The College Football Playoff field is set.
No. 1 Michigan claimed the top spot after winning the Big Ten Championship and will play in the Rose Bowl against No. 4 Alabama, which got in after beating No. 6 Georgia in the Southeastern Conference Championship.
READ: Full list of Power 5 bowl games
In the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Pac-12 champion No. 2 Washington will face Big 12 champion No. 3 Texas on Jan. 1, 2024.
Here are several players and notes to keep a tab on in this week’s Big Board.
Who got the best scenario in the Playoff?
Michigan-Alabama and Washington-Texas will be the matchups in this year’s CFP.
So which team got the best path to a national championship? Well, the answer to that could be any one of the four.
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Michigan has the best odds to win the national title at +175. Alabama is second at +210, Texas is third at +260 and Washington is fourth at +800.
Michigan has made an early exit in each of its past two CFP appearances over the past two years. The Wolverines haven’t been able to advance past the semifinal round, and their hopes are accomplishing just that this time around.
The Wolverines will match up with an Alabama team that flew under the radar for most of the season. The Crimson Tide lost to Texas in Week 2, and were widely considered to must win the SEC in order to win the Playoff.
Alabama did just that, though, dethroning the Bulldogs and capturing the SEC crown for the first time since 2021. The Crimson Tide have made the national championship in each of the past six times they’ve made the Playoff, and they’ll have a strong challenge against a Michigan team that has the No. 2 scoring defense holding opponents to 9.5 points per game.
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Texas, much like Alabama, had unfavorable positioning to make the Playoff entering conference championship weekend. The Longhorns seemed locked into the No. 7 spot in the rankings, but after winning the Big 12 in 49-21 fashion, they vaulted to No. 3.
The Longhorns could have the best path to a national championship. A win over Washington, an unbeaten conference champion with a Heisman Trophy finalist in quarterback Michael Penix Jr., could serve as a statement in the Alamo Bowl rematch from a year ago.
Then, Texas could match up with either Michigan or Alabama, and a rematch against the Crimson Tide could settle much of the debate surrounding the major themes in college football this season.
But Washington has long been counted out. The Huskies were nine-point underdogs entering the Pac-12 Championship against Oregon.
Each of the four Playoff teams have a path to a national championship. Now it’s time to find out which can withstand the others.
It’s time to crown a Heisman Trophy winner
The Heisman Foundation revealed its four finalists on Monday, and not too much surprise came with that.
Three quarterbacks are among this season’s Heisman finalists: LSU’s Jayden Daniels, Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr.
Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. became the fifth different Buckeyes finalist in six years. He could follow in the footsteps of former Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith who won the Heisman after the 2020 season.
Any of the four finalists could win the Heisman. They each have a case.
Nix and Penix battled back and forth all season for the top spot in the Pac-12 Conference. Penix and Washington won the conference title after beating Nix and the Ducks for a second time.
Daniels has arguably the strongest chance to win the Heisman. He leads in a multitude of major statistical categories, including passing efficiency and touchdowns.
Daniels has 3,812 passing yards and 1,134 rushing yards, and he’s responsible for the most points in college football this season at 302, more than 20 ahead of the next closest player.
READ: LSU’s Jayden Daniels among 4 named Heisman finalists
Harrison has an interesting case to present as a wide receiver. There have been only three wide receivers to win college football’s top award.
Harrison caught 1,211 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns this season. He was second in receiving touchdowns in the NCAA, and he brought in 67 receptions which were 10 fewer than his season last year.
Daniels has the best odds to win the Heisman according to multiple sportsbooks. If that plays true, Daniels would be the first Tiger to win the Heisman since Joe Burrow in 2019.
Quinn Ewers, Texas
The Longhorns are right where they want to be.
Texas made the Playoff after standing on the outside looking in for most of the season. The Longhorns’ only loss came to Oklahoma in Week 6.
Quarterback Quinn Ewers is a big reason for Texas’ success. He battled injuries throughout the season and missed two games in late October to November.
Ewers led the Big 12 with a 70.7% completion and was second in passing yards per game, behind Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel. Ewers had 3,161 passing yards and 21 touchdowns to six interceptions.
Ewers has a decision to make after the season.
Given he began his college football career prior to the 2021 season after enrolling early at Ohio State and now has three years of experience, Ewers has NFL Draft eligibility.
According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, it’s likely though that Ewers remains at Texas for another season. The odds of Ewers’ return “has increased exponentially in the past few weeks,” according to Thamel.
Ewers’ return cold have multiple dominoes fall in line. What would happen with backup and five-star recruit Arch Manning, and who may be interested in joining Ewers in Texas?
According to 247 Sports, Manning is “completely content remaining in Austin” and isn’t expected to consider the transfer portal.
READ: USC’s Lincoln Riley announces QB Caleb Williams won’t play in Holiday Bowl
With Manning likely to still be a Longhorn in 2024, Ewers could decide to stay at Texas for another season before considering the NFL in 2025.
Whatever decision Ewers chooses to make, the former five-star recruit himself has plenty of opportunity.
