Way-Too-Early College Football Playoff Bracket Has the Ducks Making a Run

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July is absolutely the worst time to look at a way-too-early College Football Playoff bracket because the last thing we are going to do is wish away the season.

However, if the National Championship game that this one spit out were a Christopher Nolan-type of cinematic experience.

CBS Sports' Brad Crawford made his first 12-team bracket, and before debating the teams in it, I will say that, as long as we have a 12-teamer, it is the second best option for the college football postseason. 

Now, back to the games. This bracket is about as good as it gets. It is a heavyweight matchup after heavyweight matchup, and the quarterfinals are as good as it could possibly get. For Oregon, they get revenge knocking on their door.

A first-round bye followed by a rematch with Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers would be an incredible way to start the Playoffs. The way that this bracket shook out, it indicates that Oregon won the Big Ten, so this game would be played at the Rose Bowl. 

Bad vibes all around.

However, in this scenario, Oregon kills two birds with one stone. They avenge their loss in the Rose Bowl from 2024 and avenge their drubbing at the hands of Indiana from last year.

The Semifinal game would be much watch television as the Ducks would take on Arch Manning, Steve Sarkisian, and the Texas Longhorns. This would be one of those games that, honestly, the outcome would put the losing coach on the hot seat. Thankfully for Lanning, Crawford has the Ducks getting the job done.

That leaves one final boss, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in Sin City, Las Vegas, Nevada. The Ducks and the Irish are two teams that, honestly, have similar feelings within their program. They have always been the bridesmaid and never the bride. 

That story changes in this scenario. One of the teams would hoist the trophy and be at the top of the sport for the first time in the modern era. 

This bracket is obviously hypothetical in nature, but it is just a reminder of how hard it has become to win a College Football Playoff National Championship. Each round is a game that would be worthy enough to be a National Championship, but it is just another step in the journey.

Oregon will get to the top soon, maybe 2026 will be that year.

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