There are plenty of reasons to believe the new 12-team College Football Playoffs bracket needs to be reworked. Oregon fans know it well, and are left looking at Penn State, the team that they beat in the Big Ten Championship , advancing to the Semifinals thanks to an easy path with SMU and Boise State as their two opponents, while the Ducks are at home preparing for next season.
One interesting tidbit worth looking into is how the four teams that were “awarded” a first round bye fared in their Quarterfinal matchups. Spoiler: they didn’t do well.
Add Georgia, the fourth team to get a first round bye to the list, as Notre Dame held Georgia to only a field goal until halfway through the third quarter, eventually winning 23-10.
All four teams that got a first round bye thanks to the automatic bye system ended up losing in the Quarterfinals, and the fact that the four teams had three full weeks off between games could be a part of it.
Penn State, Texas, and Ohio State came out looking sharp and honed in for their matchups. Their opponents looked to be a step slow. And while Georgia’s defense kept it close, they still weren’t able to get it done.