2024-25 College Football Playoffs: Bubble Teams’ Blind Resume Comparison

Heading into conference championship weekend, the College Football Playoff committee has made it clear that there is only one spot left in the bubble.

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, who is also the CFP committee chairman, said teams not playing this weekend will not be able to outperform other teams following the latest rankings.

Notre Dame (No. 4), Ohio State (No. 6), Tennessee (No. 7), Indiana (No. 9) and the losers of the Big Ten (Penn State vs. Oregon) and SEC (Georgia vs. Texas) . ) title games currently occupy six of the seven at-large bids in the CFP field.

With six of those spots seemingly clinched, Alabama currently sits in last place overall in the 12-team field. The committee ranked the Crimson Tide 11th in the most recent rankings, meaning Miami (Florida) (No. 12), South Carolina (No. 13) and Ole Miss (No. 14) won’t be able to pass them by. last place overall.

But Alabama may not be assured of the final open spot. SMU, which was ranked eighth in the most recent poll, will play 17th-ranked Clemson in the ACC Championship Game on Saturday. If the Mustangs win, they will receive an automatic berth in the CFP and likely a first-round bye. If they lose, they will not have an automatic spot and will risk being left out of the field in favor of Alabama.

Let’s take a look at whether the committee was right to rank Alabama ahead of the other teams fighting for the final spot, with insight from FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt and Colin Cowherd. You can vote which team has the best resume blind at the end.

Team A

• Record: 10-2 (.833)
• AP Rank: 14
• SOS: 55
• Points/game differential: 20.3 (8th)
• Wins against current CFP top 25: 0-1 (.000) Lost by four points against only CFP ranked opponent (currently ranked 22nd)
• Lost by four points against the only ranked opponent in the CFP (currently ranked 22nd)
• Best Win (Highest Win in CFP Rankings): Zero wins in CFP Rankings
• Record vs. FBS teams with winning record: 3-2 (.600)
• Record in FBS road/neutral games: 4-2 (.667)

The A team has the best overall record of the teams in the bubble and was dominant in most of its wins this season. However, they lacked any real high-quality wins in the regular season and are the only team in the bubble without a qualifying victory. They are just one of three teams in the top 15 without a win against a team currently ranked in the CFP poll.

The A team also ended their season on a relatively low note. They lost two of their last three games after starting the season 9-0. He arguably did enough in those games on offense, as he arguably has the best offense in college football this season, ranking first in yards and points per game. However, they are closer to the middle of the pack on defense, ranking 60th in points allowed per game.

Team B

• Record: 9-3 (.750)
• AP Rank: 13
• SOS: 15
• Points/game differential: 13.8 (17th)
• Wins against current CFP Top 25: 2-2 (.500) -4.8 average point differential in those games
• -4.8 average point differential in those games
• Best win (highest win in CFP standings): On team currently ranked 17th
• Record vs. FBS teams with winning record: 3-3 (.500)
• Record in FBS road/traffic games: 4-1 (.800)

Team B has been the hottest team of the four teams in the bubble. They have won their last six games, winning four of them by at least three points. He also earned two qualifying victories during that stretch, winning both games by one score.

The B team’s path becomes a little difficult considering their losses to CFP-ranked teams. Both losses are against teams that are also in the bubble, losing the head-to-head matchup. In addition to being the most popular team in the bubble, Team B can claim to have beaten teams that other teams in the bubble couldn’t beat. Team B beat two teams that Team C lost to, winning both games by at least 21 points. Team B also beat a team by 26 that Team D lost to.

In terms of team composition, Team B is not spectacular offensively. He ranks 48th in yards, 52nd in yards per play and 42nd in scoring. However, they have one of the best defenses in the country, ranking 16th in yards allowed and 14th in points allowed.

Team C

• Record: 9-3 (.750)
• AP Rank: 11
• SOS: 17
• Points/game differential: 18.3 (12th)
• Wins against current CFP Top 25: 3-1 (.750)+9.0 average point differential in those games
• +9.0 average point differential in those games
• Best win (highest win in CFP standings): Against currently fifth-place team
• Record vs. FBS teams with winning record: 5-1 (.833)
• Record in FBS road/neutral games: 2-3 (.400)

Team C’s best argument is that the other bubble teams don’t have as strong wins. In addition to beating the team currently ranked fifth in the CFP poll, Team C also earned wins over Team B and the 19th-ranked team. Team C’s wins over the fifth-ranked team and the Team B were only by one score, but beat the 19th ranked team by 34.

In addition to a head-to-head victory over Team B, Team C also beat a team that both Team B and D lost to by 29 points. The C team’s only loss against a ranked team was by seven points on the road. However, Team C’s other two losses came against teams that finished the season 6-6. One of those losses was by 21 points. They have also lost three of their last four road games, which is something to consider as they will almost certainly play on the road in the first round if they make the CFP.

Team C’s offense was one of the most electrifying in the game for most of the season before running into some trouble later in the year. Still, he ranked 40th in the nation in yards, 22nd in yards per play and 17th in points. However, he has played better defense lately. He ranks 33rd in yards allowed and 11th in points allowed.

D-Team

• Record: 9-3 (.750)
• AP Rank: 15
• SOS: 31
• Points/game differential: 23.6 (4th)
• Wins against current CFP Top 25: 2-0 (1,000)+21 average point differential in those games
• +21 average point differential in those games
• Best win (highest win in CFP standings): Against currently fifth-place team
• Record vs. FBS teams with winning record: 3-2 (.600)
• Record in FBS road/neutral games: 3-2 (.600)

Team D has shown a high ceiling throughout the 2024 season. Unlike the other three bubble teams, they can claim to have beaten every ranked team they have faced this season. They defeated the fifth-placed team by 18 points and the B team on the road by 24. They also beat one of the teams that the C team lost to by 12 points.

On the other hand, arguably no one else in the bubble has worse losses than Team D has. The three losses Team D has suffered are against teams that are not currently ranked in the CFP poll. One of those losses was to a 7-5 team and the other was to a 4-8 team that only had one win against a power conference foe this season.

Like Team A, Team D has one of the best offenses in the country. He ranks second in yards, second in yards per play and ninth in scoring. However, unlike Team A, Team D’s defense has been strong this season. They rank 18th in yards allowed and fourth in points against.

The Klatt and Cowherd Verdict: Team C

Now for the reveal: Team A is Miami, Team B is South Carolina, Team C is Alabama, and Team D is Ole Miss.

As there has been some uproar over Alabama’s placement in the CFP rankings due to its Week 13 loss to Oklahoma, 24-3, both Klatt and Cowherd agreed that his resume was the strongest of the four.

“Miami, you play in a terrible conference, you have two losses and you don’t get a good win,” Cowherd said. “Alabama has three losses. Ideally, I don’t like that. I don’t think you should have two mulligans. But they beat Georgia. Losing to Oklahoma isn’t the worst thing in the world. They also went 3-1 against ranked teams. I don’t like that they have an extra mulligan… but I prefer Alabama over Miami and the other options.”

Klatt believed Alabama’s resume would beat any of the other three bubble teams head-to-head.

“I think, based on the strength of the schedule [and] “Based on what Miami did within their ACC play, they had a very favorable ACC schedule where they didn’t have to plan for a lot of the top teams,” Klatt said. “Bama’s resume isn’t great. To me, the bubble was teams 11-14: Alabama, South Carolina, Ole Miss and Miami. If you compare Alabama’s resume to all those bubble teams, they win the argument.”

Klatt wanted to emphasize that while he doesn’t necessarily believe Alabama is a true title contender, it has the strongest playoff case among the remaining bubble teams.

“I know people don’t like it and I understand that,” Klatt added. “I’m not saying this is a great option. I’m just saying that in an argument, Bama wins those arguments. Miami doesn’t have a qualifying win. You could also say they’re losing at the wrong time, losing.” two of their last three games.

“This is not a great option, and I don’t think Alabama is a great team. I don’t think they have a chance to win the national championship. But in a resume discussion with Miami, they win that discussion.”

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