Can't Wait For Saturday CFP lineup looks hard to beat, starting with the opener
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Dec. 26—***
College football fans are fairly predictable. Give them the known in a College Football Playoff game, like one of the sport's blue bloods, and they will tune in every time. But try to show them a lesser-known school, say James Madison or Tulane, and they stay away.
That's exactly what happened in the first round of the College Football Playoffs when it came to TV ratings. Fans tuned in for Alabama-Oklahoma and Miami-Texas A&M and tuned out for Tulane-Mississippi and Oregon-James Madison.
Will the fans ever come around on the Group of Five? Hard to say. Might take a major upset or two to get their attention.
Anyway, back to my point, there is no excuse to avoid the CFP quarterfinals. All legit title contenders. Mostly name brands.
Here's how I rank the four games in terms of appeal. Reminder, I'm a bit eccentric when it comes to my tastes:
1. Ohio State-Miami, Wednesday, ESPN. The defending national champions against the one-time power with the loaded defense. The Buckeyes are 9 1/2-point favorites but I think it will be closer than that Great to have the Hurricanes back on a big stage.
2. Alabama-Indiana, Thursday, ESPN. Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza tries to give his team its first first CFP win against the school that is considered the best of the modern era. The Hoosiers are favored by a touchdown and need to avoid showing the rust after a month off.
3. Oregon-Texas Tech, Thursday, ESPN. The Ducks were top seeds a year ago and got bounced in this round. The Red Raiders are the real deal, but I like field-goal favorite Oregon to advance.
4. Georgia-Mississippi, Thursday, ESPN. The all-SEC battle is rematch from an earlier game won by the Bulldogs. Has the time off helped or hurt Kirby Smart's team? We'll see. Fans without ties to either school are likely in the Rebels' corner because of Lane Kiffin's unkind departure.
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