CFP Saturday storylines: Coaching chaos, Cinderella's shot

Saturday features a College Football Playoff tripleheader following Friday's kickoff between Oklahoma and Alabama.

The first round will take on the feel of the NCAA Tournament's opening weekend as two Cinderellas get a chance to make history with a seismic upset.

Add in an early blockbuster pitting two huge programs against each other and we're in for a nice little day that will decide who advances to the quarterfinals.

Here are three storylines to watch when Texas A&M faces Miami, Ole Miss battles Tulane, and Oregon meets James Madison.

Coaches playing musical chairs

How broken is the college football calendar? More than half the programs in the 12-team field have a head coach, coordinator, or senior position coach who's already holding a new job at a different school. That broken enough for you?

Let's run down the list.

Miami will try to slow down an explosive Texas A&M offense called by incoming Kansas State head coach Collin Klein. He's not the only Aggies coordinator doing double duty either, as new Kentucky defensive coordinator Jay Bateman is sticking around in that same role with Texas A&M through the playoff.

The only way you're unfamiliar with what the hell happened to Ole Miss' coaching situation is if you spent the last month on a deserted island. And if that's the case, congratulations on missing one of the most absurd coaching chases of all time. Lane Kiffin is long gone to LSU, so it's Pete Golding making his head coaching debut with the Rebels. While Kiffin took multiple staff members to Baton Rouge with him, he loaned a few back to Ole Miss - notably, offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. - for the postseason. On the other sideline stands Jon Sumrall, whom you may know from his rousing introductory press conference at Florida a couple weeks ago.

The final matchup of the opening round sees UCLA's new head coach, Bob Chesney, leading massive underdog James Madison into Oregon to face a defense called by Tosh Lupoi, the soon-to-be head man at Cal, and an offense led by freshly named Kentucky frontman Will Stein.

Cinderella gets a shot ... twice

We reminded everyone in our postgame analysis last year that Cinderella doesn't play football after Penn State comfortably handled Boise State in the CFP quarterfinal. Well, it's probably safe to assume that point will be driven home emphatically in two of the three games Saturday, with not one but two Group of 5 schools in action as heavy road underdogs.

Now, we aren't going full Joel Klatt and joining the Fox Sports analyst in declaring, "We're not looking for a Cinderella." We just don't think it's possible for either Tulane or James Madison to have the type of run we see almost annually in March.

We already witnessed the carnage that ensued when the Green Wave visited Oxford earlier this season. The Rebels scored on eight of 10 drives (not including last-second kneel-downs), outgained their opponent by an absurd 266 yards, and could have led 35-3 at halftime with better production in the red zone. Kiffin might be gone, but Kewan Lacy and Trinidad Chambliss didn't get on the plane to Baton Rouge with him. Not yet, anyway.

James Madison is an impressive 11-1 on the season, but we'll let you guess which one of those games was the team's only matchup against a power-conference opponent. The Dukes' defensive line absolutely dominated the competition this year and actually performed extremely well in the team's lone loss to Louisville. However, Oregon is fifth in the country in yards per rush and will present a smashmouth attack that James Madison hasn't seen before.

At the end of the day, ask yourself this: Do you honestly think Dan Lanning is going to be the first coach of a power-conference program to lose to a Group of 5 opponent in the 12-team CFP?

The Spiderman Meme Bowl

Saturday's first contest between Texas A&M and Miami is undoubtedly the banger on the slate. Both teams might as well ditch their uniforms and rock red-and-blue tights because this matchup is as close to the Spiderman meme as you'll find in college football. For the uninitiated: These two are essentially the same team.

• Explosive quarterbacks who are also prone to a turnover - or three ✅
• Elite pass rush anchored by one of the best defensive linemen in the country ✅
• Extremely talented skill group that can break a game in one play ✅
• Beat Notre Dame in the season's opening month ✅
• Resume lacking any other noteworthy wins ✅

The similarities continue in how each team goes about its business on offense, with "balance" being the key word. Texas A&M runs the ball 54% of the time, while Miami falls just underneath that mark at 53%. Both groups have three players with at least 350 rushing yards and three wide receivers with more than 350 receiving yards on the year. And quarterbacks Marcel Reed and Carson Beck have the same 25-to-10 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

The operating procedure on defense is simple for both squads: Get the opponent in third-and-long and eat with a dominant defensive line. Nobody is better at stopping teams on third down than the Aggies, who lead the nation with a comically low conversion rate of just 22% allowed. The Hurricanes aren't far behind, ranking 10th in the country in the same stat.

The offensive path to victory Saturday likely revolves around two things: avoiding turnovers and converting third downs. Whoever comes out on top in those categories should advance in the playoff.