College Football Playoff overreactions: More guaranteed bids are a farce, expect the blowouts to continue

There's plenty to overreact to after a consequential first round of the College Football Playoff this weekend

Congratulations, Texas A&M. You managed to have one of your best seasons in decades ... and, ultimately, none of it mattered. 

Texas A&M went without a meaningful win past Sept. 13's triumph against Notre Dame. Its 11-0 start, including a 7-0 mark in conference play, looked impressive on paper, but the Aggies did nothing but take advantage of an incredibly weak schedule. 

None of those seven SEC wins came against an opponent with a winning conference record. In fact, Texas A&M played two teams with a winning record in conference play: Texas and Miami. The Aggies lost both. 

Their 11 wins were against teams with a combined conference record of 20-52. It isn't Texas A&M's fault that it made the playoff. Any Power Four program that finishes with an 11-1 record belongs in the 12-team field regardless of how it came about those wins. 

The Aggies deserve recognition for taking care of business, as well. That isn't always easy in college football. 

But Texas A&M's embarrassing playoff performance -- it scored just three points AT HOME -- is undeniable proof that no conference needs multiple guaranteed spots. Both the SEC and the Big Ten are pushing for further expansion that would see the two mega-conferences send at least six teams apiece to the playoff on an annual basis. 

There's no legitimate argument for that format. SEC fans and even some coaches like to pretend like their schools would run the table in any other conference outside of the Big Ten. 

So, to the SEC, I ask: what happened? A "lowly" ACC team walked into Kyle Field, which played host to the biggest home game in Texas A&M history, and held the mighty SEC team to three points while dominating the trenches on both sides of the ball. 

The SEC does not deserve more guaranteed spots beyond its champion just because some of its teams get lucky with an easy schedule in an inflated league. As it turns out, lackluster SEC teams are lackluster, and a win against 8-4 Missouri means just as much as a win against 8-4 Pittsburgh.   

If an 11-win SEC team puts that kind of performance together, there's no need to shoehorn a nine-win SEC team into the conversation. 

Blame the College Football Playoff system for uneven fields? No, blame the powers who've upended the sport

Tom Fornelli

The blowouts will continue 

Bad news for those that slogged through the first-round blowouts: lopsided results aren't over. The field may have narrowed, but the gap between certain teams didn't. 

No. 3 Georgia's Sugar Bowl showdown against No. 6 Ole Miss could be close. Those two actually faced off in the regular season. The Bulldogs scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to storm back for a thrilling 43-35 win. That was good television. 

The other three quarterfinal games seem primed for a letdown. The winner between No. 9 Alabama and No. 8 Oklahoma, ultimately, did not matter. The Crimson Tide earned a chance to get thrown into the Indiana meatgrinder. 

Miami did well to go on the road and beat Texas A&M. The Hurricane team that showed up in the first round is going to get run off the field against No. 2 Ohio State. There may not be a ton of points scored by either team, but the Buckeyes should control proceedings comfortably from start to finish. 

No. 4 Texas Tech versus No. 5 Oregon is another potential banger. Don't be surprised if the Red Raiders cruise to victory, though, especially after the Ducks failed to completely rout what should have been a haplessly overmatched No. 12 James Madison in the first round. 

Texas Tech will go on a run 

Texas Tech has all the makings of a legitimate national title contender. The Red Raiders are one of the most complete teams left in the field with few question marks to reckon with at this point in the season. 

Their lone loss all year came when starting quarterback Behren Morton was injured. Otherwise, Texas Tech earned its 12 wins by an average scoring margin of 34.5 points. Tech put a lot of resources into improving its defense in the offseason. It should be beyond thrilled with its return on investment. 

The Red Raiders rank third in the FBS in scoring defense (10.9 points per game) and second among Power Four schools in total defense (254.4 yards per game). They're the only school in the nation that's held opponents below 70 yards rushing per game. 

Texas Tech boasts arguably the nation's top linebacker tandem (Jacob Rodriguez and Ben Roberts), a defensive line stocked with studs like edge rusher David Bailey and run-stuffing mammoth Lee Hunter and a secondary headlined by ball-hawking defensive back Brice Pollock. 

Don't sleep on the offense. Morton is as steady as they come at quarterback, but his supporting cast is the real story. Running back Cameron Dickey was one of the Big 12's biggest breakout stars. He's a tough runner that rarely goes down on first contact. 

The wide receiver trio of Caleb Douglas, Reggie Virgil and Coy Eakin can give opposing secondaries fits. Tight end Terrance Carter Jr. gives defenses with another high-level option to account for. 

If discerning bettors want some easy money, take Texas Tech +1.5 in its Orange Bowl clash against Oregon. 

Tulane's modern golden era is over 

Tulane has been among the Group of Five's top programs for several years now. Former coach Willie Fritz got the ball rolling in 2022 when he guided the Green Wave to a breakout 12-2 season, capped by a win against USC in the Cotton Bowl and the program's first top-10 finish in the AP poll since 1998. 

Since that point, Tulane is averaging just under 11 wins per season. The Green Wave have made it to the American Championship Game in four straight seasons with two wins in that span. Fritz parlayed his success into a coaching opportunity at Houston, which had a respectable 9-3 showing in 2025. 

His successor, Jon Sumrall, secured a College Football Playoff bid for Tulane in 2025. He won 20 games, with a 14-2 conference record, over his two seasons with the Green Wave. Now he's off to Florida. 

Unfortunately, the departure of Sumrall signals the fall of one of the Group of Five's emerging dynasties. The Green wave struck gold with Fritz and Sumrall, two high-level hires that brought the program to new heights and sustained success. 

Maybe Tulane got tired of more prominent schools poaching its coaches, so it went out of its way to hire someone no other school would want by promoting pass-game coordinator Will Hall to head coach. This won't be Hall's first stint leading a program. 

He has experience at the Division II level, and from 2021-24, Hall helmed Southern Miss. In that span, he managed a 14-30 record before he was fired seven games into the 2024 season. He won more than three games in a single season just once. 

If Hall couldn't cut it in Conference USA and the Sun Belt, there's no reason to think he'll make it in the American.