Jake Russell
@oreojakesters
“You look good, you feel good, you play good.”
“Styles make fights.”
Sure, we all have our rooting interests as fans, but let’s also be honest here: we also care about how things look on our screen- the marquee helmet matchups that feel right, the aesthetically-pleasing stadiums, two prolific offenses going head-to-head to make beautiful football, or, for some of us, maybe we’re even attracted to defensive rock fights.
We can’t have the matchups that are determined by the playoff committee ruin that sort of thing.
Hypothetically, there are around 32 teams that could still make the playoff, but we have a general idea of who can and can’t win a National Championship at this point. Of those that are still eligible, these are some of the matchups that we just can’t see based on our Viewing Experience.
USC vs Texas Tech
It would be a bit of a long shot for USC to make it as an at-large coming out of the B1G, but just imagine: far too much red on your screen that your eyes may fall out, a Texas Tech defense that would make a Lincoln Riley offense stifled and slowed rather than the humming offense, and quite frankly, teams with no history or animosity.
Duke vs Indiana
Not only would this mean hypothetically that a 4-loss Duke could make it because the ACC has been the Actually Catastrophic Conference this year, but two basketball schools? Pass.
Oklahoma vs Texas
This one is more of a “we have already done this before… do we really need to see it again?” scenario that applies more so than the other matchups. Texas utterly dominated Oklahoma as John Mateer came back from injury a bit too early the first time. We’re already tracking to get some potential repeat matchups here with more losses being allowed in the playoffs, but this one not being at the Cotton Bowl and being anticlimactic the first time doesn’t feel like a rubber match would be earned.
USF vs Notre Dame
FAR too much metallic gold in this one, the American champ going to South Bend, Indiana looking to give the ball to Jerimiyah Love in the cold as much as possible, and just simply would feel like less of a playoff game and one where Notre Dame effectively had them on their schedule by being and Independent. Alex Golesh would have one foot out the door to another job already.
Miami vs BYU
A pack of Mormons going to an NFL Stadium far away from the campus life in South Beach as Mario Cristobal and Carson Beck fail upwards into a playoff spot as teal and green fans dressed like stormtroopers encounter a sea of blue and white sounds like a nightmarish fever dream. Sweet innocent Bear Bachmeier staring into the eyes of death that is Rueben Bain and the Miami trenches is a horror script. It doesn’t end pretty for the viewer, for Miami, or for BYU in this case.
