The final College Football Playoff rankings and bracket were released Sunday morning after the Oregon Ducks defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions 45-37 for the Big Ten Championship on Saturday night. FOX Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt weighed in and immediately criticized the tournament’s seeding and Oregon’s path to the championship as the No. 1 seed.

Despite winning the Big Ten, does Oregon have a tougher path to the championship than Penn State?

Joel Klatt expresses displeasure with the playoff committee

The College Football Playoff Committee released its final rankings Sunday morning. After their win over Penn State and capping a 13-0 season, the Ducks were ranked No. 1. Penn State fell to No. 6, but Klatt believes the Nittany Lions had the better draw.

Oregon received a bye in the first round and will now face the winner of the No. 8 seed Ohio State Buckeyes and the No. 9 seed Tennessee Volunteers. However, in the rankings, Ohio State is ranked No. 6 and Tennessee is No. 7. Penn State, on the other hand, will not have a bye but will have some favorable matchups on the way to the semifinals.

Penn State’s path to the semifinals would involve beating the No. 11 SMU Mustangs at home and the Boise State Broncos at a neutral site in the quarterfinals. Boise State is ranked No. 3 but is considered the No. 9 team in the country.

If Oregon wins the Rose Bowl, they will likely face the Texas Longhorns, who are ranked No. 3 in the Cotton Bowl according to the CFP, in Dallas, Texas. However, Texas will have to get past Clemson and Arizona State if the Longhorns want to make it to the semifinals.

While the Ducks have the advantage of not having to play an extra game, it’s interesting that regardless, they’re facing a team that’s ranked higher than any opponent Penn State would have heading into the semifinals.

The Ducks await the winner of Ohio State vs. Tennessee in the Rose Bowl

The Oregon Ducks will face the winner of Tennessee in the Rose Bowl at Ohio State on January 1st. The Volunteers and Buckeyes play in the first round of the College Football Playoff on December 21st.

As for the format of the playoffs, is it unfair to the No. 1 seed? The matchups the No. 1 seed gets may be flawed, but having a week off is very valuable. In a one-game playoff, not only can a few games cost a team its season, but there is also the possibility of further injuries.

The Ducks will be fresh and ready to go on New Year’s Day for whoever they end up facing.