With the official first College Football Playoff rankings released last night, Booster aims to predict how everything will shake out the rest of the season—and who will face off in the 2nd ever 12-team CFB Playoff.
First, we’ll give our predictions on who will get an invite to New York City for the Heisman ceremony.
Fernando Mendoza (QB, Indiana), Haynes King (QB, Georgia Tech), Jeremiah Smith (WR, Ohio State), Ty Simpson (QB, Alabama)
Now, our prediction for the CFB playoff.
#1 Indiana 13-0 (Big 10 champ)
With a win over #3 OSU and #13 Oregon, Indiana is the clear #1 team in the nation when the dust settles over championship weekend. Cignetti keeps winning, SEC keeps being mad.
#2 Texas A&M 13-0 (SEC champ)
13-0 A&M rolls the rest of their schedule—including a rivalry win over Texas and an SEC championship against Kalen DeBoer’s Crimson Tide. SEC truthers will be livid that Indiana gets the 1—even with Indiana’s dominance over their whole schedule. To quote Pat McAfee, “You can only beat the team in front of you.”
#3 Ohio State 12-1 (Loss in Big 10 championship)
Ohio State *finally* gets over the hump of beating Michigan, but they don’t escape the hangover game and fall the week after to Fernando Mendoza and company in the Big 10 championship.
#4 Alabama 10-3 (Loss in SEC championship)
Heisman finalist Ty Simpson and the Crimson Tide don’t get penalized for losing the SEC championship. Why? Because they’re Bama, of course. Not to mention their many ranked wins—I’m trying to push an anti-SEC narrative here, okay?
#5 Notre Dame 10-2 (Independent)
Marcus Freeman spends his Thanksgiving being grateful he coaches for one of the biggest brands in football, and the guaranteed independent bid that all but gives him a playoff spot every year.
#6 Georgia 10-2
Kirby Smart misses the SEC championship—helping his chances of a higher seed in the playoffs. The nation becomes furious over the bulldogs being ranked ahead of the team that beat them in the regular season finale…
#7 Georgia Tech 12-1 (ACC champ)
Georgia Tech leaves the NC State loss in the past, getting up to beat their in-state rival Georgia and the ACC championship the week after against Louisville. Haynes King cements himself as a Heisman finalist.
#8 BYU 12-1 (Big 12 champ)
After losing to Texas Tech in Lubbock during the regular season, they avenge the loss in the Big 12 championship—miraculously giving the Big 12 two bids in the playoff. The best-looking team in the Big 12 the whole year finishes at the top, with a decent seed to show for it.
#9 Ole Miss 11-1
The lack of a “signature win,” not playing championship weekend, and simply not passing the eye test leaves Lane Kiffin fuming at a nine seed. Trouble in Oxford after the season wraps up?
#10 Oklahoma 10-2
Losses to Texas and Ole Miss loom large. Alabama win saves the season and gets them in over teams like 10-2 Oregon and ACC runner-up Louisville.
#11 Texas Tech 11-2
Dominance over opponents, BYU regular season win, and Utah win in Salt Lake barely gives Tech the edge over Oregon as well.
#12 Memphis 12-1
Group of 5 auto-bid. Unranked in first CFP poll, and the nation will be furious. Memphis doesn’t have a player to carry them/for people to root for a la Ashton Jeanty on Boise State last year.
