Jerry Palm's Final Projections: Shocking 12-Team CFP Bracket And New Year's Six Picks
Contents
Jerry Palm: Biography, Career, and The CBS Sports Departure
Jerry Palm has established himself as a prominent figure in sports media, known for his meticulous and data-driven approach to predicting the college basketball and football postseasons. His methodology, often rooted in a computer science degree, brings a unique, analytical perspective to the subjective world of selection committees. * Full Name: Jerry Palm * Primary Role: Sports Analyst, Bracketologist * Key Employer: CBS Sports (Longtime Analyst) * Alma Mater: Purdue University (Class of 1985, degree in Computer Science) * Career Focus: College Football Bowl Projections and College Basketball Bracketology (March Madness) Palm's career is defined by his tenure as a fixture on CBS Sports, where he spent over 14 years providing his expert projections. However, in a major piece of news that adds a fresh context to his latest work, Palm recently announced his departure from CBS Sports, making his 2024-2025 bowl projections one of his final, if not his absolute final, major pieces of work under the CBS banner. This gives his current analysis a sense of finality and historical weight as the sport transitions to its new playoff format.The New Era: Palm's Controversial 12-Team College Football Playoff Projections
The expansion to a 12-team College Football Playoff has completely redefined the bowl season, and Jerry Palm's projections for the 2024 season are the first to fully grapple with the complexity of four automatic bids for the highest-ranked conference champions.The Automatic Qualifiers (AQs)
Palm's bracketology for the 2024 season included several surprising conference champions earning automatic bids. The most notable was the projection for Arizona State to win the Big 12 Conference. This pick immediately generated significant debate, as it places a team not widely considered a national title contender into one of the top four seeds, highlighting the power of the new AQ rules. The other projected conference champions who secured the top four seeds and a coveted first-round bye were: * SEC Champion: (1) Georgia * Big Ten Champion: (2) Ohio State * ACC Champion: (3) Oregon * Big 12 Champion: (4) Arizona State (The highest-ranked Group of Five champion is guaranteed a spot, but the Big 12 AQ is a major factor here.)The First-Round Matchups (On-Campus Games)
The most exciting element of the new format is the first round, which features eight teams playing on campus sites. Palm's projections for these matchups are where the real drama lies, setting up high-stakes elimination games. The projected first-round games, scheduled for December 19-20, showcase a blend of traditional powerhouses and dark-horse contenders: * (12) Notre Dame at (5) Alabama: A classic matchup of blue-blood programs, with the Crimson Tide earning a slightly better seed. * (11) Tulane at (6) Ole Miss: This game features the highest-ranked Group of Five team, Tulane, traveling to face a formidable SEC opponent, Ole Miss, a pick that emphasizes the strength of the SEC's at-large bids. * (10) Miami at (7) Texas A&M: A massive clash of two teams with significant fan bases and high preseason expectations, with the winner advancing to face the No. 2 seed, Ohio State, in the Cotton Bowl. * (9) Iowa State at (8) Penn State: This matchup pits the Big 12's second representative, Iowa State, against the Big Ten's second-tier contender, Penn State, with the winner heading to the Fiesta Bowl. The inclusion of teams like Miami, Texas A&M, and Tulane in the initial CFP field demonstrates Palm's view of a deep and competitive season where a single loss doesn't eliminate a top-tier program.Beyond the Playoff: New Year's Six and Notable Bowl Picks
While the CFP dominates the conversation, Palm's full slate of bowl projections provides a comprehensive look at the entire postseason, including the crucial non-CFP New Year's Six games.The New Year's Six Bowls (Non-CFP Games)
The New Year's Six bowls, which include the Rose, Sugar, Orange, Fiesta, Peach, and Cotton Bowls, are now split between hosting CFP quarter-final games and traditional major bowl matchups. * Rose Bowl: The traditional Big Ten vs. Pac-12 (or their replacements) matchup is now largely absorbed by the CFP structure. * Sugar Bowl: Another traditional host, with its participants determined by the CFP selection committee. * Orange Bowl: Palm projected the Louisville Cardinals to land in the Orange Bowl, potentially against a high-ranking Big Ten or SEC team, showcasing the ACC's depth. * Fiesta Bowl: A projected matchup of Air Force (likely as the highest-ranked Group of Five team not in the CFP) against Washington, a strong Pac-12 contender. * Peach Bowl: * Cotton Bowl: Projected to host the winner of the Miami/Texas A&M first-round game against No. 2 seed Ohio State.Mid-Tier and Other Intriguing Matchups
Palm's projections also offer interesting matchups further down the bowl schedule, which are often highly competitive and feature teams with strong regional followings. These games offer a crucial look at the depth of various conferences. * Texas Bowl: Projected to feature the TCU Horned Frogs against the LSU Tigers, a high-profile inter-conference battle. * Holiday Bowl: A projected matchup between Arizona State (if they don't win the Big 12 AQ) and Pittsburgh. * Pop-Tarts Bowl: Palm projected a game between Florida State and BYU, a cross-country matchup that would draw significant attention. * Sun Bowl: Projected to feature the Duke Blue Devils.The Value of Bracketology in the 12-Team Era
Jerry Palm's work, particularly in this new 12-team era, serves a vital function. It provides a running commentary on the subjective process of the CFP selection committee. His projections force fans and analysts to consider the criteria—such as strength of schedule, head-to-head results, and conference championships—that determine the final bracket. The sheer number of teams and the weight of the automatic bids make the final few weeks of the season a high-stakes game of musical chairs, a dynamic that Palm's bracketology captures better than most. The debate surrounding his final picks, especially the inclusion of teams like Arizona State and the seeding of the at-large bids, is a testament to the influence of his analysis on the national college football conversation.
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