By Ron Johnson
Take a good look at the people in this photo. They are the ones responsible for determining who will play in the last Final Four of the College Football Playoff Era. The crazy twist is that these guys have been proven wrong on so many occasions, that they can’t even get it right.
Luckily, there are two guys who can get it right.
Rockin’ Reese and Captain Ron make up Team Collision, and the best part of these two is that sometimes, just sometimes, they get it right. And this time around, they just might get it right again. Just like our World Famous List of Collision (XFL, USFL, NFL), we break it all down and look forward to the future and what the Final Four could look like. That being said, here is the College Football Playoff Top 10 List of Collision for Week 11.
The Committee will be in the black, Rockin’ Reese in the Red and Captain Ron in the Blue.
College Football Week 11
10) Louisville/Alabama
Both the Cardinals and Crimson Tide have been silently making their way into the conversation. If the Cardinals can keep this up, then they will most likely be on a collision course with Florida State for the ACC Championship. As for the Tide, they know a portion of their postseason plans as they will be looking at a rematch with the defending champs for the SEC Championship in Atlanta.
9) Missouri/Toledo/Texas
A big shocker in the top ten is the appearance of Mizzou. A few years ago, this team was a pushover, but they look like they have gotten their footing in the SEC finally. The arrival of the Rockets spells a little shakeup of its own as Toledo is currently 10-1 with a 9-0 record in the MAC Conference. Texas has just kept their foot on the gas and despite an intense battle with TCU last week managed to win nonetheless.
8) Alabama/Oregon
The Tide may not be undefeated anymore, but they have kept their eyes on the prize. With some help from Mizzou, Alabama has now punched their ticket to an SEC Championship rematch with the Georgia Bulldogs. While everyone is envisioning the Huskies in the College Football Playoff (and with good reason), Oregon has been just doing their thing. With Heisman candidate Bo Nix improving with every game, the Ducks look like the potential opponent for Washington with the Pac-12 Championship on the line.
7) Texas/James Madison/Oregon
The Horns have earned their spot and have even shined up their resume with huge wins over Alabama and Oklahoma. While that one loss might keep them out of the Playoff, they are in all likelihood assured of a berth in the New Years’ Six Series. James Madison just continues to keep winning, and it should not be a surprise that both Reese and I are pulling for underdogs to shake up the foundation. NCAA, take notice. They’ve earned a spot in the Series. As for Oregon, even if they don’t win the Pac-12, they will still be a force to be reckoned with when they move to the Big Ten and begin exposing Ohio State.
6) Oregon/Liberty
The Ducks are one of the few on the outside looking in as they are the second of the 1st Team Out in the equation. But instead of focusing on the old heads of the committee, they are just playing dang good football. Another school that is getting the cold shoulder from the Committee is Liberty. They are 10-0 right now, with seven of those coming in Conference USA play, and if they finish the regular season undefeated, they too should also be in the New Years’ Six Series.
5) Washington/James Madison
The Huskies was a clear choice. This is the issue with having multiple undefeated teams: Someone is bound to get hurt. But if Washington can finish the season unblemished, they should at least get a tire kick or something for the College Football Playoff. James Madison is pulling out all the stops in the hopes of playing in the postseason, let alone the CFP. If they continue down the road they are on, and if the NCAA actually listens, they should be playing on New Year’s Day.
4) Florida State/Ohio State
Not since the late, great Bobby Bowden have the Seminoles looked this good. They had their usual dogfight with Miami, and I expect the same thing when they face Florida at season’s end for the Governor’s Cup. If the Noles finished undefeated, it would nothing but inevitable for them to be in the Final Four. Ohio State gets this one in my opinion because they are still undefeated. I guess this is what happens when you have a soft schedule and the Conference in your back pocket. I just want to see if these guys are as good as advertised. Otherwise, no one should question why I put them at No. 11.
3) Michigan/Florida State/Washington
Despite many that believe Michigan winning last weekend against Penn State without Jim Harbaugh on the sidelines should have catapulted them to either No. 2 or No. 1, the Committee felt that the program is still too dirty to give them their respect. The Seminoles are all in on the season and fully intend to make an appearance in the CFP. The Huskies are worthier of a CFP slot than Ohio State. This team has been firing on all cylinders. It also helps that the Pac-12 is more of a competitive conference than the Big Ten anyway. Once Washington finishes its tenure with its old conference, I expect they will unleash hell in their new one. Oh, and the last time Washington was 12-0? It was in 1991, and they ended the season as Co-Champions with the University of Miami.
2) Ohio State/Michigan/Georgia
Is anyone really surprised that the Committee put Ohio State second? The Big Ten wants the Buckeyes in the Final Four. The Committee wants them in the Final Four. So, what happens if the Buckeyes lose one of their last two games? Does the Committee fully intend on ignoring the other undefeateds and getting them in anyway? Michigan has played with more heart than most teams this season…with the exception of Georgia, who is playing for their fallen teammates. Both Michigan and Georgia should be in the dance if they both finish undefeated and with their conference’s respective championships in tow.
1) Georgia/Michigan
The top spot this week went to Georgia in the eyes of Reese and the Committee. I’m not even mad at this one, because this team just put 52 points on a one-loss team with New Years’ Six Series aspirations. Clearly, there are those that will battle this one until bitter end, but in reality, they know that this will be a tight race like always. After a gritty, ground-and-pound win over the Nittany Lions, Michigan has earned the top spot in my eyes. The fact is that the Big Ten, the CFP Committee and even Ohio State want Michigan to fail and not make it to their annual showdown. But Michigan earned the top spot in my eyes as they looked at their schedule and made Plans A, B, C-Z to make sure that they would remain in the running. As their new motto says…
