Brad – Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama

This isn’t as much of a prediction as it is me attempting to write this scenario into existence. This will be the first season where all four playoff teams come from inside the preseason top 10.

Clemson coasts through their schedule while Trevor Lawrence gets the Tua treatment and sits most 4th quarters ruining his Heisman chances. Georgia drops one regular season game they shouldn’t. They still make it to Atlanta where they upset Alabama in the SEC Championship Game ending the winless drought of Nick Saban’s assistants versus their former boss. A Big Ten championship and Heisman Trophy winner isn’t enough to get Ohio State anything more than the three seed. Despite a loss in the SEC Championship game, Alabama does enough to hang on to the fourth spot.

There have been some pretty lame semifinal games since the birth of the College Football Playoff. Not this year! With the semifinals being played on December 28th, we don’t even have to wait until the new year to get the mandatory Clemson/Alabama match-up. We also get the newest Heisman Trophy winner, Justin Fields, versus his old school, his hometown school. Versus Jake Fromm, the QB he tried to beat out for playing time. Versus Kirby Smart, the head coach who was too stubborn to use him correctly. Just imagine the storylines and the build-up for this one!

The Tide and the Tigers have played each other in every College Football Playoff except the inaugural edition. There are two factors in play against Clemson here. The one seed hasn’t won the CFP yet, and these two teams have alternated wins in their four meetings so far (Alabama in 2016, Clemson in 2017, Alabama in 2018, Clemson in 2019). Rules are rules – it’s Alabama’s turn again. Fields and the Buckeyes run out to an early lead against Georgia putting the Bulldogs in the one spot they can’t afford to be in. Fromm isn’t able to open it enough to generate a second half comeback. Fast forward to January 4, 2020, and Alabama is just too much for Ohio State and they regain the college football throne.

Clayton – Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma, Ohio State

Georgia loses their entire receiving corps from 2018. They appear destined for a heavy run-first approach in 2019. I’m not a huge fan of teams that are frontrunners (built to play with a lead) and have a limited passing attack. I’ve seen far too many times in college football where a run-first team gets caught trailing early in a game against an inferior opponent and struggles to come from behind. I anticipate the Dawgs to drop a regular season game and don’t believe they’ll be able to keep up on the scoreboard with Alabama in the hypothetical 2019 SEC championship game. The rest of the picks are chalk. Tua and Trevor are the best QBs in the country and are the types of players who simply won’t allow their teams to lose games while healthy. Ohio State’s defensive roster is absolutely loaded and should dominate all Big Ten competition now that they’re away from the clutches of former DC Greg Schiano’s unnecessarily complicated defensive scheme. I’ll believe that Harbaugh can beat them when I see it. Jalen Hurts is better than most give him credit for, and there’s no way the OU defense can be worse than last season. Their offense won’t be stopped against the other comedic defenses in the BIG12. Clemson and Alabama are the best two teams in the nation, and it should be coin flip in the national title game.

Cody – Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma, Ohio State

I went chalk on this one. Mainly because it is tough for me to see another team leapfrog them, though history tells us it will happen. The one team I left out that has a shot would be Georgia, but they would need some help along the way.

For me, Bama is the top team in the nation despite their championship game loss. They return a lot of talent including one of the best QBs in the nation. Their offense will be extremely difficult to contend with seeing as they have 4 WRs that could likely start on pretty much any team in the nation and continue to boast an excellent RB group. 

Clemson is well, Clemson again. They have one of the best QBs in the country along with a ton of returning talent on the offensive side of the ball. While they do have some studs on defense as well, we will have to wait and see how they respond to losing a number of players to the NFL specifically on the defensive line. Either way, they will be tough to beat and that offense should be one of the more lethal ones we see.

Oklahoma may have taken a step back after losing another QB to the NFL, but bringing in a veteran like Hurts will help stem that tide. This is another team that is returning a ton of talent on the offensive side of the ball and it helps facing some of the worst defenses in the nation. A big question mark will be if Hurts can keep that offense pumping the way Kyler and Baker did. And can they hold of an emerging Texas team? Time will tell, but they certainly have the talent and coaching to make another run.

Ohio State is the team that I was on the fence with. They lost a ton of players to the NFL and are bringing in a QB that has little experience. With that said, I have all the faith in Fields’ talent and the talent around him. They bolstered their WR room with some top recruits coming in and have one of the best backs in the nation. It also doesn’t hurt to have the potential #1 pick on the defensive side of the ball. I think their biggest test this year will be Michigan, but I believe OSU has the talent to rise to the top of the conference and push their way into the CFP.

Greg – Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Notre Dame

Hard for me to envision any scenario where Alabama and Clemson both don’t make the playoffs. Clemson boasts one of the softest schedules for any top 25 team in the nation, teamed with being one of the two most talented teams in the country. Alabama and Clemson appear to be on a collision course to meet once again.

This is where my homer-ism comes into play. I expect Notre Dame to be able to make the playoffs as a one-loss team as long as that one loss is on the road at Georgia or Michigan. If they falter anywhere else on their schedule, I can’t see the committee overlooking that. With an uber-efficient Ian Book at the helm, the Irish look to have some improvement on the offensive side of the ball. Notre Dame will boast one of the best defensive end tandems in the country with Julian Okwara and Khalid Kareem. They also have one of the premier safety duos with Alohi Gilman and Jalen Elliott. When you add speed demon Troy Pride to that safety combo, the Irish have one of the top secondaries in the nation.

Georgia has amassed too much talent over the last few recruiting cycles not to finish the season with only one loss or less. They’ve given Alabama a bigger fight than any other school on the field over the last two seasons. Questions at the wideout position could stunt the offense against elite defenses unless they find somebody to set up in a big way.

Jason – Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Texas

Alabama reloads every year, but this year, the offense basically remains intact with some turnover at the RB position. Tua Tagovailoa and Jerry Jeudy will continue to be a force with Jaylen Waddle, Henry Ruggs, and Devonta Smith adding to the arsenal of receiving options. Najee Harris takes over at RB and finally can lead the way for the Crimson Tide’s backfield. The defense is stacked again with Dylan Moses, Raekwon Davis, Xavier McKinney and company hungry to lead the Crimson Tide to a title once again. 

Clemson is stacked everywhere and has an easy schedule once again. There is no reason for them not to go undefeated unless they become complacent. The offense is led by Heisman candidate quarterback Trevor Lawrence who is determined to lead this team to back to back national titles. With the offense filled with NFL talent and the defense replenished with future Sunday stars, nothing holds Clemson back from a title in 2019 expect for themselves. 

Ohio State found its QB through the transfer portal. Justin Fields is named the starting QB and looks to lead this team to the 2019 college football playoffs. J.K. Dobbins is back and looking to improve from last season while turnover with the receivers brings in a new talented group led by returning starter K.J. Hil. The defensive unit looks ready to challenge any team in CFB. Chase Young, Jordan Fuller, and Malik Harrison are just a few of the names that will help this team have a winning record this season. 

I know, where is Georgia or even Michigan or Notre Dame for that matter? There is usually a surprise team and I think that team is Texas. The hype for Texas this off-season is much deserved and I’m on board. The schedule consists of a quick challenge on September 7th vs LSU. If Texas wins that game, the tempo is set, and I think the confidence from the game carries over to the Oklahoma game four weeks later. Sam Ehlinger is poised for a dominant year with all the offensive weapons surrounding him. True freshman Jordan Whittingham looks like he could break out year one with the high praised he’s received throughout the summer. Jeffery McCulloch, Brandon Jones, and the promising Caden Sterns will look to have Texas surprise all of college football and help get the Longhorns in the top four by season’s end.

Kyle – Alabama, Clemson, Texas, Michigan

Alabama and Clemson need little introduction. They are the top two programs in college football, and I think it’s by a sizable margin. They are led by two of the best quarterbacks in college football and have easily navigable schedules. Texas is my pick to win the Big 12. They have a lot to replace, but I give their defensive coordinator, Todd Orlando, the benefit of the doubt. If they get serviceable play from their offensive line, I believe that the offense could be even better than last season. I generally pick the winner of the Red River Rivalry by which quarterback takes the game most personally. This year, the winner is Ehlinger. Michigan seems like they are ready to get over the hump. I like their decision to move into the modern era of offense with the hire of Josh Gattis. It’s easy to trust their defense, and they have an experienced quarterback. They host Notre Dame and Ohio State in their two toughest games, and the road schedule is fairly unassuming. I think a surprise team, like Utah, wins the PAC-12. However, they don’t have the clout to play for all the marbles, so the most powerful conferences will each send one delegate. Georgia will have a good regular season, but D’Andre Swift will sit out the SEC Championship for precautionary reasons, and the Dawgs will lose to Bama by 50 or 60 points as a result.

Lawrence – Alabama, Clemson, Texas, Ohio State

Alabama reloads better than any team. Each year they have a number of “unknown” 5-star recruits waiting to fill in for those who have left to the league. I personally didn’t feel anyone would be able to beat Alabama once they found their quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Clemson ended that sentiment last season and both teams are primed to make another dominant run to the college football playoff. It’s the Alabama and Clemson invitational if I have anything to say about it. As for the other two college football playoff participants, one is very familiar with the process in Ohio State while Texas is new blood. Ohio State goes from one Heisman finalist to what I perceive to be another. Justin Fields is one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in all of college football and should lead an explosive offense to a terrific season. Their toughest opponent will be Michigan which is on the road this year. They are consistent with their development on the defensive side of the ball and I think that makes the difference for Ohio State when they play Michigan. That game is likely the deciding factor in which team gets a shot at the playoffs this season. Texas is back, then they’re not, then they’re back again. Tom Herman has recruited at a high level and has reestablished a winning culture for Texas. Texas improved by 3 games in Herman’s second season and I believe they take another step this year which sees them holding the Big12 trophy while securing the final spot in the college football playoff. Sam Ehlinger is heading into his third season and has developed nicely under Herman. He is a legitimate Heisman contender and the determining factor in how far Texas can go in 2019.