is good, but not great. No team has ever won the Super Bowl after an 0-6 stretch against the spread. They’re physically incapable of winning by more than three. For that reason, I’m going with the Browns to cover and lose by 2 on a last-second field goal.
The Pick: Browns +4.5
Dallas Cowboys at Carolina Panthers (-2.5)
I would not have expected a game where the Panthers are favorites over the Cowboys coming into this season, but here we are. Bryce Young has played awesome since being reinstated into the line up, and while Carolina is still pretty bad, He’s given the team some hope for the future. The Cowboys are a big mess, with plenty of drama on the field after the Monday night loss to the Bengals. However, I still think the Panthers have too many problems as an overall team to be favored over anybody. As good as Bryce has been, he’s going to have to be perfect to win this game.
The Pick: Cowboys +2.5
Miami Dolphins at Houston Texans (-2.5)
The Dolphins picked up a big overtime win against the Jets last weekend to remain in playoff consideration while Houston had the week off. The Texans will still make the playoffs this season, but the sophomore slump for CJ Stroud has been real. He’s been missing throws, the offense is not clicking and they have dropped a ton of games they should have won. I wonder if this is going to be another one of those, but I’m going to stick with the home team to get it done. The Miami offense has been great, but the defense is still pretty shaky.
The Pick: Texans -2.5
New York Jets (-3.5) at Jacksonville Jaguars
Name me a team that does nothing every week and continues to be favored. I’m so sick of the Jets. The Jaguars stink too but I think they’re going to cover this game. New York finds new ways to lose every single week and I’m sure they’re going to figure it out once again. Give me anybody besides the Jets.
The Pick: Jaguars +3.5
Baltimore Ravens (-14.5) at New York Giants
This is easily the biggest spread of the week and also one of the biggest of the year. It’s warranted though, as the Ravens are rested off the bye and the Giants are one of the worst teams in football. If the Jets were playing the Ravens they’d probably be 1.5 point favorites. I usually don’t like these huge favorites, but in this situation, I do. The Ravens have been a little shaky this season, and this is the perfect get-right spot for them.
The Pick: Ravens -14.5
LATE AFTERNOON SLATE
Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos (-3.5)
Bo Nix is probably the Rookie of the Year. Anthony Richardson has been better since returning to the starting lineup. This is going to be a pretty good matchup between a pair of young quarterbacks. The Broncos have played their best football against teams that come into the game below .500, and the Colts fit that description. I think Denver gets it done at home and continues its push towards the playoffs.
The Pick: Broncos -3.5
New England Patriots at Arizona Cardinals (-5.5)
The Cardinals have come crashing down after a fast start, and a team that was once looking like a potential playoff team is now most likely not going to make it. The Patriots won’t be in the dance either, but that’s something we’ve known for a while now. I don’t know which way to lean here, but I’ve seen the Pats get blown out enough times this year to see it happening again. Give me Arizona at home.
The Pick: Cardinals -5.5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Los Angeles Chargers (-3)
This is a cross-country matchup, and I usually ride with the home team in these, but not this time. I don’t know what it is about the Bucs, but I can’t get enough of them. Maybe it’s because I love Baker Mayfield, maybe it’s because my head isn’t screwed on just right. Either way, I think they find a way to win this game on the road.
The Pick: Buccaneers +3
Pittsburgh Steelers at Philadelphia Eagles (-5.5)
One of the biggest reveals of the week was that Jalen Hurts and AJ Brown are apparently beefing. Not ideal for your quarterback and star receiver to not get along, but as long as they can keep it professional, this is a great football team. The Steelers are really good too, and I think this line is too large. Pittsburgh seems to be getting better by the week and I think they play a close game this weekend in the cross-state contest.
The Pick: Steelers +5.5
Buffalo Bills at Detroit Lions (-2.5)
A potential Super Bowl preview? I wouldn’t mind. I wish this game was in prime time but we can’t win them all. I think this is going to be a great game regardless and I have a hard time picking against the Lions here. They’re rolling, but if anyone can stop them, it’s MVP frontrunner Josh Allen. Coming off a six TD game, Allen has to hope his defense can back him up in this game. Expect it to be high scoring, with Detroit finding a way once again.
The Pick: Lions -2.5
WAITIN’ ALL DAY FOR A SUNDAY NIGHT
Green Bay Packers (-2.5) at Seattle Seahawks
The Packers as the only game on a Sunday night? Seems like the perfect night for a Christmas movie! The Seahawks are playing some good football, and when these teams get together weird stuff happens. Think of the Fail Mary or the onside kick blunder that sent Seattle to the Super Bowl. This actually is a pretty solid rivalry now that I think about it. I’ve been picking with my brain all day long, so I’m going to give my heart a celebrity guest pick here. I wonder who he’s going with.
The Pick: Seahawks +2.5
MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings (-7)
The Bears stink, they quit last week. I’m done defending this football team. Can’t do it anymore, please end the season. The lone bright spot is that I’m certain Caleb Williams is good and at least he cares. It makes me sadder and sadder every time I see him look dead on the sidelines, but at least I know he wants to win now. Hopefully soon, Caleb. Hopefully soon.
The Pick: Vikings -7
Well, there you have it. Let’s pick up some wins this week. Truth be told, I’m just waiting for the College Football Playoff.
Cheers.