The only CFB Playoff Prediction that matters
By Ronald Evans
Nick Saban is and isn't in uncharted territory. The former Alabama Football Head Coach knows college football more than anyone else. New for Saban is his TV gig requires hypotheticals, speculation, and predictions; all things Nick Saban spent a coaching career avoiding.
Somewhat ironically Saban will likely be adept at those things he so long hated. And why wouldn't he be; the best other legitimate college football experts don't come close to matching the GOAT's knowledge.
That knowledge was evident again Saturday morning in Dublin. The GameDay crew made their predictions for the CFB Playoff and only two of them predicted the Alabama Crimson Tide will make the 12-team Playoff. The only one with the Crimson Tide higher than the 11-seed was Saban.
The crew used a 14-team prediction to include the first and second teams out. To be fair; Kirk Herbstreit is filled with college football knowledge, but Kirk did not have Alabama in his 14-team prediction. No Alabama football fan can be surprised Desmond Howard also excluded the Crimson Tide in a 12-team field, but Howard did have Alabama as the second team out. Pat McAfee, who may not have fully cleared his head from the day before, slotted the Alabama Crimson Tide as the 11-seed.
No offense intended to Herbstreit who is entititled to his educated, counter-opinion, but Alabama football fans only need to focus on Nick Saban's Playoff prediction.
Nick Saban Alabama Football and 12-Team Playoff Prediction
- 1-seed - Georgia Bulldogs; 2-seed - Ohio State Buckeyes; 3-seed - Florida State Seminoles; 4-seed - Utah Utes
- First Round Games - 5-seed Texas Longhorns vs. 12-seed Liberty Flames; 6-seed Oregon Ducks vs. 11-seed LSU Bengal Tigers; 7-seed Alabama Crimson Tide vs. 10-seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish; 8-seed Ole Miss vs. 9-seed Penn State
- Saban's first team out is Missouri and his second team out is Clemson.
A December home game against Notre Dame would thrill Alabama fans. It would also mean Alabama would not have to play Georgia again until the Semi-Finals.
Saban's prediction is consistent with how he has recently rated teams. He predicted Georgia and Texas would play in the SEC Championship Game. Predicting five SEC teams to make the Playoff field is a bold call by Saban. Herbstreit only picked three.
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UPDATE: Nick Saban missed on FSU being a Playoff contender, but before the game in Ireland, he called Georgia Tech one of the ACC's sleeper teams.