College football: Imagining a 64-team playoff from 2022 season
By John Scimeca
The 64-Team Bracket: Regions and Seedings
East
No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 16 Gardner-Webb
No. 8 Ole Miss vs. No. 9 Coastal Carolina
No. 5 UCLA vs. No. 12 Toledo
No. 4 Florida State vs. No. 13 Samford
No. 3 Washington vs. No. 14 Holy Cross
No. 6 Troy vs. No. 11 Maryland
No. 7 North Carolina vs. No. 10 James Madison
No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 15 Yale
The East Region is notable for its top two teams — remember that debate between Alabama and Ohio State for the fourth and final spot in the 2022 CFP? They become the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the same 16-team region in this 64-team playoff bracket. No other team in the East can come close to standing with these programs talent-wise.
South
No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 16 Southeastern Louisiana
No. 8 South Alabama vs. No. 9 Purdue
No. 5 LSU vs. No. 12 Marshall
No. 4 Tulane vs. No. 13 Jackson State
No. 3 Southern California vs. No. 14 William & Mary
No. 6 Mississippi State vs. No. 11 Louisville
No. 7 Central Florida vs. No. 10 Minnesota
No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 15 Jacksonville State
The South Region features several compelling geographical rivalries that could meet later on in the playoff such as LSU and Tulane. The Tigers and the Green Wave have met 99 times, but the most recent matchup was in 2009, a 42-0 LSU victory. The Bayou Bengals have won 18 in a row against their in-state rival, but Tulane (after its AAC championship and eventual Cotton Bowl win against USC) might have been favored in a 2022 matchup.
Midwest
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 16 Saint Francis (PA)
No. 8 Pittsburgh vs. No. 9 Air Force
No. 5 Texas vs. No. 12 Ohio
No. 4 Oregon State vs. No. 13 South Dakota State
No. 3 Kansas State vs. No. 14 St. Thomas (MN)
No. 6 NC State vs. No. 11 Iowa
No. 7 Cincinnati vs. No. 10 Illinois
No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 15 North Carolina Central
At the end of the 2022 calendar year, Michigan looked like the best bet to knock off Georgia. The Wolverines had just walloped Ohio State and convincingly won the Big Ten title game. Does that mean that the squad would have suffered a hangover in the early rounds of the playoff? Big 12 title game winner Kansas State faces Division I newcomer St. Thomas (Minnesota) in an intriguing first-round matchup.
West
No. 1 TCU vs. No. 16 Abilene Christian
No. 8 Fresno State vs. No. 9 Duke
No. 5 South Carolina vs. No. 12 BYU
No. 4 Oregon vs. No. 13 North Dakota State
No. 3 Penn State vs. No. 14 Montana State
No. 6 Notre Dame vs. No. 11 Texas Tech
No. 7 UTSA vs. No. 10 Boise State
No. 2 Utah vs. No. 15 Southeast Missouri State
TCU was the only other FBS program besides Georgia to finish the regular season undefeated and therefore gets the No. 1 seed in the West Region. Talented squads like No. 12 seed BYU and No. 10 seed Boise State snuck in with some of the last at-large bids “off the bubble,” as they like to say in college basketball terms. A dangerous team that most are overlooking might be the No. 7-seeded UTSA Roadrunners.