College Football Playoff Matchups We Want to See the Most
The 2016 season is only three weeks old, and the first playoff standings won't be released until November, but the early action so far has done nothing to quell the anticipation of another great postseason for college football. And though a lot can still happen between now and mid-December, when the pairings are announced, we can't help but wonder if some dream matchups are in store.
Though the College Football Playoff involves only four schools, at this point in the season far more are still in contention to earn a spot to play for a national title. Consider right now to be the first round of the NCAA tournament in college basketball, where the bracket has been set. We can see the potential Final Four matchups that are possible and start hoping that the stars align for them to happen.
Will we end up with any of these dream contests? Only time will tell, but a fan can always hope...
Alabama vs. Michigan
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Are there two college football coaches more different than Nick Saban and Jim Harbaugh? One would just as soon never step foot in front of a camera or microphone ever again if he could, while the other seems to seek out the media whenever possible, a dynamic that would make the lead-up to a playoff game absolutely tantalizing.
And then there are the teams each man has at his disposal in 2016. In one corner, Alabama looks as good as ever, the defending national champion and winner of 15 straight games. In the other corner, Michigan has the makings of another stellar team thanks to a punishing defense and just enough flash and flair elsewhere.
Alabama is the only team to appear in both playoffs so far, and it's had to deal with a Big Ten school each time. The Crimson Tide lost to Ohio State in the 2014 semifinals but blitzed Michigan State last year en route to the national title.
Alabama vs. Ohio State
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The two playoff-generated national champions are each off to 3-0 starts in impressive fashion. Alabama has blown out USC and rallied to knock off nemesis Ole Miss on the road, shaking off an early 21-point deficit in the process, while Ohio State has won its games by a combined 133 points and just blew out Oklahoma on the road.
Are we delaying the inevitable by having another 10 weeks of the regular season and a round of conference championships, since Alabama and Ohio State look to be head and shoulders above the rest of the field?
"Based on the way Week 3 went and looking ahead to the upcoming slate, Nick Saban vs. Urban Meyer Part V looks an awful lot like a sure thing come January," Athlon Sports' Bryan Fischer wrote.
The two greatest active coaches in college football have met four times previously, splitting the results, and in three of those instances the winner has gone on to claim a national title.
Meyer's 2008 Florida team edged Saban's Alabama squad in the SEC title game before beating Oklahoma in the BCS national championship, and a rematch the following year gave Saban the SEC crown en route to the national title after beating Texas. And in 2014 they met in the first set of playoffs, with Meyer and Ohio State moving on to take down Oregon for the championship.
Maybe this time they'll meet with the big trophy at stake instead of the right to win it all.
Arkansas vs. Louisville
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Bobby Petrino's second go-around at Louisville is proving to be just as successful as the first, and maybe more so. His development of quarterback Lamar Jackson has propelled the Cardinals into the national title picture after their 63-20 thrashing of Florida State, and with remaining high-profile games against Clemson and Houston, they're very much a playoff contender.
These were the kinds of heights Arkansas had hoped Petrino would lift it to when it hired him in 2008, and the Razorbacks were headed in that direction following an 11-2 record and Cotton Bowl victory in 2011. But then Petrino was fired following a motorcycle accident in which his passenger was a female athletic department employee who he'd been having an inappropriate relationship with.
The aftermath of that scandal shot Arkansas to the bottom of the SEC West, from where it's been slowly climbing under Bret Bielema. A win Saturday over Texas A&M will make the Hogs 4-0 for the first time since 2003.
If enough things go each school's way, Petrino could end up facing the school that sent him packing, but by doing so he paved the way for his return to where he got started.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Georgia vs. Miami (Florida)
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One man's trash is another man's treasure. Though that's not exactly what happened with Mark Richt and Georgia, the analogy still fits based on how well he's done so far at his alma mater after being let go from his previous job in November.
Richt won 145 games with the Bulldogs from 2001 to 2015, with six SEC East titles and two conference crowns, but he hadn't claimed the league title since 2005, and Georgia felt a change was needed. Richt wasn't ready to hang up the headset altogether, so when Miami came calling, he jumped at the chance to coach the school where he played quarterback in the 1980s.
So far, the changes have worked out for all parties. New Georgia coach Kirby Smart is sitting at 3-0 after Saturday's 28-27 comeback win at Missouri in his SEC opener. Richt is also perfect and has the Hurricanes 15th in the latest Associated Press poll, their highest ranking since November 2013.
Richt doesn't hold any ill will toward his former employer, but getting a chance to beat the Bulldogs in the playoffs would still be sweet.
Houston vs. Ohio State
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Tom Herman is the hottest name in coaching, the architect of Houston's meteoric rise in just over a year on the job. Just as impressive was that Herman began to lay the groundwork for his Cougars' #HTownTakeover in late 2014 while he was still Ohio State's offensive coordinator during its run to a national title.
Among his accomplishments with Houston in such a short time has been beating four power-conference schools, including Florida State in last year's Peach Bowl and Oklahoma to open the 2016 season. He'll get at least one more chance in November when the Cougars host Louisville, a game that could propel his team into the playoffs despite being from the Group of Five.
And it would only be fitting if Herman got to face his old boss and school in the semifinals. Ohio State has lost only once since Herman moved on, and his protege (quarterback J.T. Barrett) is again powering the Buckeyes offense to big numbers. Herman has worked similar wonders with Houston QB Greg Ward Jr., who many consider a carbon copy of Barrett.
Miami (Florida) vs. Washington
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Your eyes are not deceiving you: While seeing both Miami and Washington in the Top 15 of the Associated Press poll might make it seem like it's the early 1990s, the calendar does indeed say 2016.
Two of the more storied programs in college football have been in and out of the national spotlight since their heyday more than 20 years ago, a period from 1990 to 1992 when the Hurricanes and Huskies combined for 50 weeks ranked either first or second in the country. In 1992, Miami began the year No. 1, and Washington was second, and they stayed that way until late September, when Washington leapfrogged the 'Canes.
They went back and forth sharing the top spot until Washington lost to Arizona in early November, with Miami staying at No. 1 until losing to Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.
Miami and Washington haven't met since November 2001, when the 'Canes' 65-7 thumping of the Huskies came in the middle of a 34-game win streak that included a national title that season.
Michigan vs. Stanford
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The Big Ten and Pac-12 champions traditionally meet each year in the Rose Bowl, though the BCS and now the playoffs have messed with this tradition if the Rose Bowl is hosting a semifinal or either league champ is worthy of a shot at the national title. Michigan and Stanford could still end up playing in Pasadena on New Year's Day if neither gets selected for the playoffs, but just as likely is a meeting in the semifinals or national championship.
Stanford is where Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh's stock first began to soar after he turned around a struggling program and got it to the Orange Bowl following the 2010 season. He left to coach in the NFL and turned the Cardinal over to David Shaw, who has led Stanford to three Pac-12 titles and a trio of Rose Bowls.
Harbaugh's return to college with the Wolverines in 2015 quickly reinvigorated that program, which is in the Top Five for the first time since 2007.
Texas vs. Texas A&M
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Since they won't voluntarily play each other, either in the regular season or in lesser bowl games, maybe what it will take for Texas and Texas A&M to renew their heated rivalry is a forced pairing that has more than just bragging rights on the line. That could happen if both the Longhorns and Aggies remain in contention for the playoffs.
They haven't played since Thanksgiving 2011, a 27-25 Texas victory that froze the all-time series at 76-37-5 in favor of the Longhorns. Since then, A&M has moved to the SEC, and despite near-constant outcries for the two teams to meet on the gridiron again, it hasn't happened. The SEC and A&M nixed a potential matchup in a 2014 bowl game, according to Scout.com's Chip Brown.
Line them up in the playoffs, and neither school would be willing to say no.
Texas' wild loss Saturday at California knocked it down in the rankings, but if it runs the table in the Big 12, then a playoff bid is likely. A&M's presence in the SEC West would make it almost a lock for the semifinals if it won that division and the conference title, even with a loss or two along the way.
All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports, unless otherwise noted. All statistics provided by CFBStats, unless otherwise noted.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
