School Soccer Playoff Predictions: Texas A&M Poised To High Miami In First Spherical

[ad_1] After some controversy surrounding the School Soccer Playoff choice committee's 12-team area, the primary spherical is lastly right here.

The most effective half, after all, is video games on campus. This yr we're blessed with websites like Norman, School Station, Oxford and Eugene, all of that are completely different from the colleges that hosted the video games final season.

The matchups are fairly good too and can get even higher as we get deeper into the CFP over the subsequent few weeks.

Listed below are my CFP bracket predictions:

First Spherical No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Oklahoma (Friday, Dec. 19) Winner: Alabama (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Photos)

It’s by no means simple to beat a workforce twice in a single season, and that’s the problem the Sooners have on this first spherical. It actually received’t be simple in opposition to the Crimson Tide, who will likely be feeling further motivated after A) dropping to OU at dwelling in mid-November and B) getting flat out embarrassed by Georgia within the SEC Championship Sport.

Alabama has an opportunity to show one thing to all of the skeptics who didn’t suppose it belonged within the CFP within the first place. Plus, Alabama needs to maintain its coach. There’s hypothesis that if the Tide lose, Kalen DeBoer might be interested by leaving for Michigan’s head teaching emptiness.

No. 10 Miami (Fla.) at No. 7 Texas A&M (Saturday, Dec. 20) Winner: Texas A&M (Alex Slitz/Getty Photos)

Whereas a CFP sport at Kyle Subject might have been extra intimidating at night time, the twelfth Man could be relentless regardless of the time of kickoff. This one goes down Saturday at midday ET, and the Aggies are slight favorites at dwelling. This may come right down to which offensive line can higher shield its quarterback in opposition to an elite protection.

Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed and Miami’s Carson Beck have been each within the Heisman Trophy dialog early on within the season till they hit some pace bumps. Reed has thrown six interceptions in his previous 4 video games in opposition to Energy 4 groups, whereas Beck hit the same hurdle in late October/early November.

Whoever wins the battle within the trenches will play Ohio State within the Cotton Bowl, and I’m giving the sting to the house workforce.

No. 11 Tulane at No. 6 Ole Miss (Saturday, Dec. 20) Winner: Ole Miss (Justin Ford/Getty Photos)

A house CFP sport in Oxford is what faculty soccer desires are made from. It’s too dangerous that ex-head coach Lane Kiffin, who spurred Ole Miss for LSU just a few weeks in the past, will miss out. His former gamers have one thing to show and can take it out on Tulane, a workforce they beat 45-10 in September. Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss went 17-for-27 for 307 yards and two touchdowns in that sport, whereas Tulane managed simply 282 yards of complete offense and quarterback Jake Retzlaff went 5-for-17 for 56 yards.

Tulane's head coach, Jon Sumrall, is leaving for Florida as soon as the Inexperienced Wave’s CFP run is over, which can probably be after this sport. For Ole Miss, this would be the first style of what the way forward for this system appears like beneath new head coach Pete Golding. It ought to look fairly related — at the very least on this matchup — to the way in which the workforce has regarded all yr: dominant.

No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon (Saturday, Dec. 20) Winner: Oregon (Steph Chambers/Getty Photos)

This one comes right down to Oregon’s high-powered offense vs. James Madison’s stalwart protection. The Dukes have seen unprecedented success this yr: probably the greatest defensive models within the nation and a coach in Bob Chesney, who will take over as UCLA’s head coach after JMU’s CFP run is over.

However Dan Lanning and Oregon have a workforce with extra expertise, dimension and physicality that may present up on what is anticipated to be a soggy night time in Eugene. The Geese have solely misplaced as soon as this season — to the CFP’s No. 1 ranked workforce, Indiana, in early October — and really feel like they've one thing to show this postseason.

Quarterfinals Cotton Bowl: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 7 Texas A&M (Dec. 31)Winner: Ohio State

Orange Bowl: No. 4 Texas Tech vs. No. 5 Oregon (Jan. 1)Winner: Texas Tech

Rose Bowl: No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 9 Alabama (Jan. 1)Winner: Indiana

Sugar Bowl: No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 6 Ole Miss (Jan. 1)Winner: Georgia

Semifinals Fiesta Bowl: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Georgia (Jan. 8)Winner: Georgia

Peach Bowl: No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 4 Texas Tech (Jan. 9)Winner: Indiana

Nationwide Championship CFP Nationwide Championship: No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 3 Georgia (Jan. 19)Champion: Georgia

Laken Litman covers faculty soccer, faculty basketball and soccer for FOX Sports activities. She is the writer of "Robust Like a Girl," revealed in spring 2022 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Title IX. Observe her at @LakenLitman.

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