With the end of the 4-team college football era having passed, the question arises of how America's most well-known college sport will change with the times. As the 12-team playoff picture comes into affect in the 2024-25 season, many more teams who have been on the edge for so long will finally get a chance to hang a banner.
The two teams which have the best chance of breaking through to the level of Alabama and Georgia alike have been regular season names for a long time: Penn State and Oregon.
Penn State has dominated their schedule for the past 3 years, only taking losses primarily to Ohio State and Michigan. However, as the next season approaches, Penn State has the liberty of not playing Michigan, giving them a big chance to put themselves high in the expanded playoff picture. If Penn State, theoretically, could play their best football, a chance at the 5th or 4th seed could be in their very near future.
Oregon is another team that has been in the shadow in the powerhouses of Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and Michigan for far too long. As Bo Nix departs, Oregon has recruited former Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel to step into large, Heisman-finalist shoes that he can most definitely fill and make his mark on the field. Going into the new season, Oregon has one of the hardest schedules, with big names like Michigan, Ohio State, and Washington all making an appearance. However, these roadblocks can be more of a positive, in that if Oregon could squeak a win or two in those showcase games, they would most definitely be granted a high seed and another chance to make some big moves in the playoff.
Aside from a new playoff structure, the new season will be the first since 2015 where Jim Harbaugh is not coaching, and the first since 2007 where Nick Saban also doesn't hold a head coaching job. With these two legends having left, arguments can be made for whether or not the power dynamic has changed, and there is something to be said for that. The torch has been dropped, and a huge question arises: Who will pick it up?
~Tyler Rath
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