The College Football Playoff field is set, and as teams start to prepare for their journey to the national championship game, it brings up a really good question: Who has the most favorable path? The CFP field expanded to 12 teams, and with that, there's now a whole new set of bracketology considerations as teams plot their path.
For example, Indiana got rewarded with the No. 1 overall seed ... but instead of having to potentially play the bottom seed of the bracket, they will face the winner of No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Alabama. Some reward for winning the Big Ten title and finishing with an undefeated record.
Here are the teams that have the most to benefit from the final seeding of the CFP bracket.
Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia as the No. 3 seed will have the best path to the CFP national championship game, or at least the semifinal round. In the quarterfinals, they'll have to play either Tulane or Ole Miss. Considering that Tulane got smoked by 35 points when they traveled to Oxford earlier this year, that wouldn't seem to be much of a challenge for the Dawgs. Georgia would run circles around the Green Wave, no disrespect to Tulane.
If Ole Miss wins the first-round game, Kirby Smart and Co. will match up against a team they already beat this year. UGA outlasted Ole Miss with Lane Kiffin around, so I don’t think they’ll struggle too much with a new coach in the fold. The Rebels is fractured, no matter how much damage control they tried to do in the aftermath of Kiffin's departure. A deep playoff run will be difficult, let alone dealing with the drama they did and having a first-time head coach in Pete Golding.
Thanks to their seeding, their toughest game will most likely be against Ohio State. Not having a tough matchup until the CFP semifinals is about as ideal as it gets. The Bulldogs are set up to go on a good run this year.
Miami Hurricanes
Miami might not have a good matchup in the second round with Ohio State waiting fresh off a bye, but they’ll get a chance to steal a win against Texas A&M in the first round. It’s not ideal to have to play a CFP game on the road, but A&M isn’t the strongest team in the field. Of all the first-round games they could play aside from Tulane and James Madison, the Aggies represent their best shot.
A&M lost its season finale to Texas and could still have some of the lingering effects of the loss hanging over them. Miami has to prove why they deserve to be in the field after losing two conference games and being left out of the ACC title game. Who knows, maybe a big win over Texas A&M could spark an improbable run? After all, in some ways they're Miami's mirror image, with a ferocious defensive front held back by an erratic QB.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Texas Tech is in a great position, considering they are the lowest-ranked team with a first-round bye. They’d have to play James Madison or Oregon in the quarters, both which are good matchups for them. The Red Raiders probably have the best defense in the field, so getting a potential Group of 5 team or an offense that plays to their strengths is ideal. Oregon is a passing offense and Texas Tech has been solid all year in defending the pass, not to mention how banged up the Ducks are right now.
After that, they’d face one of Indiana, Oklahoma or Alabama. Indiana would be the toughest matchup just because Fernando Mendoza has been solid all year and could win the Heisman Trophy. Oklahoma and Alabama would be good matchups for Texas Tech’s defense as well. None of the teams on their side should overwhelm them in the passing game, and the Hoosiers are now down star defensive lineman Stephen Daley for likely the rest of the year.
That’s not to say Texas Tech is going to shut down every offense it plays in the CFP, but it does mean that before they get to the semifinals, they shouldn’t have too much trouble.