Post-Pandemic (almost) Playoff Picks
Week four CFP nominee: Atlanta Olympic Games President Billy Payne (Georgia ’69)
1. Georgia: If anything, UGA’s playoff stock should dip ever so slightly, merely for having the gall to schedule Charleston Southern on week 11; or any other week, for that matter. Absolutely nothing was learned from the Bulldogs’ predictably perfunctory 56–7 pasting of CSU. In the face of Georgia’s stifling defense, Buccaneer non-Tom Brady-like starting QB Jack Chambers connected on 11 of 30 pass attempts for 55 yards and an interception. The ‘Dogs built a 49–0 halftime lead, outgained the Bucs 488–126 and only had their shutout interrupted by a fumble return for a score of a pass they had just picked off. It seems unlikely that a Georgia Tech squad that just absorbed a 55–0 whitewashing at Notre Dame will provide much more resistance in this week’s regular season finale.
2. Alabama: The Crimson Tide dispensed with their usual pre-Iron Bowl dog-and-pony show (Western Carolina, The Citadel and Mercer, to cite a few recent examples) and challenged themselves with an actual conference opponent. Arkansas pulled to within six of ‘Bama early in the fourth quarter before finally succumbing to the Tide, 42–35. QB Bryce Young set an Alabama record with 559 passing yards; completing 31 of 40 attempts for five TDs. Jameson Williams and John Metchie III tallied 190 and 173 receiving yards respectively, and RB Brian Robinson Jr. rushed for 122. The only remaining obstacle before UA’s showdown with Georgia in the SEC title game is Saturday’s matchup with a 6–5 Auburn squad in the midst of a three-game losing streak.
3. Ohio State: If momentum is considered to be some sort of CFP tiebreaker, then consider the tie broken by the Buckeyes. OSU crossed the 50-point threshold against a league opponent for the fifth time this season following its 56–7 mauling of former Playoff darling Michigan State. Six first-half touchdown passes by Bucks QB C.J. Stroud opened up a wholly unexpected 49–0 lead over the Spartans at the break. Stroud connected on a whopping 32 of his 35 pass attempts for 432 yards — spreading that distance evenly among three receivers who each eclipsed the 100-yard mark. The only stain on the day for the Columbus crew was witnessing Oregon’s 38–7 meltdown at Utah, making OSU’s September home loss to the Ducks less honorable.
4. Michigan: For those who shortsightedly lament the narrow scope of the four-team playoff format, consider this: The Game — already one of the fiercest rivalries in all of sport, becomes a de facto CFP elimination game this season. The winner of the 2021 edition of Michigan-Ohio State is in the driver’s seat to become a one-loss Big Ten champion. The loser is obviously not destined to be either of those things. The Wolverines have won three straight in the wake of their week eight defeat to Michigan State. In the event of a tight game down the stretch, the Maize and Blue can call on K Jake Moody, who ranks third in the nation with 22 field goals, missing just two this year. He connected on a season-long 52 yarder in UM’s victory over Washington.
