College Football Playoff Predictions: LSU-Georgia SEC Round 1 Showdown?

Texas hasn’t played its best football this season, but we should expect that to change this weekend when the No. 1 Longhorns take on No. 5 Georgia in an SEC showdown.

Consider this: Georgia could lose its second game before Iowa State or BYU losing his first. Kirby Smart’s team, ranked No. 1 at the start of the year, could be coming off defeats against teams that have seen the No. 1 headband wrapped around their head at least once this year. And they still might not make the College Football Playoff. These are the stakes for the Bulldogs as they head to Austin looking for a win that would be crucial to their CFP chances. If the Bulldogs lose to Texas, the committee’s challenge will be to justify them as one of the 12 best teams in college football.

Meanwhile, Dillon Gabriel and the Oregon Ducks have merged into the team we thought they could start the season. Oregon did what others couldn’t – score 32 points against a team that allowed fewer than seven points per game, and the Ducks did it when Gabriel went big game hunting. Gabriel played 21 games in which he threw at least two touchdowns and rushed for one. Only Tim Tebow has achieved this feat more (24). Also consider Gabriel’s last two games against top-three opponents, in which he had 626 passing yards, 145 rushing yards and five total touchdowns for a 2-0 record. With Gabriel as 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 he?

Texas probably wants to see Oregon the way Penn State wants to see Indiana. But a Nittany Lions-Hoosiers matchup is not on the schedule this season, and that’s a shame because Indiana would rightly ask, what are we seeing at Penn State?

While Penn State tight end Tyler Warren went all-in on Kratos with 17 catches and 224 receiving yards, fearing no gods, Penn State would have lost to a USC team that’s just 3-3 at the half if he These numbers would not have been stated through the season.

Meanwhile, Indiana has kept up with its competition, becoming the first team this season to record six wins while ranking fourth nationally in third-down efficiency (54%), fourth in yards per game (515, 7) and is in second place in scoring (47.5 points per game). Put Indiana in Penn State’s jerseys and you’d probably agree that the Hoosiers are the third-best team in the country, not 16th. Penn State gets a bruise.

For now, however, Penn State will be allowed to play in the 12-team CFP — for now. Let’s move on to my third CFP predictions for the 2024 college football season:

1. Oregon
Conference: Big Ten
Record: 6-0

2. Texas
Conference: SEC
Record: 6-0

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

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

5. Ohio State
Conference: Big Ten
Record: 5-1

6. Penn State
Conference: Big 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: Mountain West
Record: 5-1

Now that we have the projected seedings, let’s take a look at what the first round matchups would look like:

1.Oregon: Bye (would then play the winner of 8. Clemson vs. 9. BYU)

2. Ohio State: Bye (would then play against the winner of 7. Georgia vs. 10. LSU)

3.Miami: Bye (would then play against the winner of 6. Penn State vs. 11. Tennessee)

4. Iowa State: Bye (would then play against the winner of 5. Ohio State vs. 12. Boise State)

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5. Ohio State (Big Ten Championship runner-up) vs. 12. Boise State (top Group of 5 champion)

Boise State would travel to Columbus to play one of the best teams in the sport. The Broncos would probably ride Ashton Jeanty until he couldn’t carry her anymore, in the biggest game Boise State has played since the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. The Buckeyes would leave nothing in reserve to continue their quest to win the program’s first national title in a decade.

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

The Vols would travel to State College to play what many consider to be the toughest away atmosphere in the country. Tennessee would lean on its defensive front to put pressure on quarterback Drew Allar and try to stop a potent attack. The Vols would do what they could to stop tight end Tyler Warren from doing what he did to USC.

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

What would normally be a great SEC matchup has more risk when the program that won the 2019 national title faces the program that won the 2021 and 2022 national titles. However, in this game at Sanford Stadium, LSU would face one of the most intimidating atmospheres in the country. And if the game takes place at night? The Tigers would experience the same feeling visitors have when they have to play under the lights in Baton Rouge – impending fear, doomed.

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

BYU traveling to Death Valley? With a loud and ready Clemson team fighting for the chance to win another chance to compete for a national title? There’s not much more the people of Clemson, South Carolina, would like to do than show the men of Provo a little southern hospitality as they tap Howard’s Rock and escort the Cougars out of the CFP.

RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and host of the podcast “The number one college football show.“Follow him around @RJ_Young And Subscribe to The RJ Young Show on YouTube.

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