Is it worth winning the battle but losing the war? As far as an ESPN analyst’s calculations go, either No. 1 Oregon or No. 2 Ohio State could find themselves in such a dilemma in the new 12-team College Football Playoff format. After a spectacular 38-15 win over Indiana in Week 13, Ryan Day and Ohio State have emerged as a favorite B1G championship contender over Penn State and Indiana. If they maintain this favor, they will face Dan Lanning‘s undefeated Ducks in the Big Ten Championship game. And that’s where the spice comes in. 

On November 27, ESPN College GameDay analyst Rece Davis concocted a potential scenario for the Big Ten powerhouses Oregon and Ohio State, exploring their uncertain postseason futures on the College GameDay podcast. “Let’s say for instance. The Ohio State avenges their loss in the Big Ten Championship game and they get the No. 1 seed in the playoff. That almost certainly means Oregon gets the No. 5,” he said.

In the 12-team playoff format, the top four seeded teams will receive a first-round bye. The next eight seeds will face each other to decide the four winners for the quarterfinals. The No. 5 seed will face the No. 12 seed, Boise State, in this prediction. No. 6 will face No. 11. No. 7 will face No. 10, and No. 8 will face No. 9. 

If Davis’ prediction becomes true, No. 5 Oregon will face Boise State, and if they win, they’ll face the No. 4 seed BYU in the quarterfinals, while No. 1 Ohio State will face the winner of the No. 8 vs. No. 9 game, which will either be Alabama or Notre Dame. Davis added, “You’re not supposed to be giving the five seed a less challenging path forward than you are the one seed. This is a problem that needs to be fixed immediately after the season.” And this problem better be fixed before pandemonium hits college football. 

Rece Davis has a solution to the playoff problem

What could be the best way to settle this problem? Rece Davis pitched in his opinion on the matter too, saying that automatic bids could be the best way to determine the best team. He said, “They’ve played the best; they get that (automatic bid). That’s the best way. That is the most fair way. And what we’re doing right now runs the risk of placing a harder path against the team that has deemed to be the best team.” 

Following Week 13’s outcome, Rece Davis released his updated rankings of the top ten CFB teams, where Oregon, Ohio State, and Texas top the list. But a lot could change over the weekend. The seeds we discussed aren’t final as they’re based on the current playoff rankings, which will shortly be updated. The new rankings will be available on ESPN on Tuesday at 8:00 PM ET.