College Football Playoff 2016: Simluated eight-team bracket
By John Buhler
The College Football Playoff has been set from the 2016 NCAA season. If it were hypothetically expanded to eight teams, here is how it could play out.
The College Football Playoff Selection Committee has announced the four teams that will be playing in it this holiday season.
Earning the No. 1 national seed is the SEC Champion Alabama Crimson Tide. The No. 2 seed goes to the ACC Champion Clemson Tigers. Coming in at No. 3 is the Ohio State Buckeyes, an at-large team from the Big Ten. Getting that crucial No. 4 seed was the Pac-12 Champion Washington Huskies.
The Big Ten Champion Penn State Nittany Lions finished No. 5 and the Michigan Wolverines finished No. 6. Both Big Ten powerhouses could definitely have run the table had they’ve made the College Football Playoff.
If the end-of-the-year tournament in college football expanded from four to eight teams, here is what could happen in a simulated eight-team bracket. All New Year’s Six bowls will be the quarterfinals and semifinals. The two national semifinals will stay the same this year with the Peach Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl being those two games.
Sugar Bowl: No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers
If the College Football Playoff was expanded from four to eight teams, Alabama would pick the Allstate Sugar Bowl as its national quarterfinals bowl of choice as the No. 1 national seed. Meeting the Crimson Tide at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans would be the Big Ten runner-up No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers.
Alabama destroyed the Florida Gators in the 2016 SEC Championship Game, while Wisconsin narrowly lost to Penn State in the 2016 Big Ten Championship Game. If these two teams were to meet at the neutral-site Mercedes-Benz Superdome, it wouldn’t even be close.
Alabama would wipe the turf with a bewildered Wisconsin team. If the Florida defense allowed 56 points to Alabama, how would Wisconsin fare with the Crimson Tide attack? It probably wouldn’t go over very well, but it wouldn’t be as bad of a blowout as the 2016 SEC Championship Game was.
The Crimson Tide would constrict the Badgers like it does most opponents starting in the middle of the third quarter. Alabama would beat Wisconsin easily by three scores. Perhaps a better No.1-No. 8 matchup would have been the USC Trojans instead of the Badgers?
USC was eviscerated by Alabama in Arlington in Week 1, but have been an outstanding football team under head coach Clay Helton since October. Alabama rolls over Wisconsin en route to the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl.
Pick: Alabama 34, Wisconsin 14