ESPN analysts make Clemson predictions for College Football Playoff

Half of ESPN panelists are on board with a Clemson CFP return in the new 12-team Playoff this year.

by TigerNet Staff - Mon Feb 05 08:51:15 GMT-04:00 2024

The start of this week marks more discussions for the future of the expanded College Football Playoff, and ESPN took that opportunity to make some picks for the first 12-team CFP.

While still being formalized, it is expected to have five conference champions and seven at-large teams, with the top four conference champions occupying the top four seeds.

Six ESPN college football analysts made picks for that format, with half of that group picking Clemson to return to the Playoff for the first time since the 2020 season.

Two pick Clemson as high as a No. 3 overall seed, with David Hale and Andrea Adelson. Their predicted CFPs look as follows:

Hale

First-round byes: 1. Georgia, 2. Ohio State, 3. Clemson, 4. Kansas

First-round matchups: 5. Oregon vs. 12. Memphis; 6. Texas vs. 11. USC; 7. Notre Dame vs. 10. Florida State; 8. Alabama vs. 9. Ole Miss

Adelson:

First-round byes: 1. Georgia, 2. Ohio State, 3. Clemson, 4. Arizona

First-round matchups: 5. Oregon vs. 12. Boise State; 6. Ole Miss vs. 11. Florida State; 7. Texas vs. 10. Kansas State; 8. Notre Dame vs. 9. Missouri

Chris Low also picks Clemson in the CFP as a No. 4 seed.

The ACC champs in the non-Clemson CFP outlooks are Florida State (2 picks) and Louisville (1).

All six peg Georgia as the No. 1 overall seed and Ohio State (4 picks) and Oregon (2 picks) fighting over the Big Ten crown and No. 2 overall seed.

The first round of the expanded Playoff will be on the campus of the higher seed, which is something that Low is looking forward to from the new format.

"There's the ambiance that goes along with playing at campus venues -- Clemson running down the hill at Death Valley," Low said, "the giant 'T' opening at Neyland Stadium as the Tennessee players charge onto the field, Washington fans arriving to Husky Stadium by boat and sailgating, Penn State white outs in Happy Valley and the Notre Dame fight song being played with Touchdown Jesus looking down on a cold winter day in South Bend. Granted, it's just one round of on-campus sites. But at least we get one round of real, live college football pageantry."