College Football Playoff Predictions: Texas A&M Poised To Top Miami In First Round

After some controversy surrounding the College Football Playoff selection committee's 12-team field, the first round is finally here. 

The best part, of course, is games on campus. This year we're blessed with sites like Norman, College Station, Oxford and Eugene, all of which are different from the schools that hosted the games last season. 

The matchups are pretty good too and will get even better as we get deeper into the CFP over the next few weeks.

Here are my CFP bracket predictions:

First Round

No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Oklahoma (Friday, Dec. 19) 

Winner: Alabama

(Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

It’s never easy to beat a team twice in one season, and that’s the challenge the Sooners have in this first round. It certainly won’t be easy against the Crimson Tide, who will be feeling extra motivated after A) losing to OU at home in mid-November and B) getting flat out embarrassed by Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. 

Alabama has a chance to prove something to all the skeptics who didn’t think it belonged in the CFP in the first place. Plus, Alabama wants to keep its coach. There’s speculation that if the Tide lose, Kalen DeBoer could be interested in leaving for Michigan’s head coaching vacancy.

No. 10 Miami (Fla.) at No. 7 Texas A&M (Saturday, Dec. 20)

Winner: Texas A&M

(Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

While a CFP game at Kyle Field may have been more intimidating at night, the 12th Man can be relentless no matter the time of kickoff. This one is going down Saturday at noon ET, and the Aggies are slight favorites at home. This will come down to which offensive line can better protect its quarterback against an elite defense. 

Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed and Miami’s Carson Beck were both in the Heisman Trophy conversation early on in the season until they hit some speed bumps. Reed has thrown six interceptions in his past four games against Power 4 teams, while Beck hit a similar hurdle in late October/early November. 

Whoever wins the battle in the trenches will play Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, and I’m giving the edge to the home team.

No. 11 Tulane at No. 6 Ole Miss (Saturday, Dec. 20)

Winner: Ole Miss

(Justin Ford/Getty Images)

A home CFP game in Oxford is what college football dreams are made of. It’s too bad that ex-head coach Lane Kiffin, who spurred Ole Miss for LSU a few weeks ago, will miss out. His former players have something to prove and will take it out on Tulane, a team they beat 45-10 in September. Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss went 17-for-27 for 307 yards and two touchdowns in that game, while Tulane managed just 282 yards of total offense and quarterback Jake Retzlaff went 5-for-17 for 56 yards. 

Tulane's head coach, Jon Sumrall, is leaving for Florida once the Green Wave’s CFP run is over, which will likely be after this game. For Ole Miss, this will be the first taste of what the future of the program looks like under new head coach Pete Golding. It should look pretty similar — at least in this matchup — to the way the team has looked all year: dominant.

No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon (Saturday, Dec. 20)

Winner: Oregon

(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

This one comes down to Oregon’s high-powered offense vs. James Madison’s stalwart defense. The Dukes have seen unprecedented success this year: one of the best defensive units in the country and a coach in Bob Chesney, who will take over as UCLA’s head coach after JMU’s CFP run is over. 

But Dan Lanning and Oregon have a team with more talent, size and physicality that will show up on what is expected to be a soggy night in Eugene. The Ducks have only lost once this season — to the CFP’s No. 1 ranked team, Indiana, in early October — and feel like they have something to prove this postseason.

Quarterfinals

Cotton Bowl: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 7 Texas A&M (Dec. 31)
Winner: Ohio State

Orange Bowl: No. 4 Texas Tech vs. No. 5 Oregon (Jan. 1)
Winner: Texas Tech

Rose Bowl: No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 9 Alabama (Jan. 1)
Winner: Indiana

Sugar Bowl: No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 6 Ole Miss (Jan. 1)
Winner: Georgia

Semifinals

Fiesta Bowl: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Georgia (Jan. 8)
Winner: Georgia

Peach Bowl: No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 4 Texas Tech (Jan. 9)
Winner: Indiana

National Championship

CFP National Championship: No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 3 Georgia (Jan. 19)
Champion: Georgia

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her at @LakenLitman.

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