College football playoff predictions: LSU vs. Georgia SEC in Round 1?

Texas hasn’t played its best football so far this season, but we should expect that to change this weekend when the No. 1-ranked Longhorns host No. 5 Georgia in the SEC tournament.

Consider this: Georgia could lose its second game before Iowa State or BYU he lost the first time. Kirby Smart’s team, ranked No. 1 going into the year, can take losses to teams that have seen the No. 1 headband tied around their heads at least once this year. And they might not make the College Football Playoff. Those are the Bulldogs’ stakes as they head into Austin looking to pick up a win that could be crucial to their CFP chances. If the Bulldogs lose to Texas, the committee’s challenge will be justifying them as one of the 12 best teams in college football.

Meanwhile, Dillon Gabriel and the Oregon Ducks have assembled the team we thought they might be heading into the season. Oregon did what others didn’t – put up 32 points on a team that allowed less than seven points per game, and the Ducks made Gabriel go hunting for big plays. Gabriel has played in 21 games where he has thrown at least two touchdowns and rushed for one. Only Tim Tebow has accomplished more (24). Also, consider Gabriel’s last two games against top three opponents, where he had 626 passing yards, 145 rushing yards, five total touchdowns with a 2-0 record. With Gabriel at QB, Oregon defeated a top-two ranked opponent for the first time in its history. While we’re here, Texas doesn’t really want to see Gabriel again, does she?

Texas probably wants to see Oregon like Penn State wants to see Indiana. But the Nittany Lions-Hoosiers matchup isn’t on the schedule this season, and that’s too bad because Indiana would be right to ask what are we seeing at Penn State?

While Penn State tight end Tyler Warren was full of Kratos – no fear of god – he caught 17 of 224 receiving yards, if he hadn’t put up those numbers, Penn State would have lost to a USC team that was sitting at just 3-3 at the halfway mark. during the period.

Meanwhile, Indiana has blown away its competition, becoming the first team this season to record six wins while ranking ninth in the nation in third-down efficiency (54%), fourth in yards per game (515.7) and second in scoring (47.5 points per game). Put Indiana in a Penn State uniform, and you can agree that the Hoosiers are the third best team in the country, not 16th. Penn State gets a blue blood clot.

For now, though, Penn State will play in the 12-team CFP — for now. Let’s get to my third set of CFP predictions for the 2024 college football season:

1. In Oregon
Conference: The Top Ten
Record: 6-0

2. Texas
Conference: SEC
Record: 6-0

3. Miami (Fla.)
Conference: ACC
Record: 6-0

4. Iowa State
Conference: Big 12
Record: 6-0

5. State of Ohio
Conference: The Top Ten
Record: 5-1

6. Penn State
Conference: The Top Ten
Record: 6-0

7. Georgia
Conference: SEC
Record: 5-1

8. Clemson
Conference: ACC
Record: 5-1

9. BYU
Conference: Big 12
Record: 6-0

10. LSU
Conference: SEC
Record: 5-1

11. Tennessee
Conference: SEC
Record: 5-1

12. Boise State
Conference: The Mountain West
Record: 5-1

Now that we have a set of proposed seedings, let’s take a look at what the first round matchups will look like:

1. Oregon: Bye (then plays winner of 8. Clemson vs. 9. BYU)

2. State of Ohio: Bye (then plays winner of 7. Georgia vs. 10. LSU)

3. In Miami: Bye (will play winner of 6. Penn State vs. 11. Tennessee)

4. State of Iowa: Bye (will play winner of 5. Ohio State vs. 12. Boise State)

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5. Ohio State (Big Ten Championship inner-up) vs. 12. Boise State (Top 5 ranked team)

Boise State was going to Columbus to play what looked to be one of the best teams in the sport. I The Broncos Ashton Jeanty may ride until he can’t carry them in what could be Boise State’s biggest game since the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. The Buckeyes will leave no stone unturned to continue fighting to win the program’s first title in ten years.

6. Penn State (one of the top 12 teams) vs. 11. Tennessee (one of the top 12 teams)

The Vols will travel to State College to play in what many consider to be the toughest state in the country. Tennessee will rely on its defensive front to get pressure on quarterback Drew Allar and try to stop what has been a tough rushing attack. The Vols will do everything they can to stop Tyler Warren from doing what he did at USC.

7. Georgia (one of the top 12 teams) vs. 10. LSU (one of the top-12 teams)

What is usually a good SEC matchup has high numbers with the program that won the 2019 national title against the one that won the 2021 and 2022 national titles. However, with this game at Sanford Stadium, LSU will face one of the most frightening situations in the country. And if the game is at night? The Tigers will experience the same feeling as the visitors if they have to play in Baton Rouge under the lights – the fear of the future, the end is over.

8. Clemson (runner-up to ACC champs) vs. 9. BYU (Big 12 runner-up)

BYU going to Death Valley? With a busy and ready Clemson team playing for a chance to win another shot at a national title? There’s not much the people of Clemson, South Carolina would love more than to show the Provo men a little southern hospitality as they hit Howard’s Rock and escort the Cougars out of the CFP.

RJ Young is a national college football writer and commentator for FOX Sports and podcast host “The Number One College Football Show.“Follow him @RJ_Omusha again subscribe to “The RJ Young Show” on YouTube.

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