College Football Playoff Projections Week 14: Did Mississippi State Stay In?
Nov 22, 2014; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston (5) warms up before the start of the game against the Boston College Eagles at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
Projected College Football Playoff Pairings
Sugar Bowl: Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Oregon Ducks
Normally, the College Football Playoff Selection Committee would have No. 1 play No. 4. But Alabama-Mississippi State would be a rematch, and the Selection Committee has said it will work to avoid rematches as long as it does not undermine the importance of the seeding. Since there would not be a clear-cut difference between Oregon and Mississippi State, it would be safe to avoid the rematch with no cost to the seeding.
Alabama would then, as the top see, get to play Oregon in the Sugar Bowl since that would be the closest to home for the Tide. Tuscaloosa is not that far of a drive to New Orleans. Oregon would obviously have to fly in. As for the game, it would be an epic clash between the X’s and O’s of Oregon’s spread offense vs. the Jimmy’s and Joe’s of Alabama’s talent-based pro-style offense and NFL defense.
This would be an incredible clash that many of us would have liked to have seen a long time ago. Seeing two dominant programs who run things very differently would be incredible.
Rose Bowl: Florida State Seminoles vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Obviously, with Alabama and Oregon playing each other, Florida State and Mississippi State would both travel to California to meet in the Rose Bowl in the other match-up. This game could be a similar case of X’s and O’s vs. Jimmy’s and Joe’s, but this time the Jimmy’s and Joe’s would be in the ACC, not the SEC.
And although this isn’t a match-up we would have been thinking about for years the way we have Alabama vs. Oregon, this is still a game that would be incredibly fun to watch from start to finish. Jameis Winston was the star of college football last year, Dak Prescott has been the star this year.
The Seminoles would also be able to return to the place where they won the national championship last year. And Dan Mullen is very familiar with coaching against Florida State, since he was the offensive coordinator at Florida. So this would still be a very exciting game.
Next: One-Loss Teams Still in the College Football Playoff Race