NCAAF 2020 Playoffs Rankings Predictions & Expert Analysis

NCAAF 2020 Playoffs Rankings Predictions & Expert Analysis

Written by on December 7, 2020

Okay MyBookie college football betting nation, with only two weeks of regular season action remaining in the 2020 regular season, a handful of teams head into Week 15 with some legitimate College Football Playoff hopes.

In addition to the four teams currently on pace to reach the CFP, at least three other teams still have realistic chances to reach the CFP, even if those opportunities vary for each playoff hopeful. With that said, it’s time to make some expert College Football Playoff projections on just which four teams will reach the CFP so you can bet against their NCAAF odds.

College Football Playoff Rankings Predictions

No. 1 Alabama (9-0)

With two games remaining, the top-ranked Crimson Tide are virtually assured of reaching the CFP. Alabama hits the road to take on mediocre Arkansas on Saturday and will then battle sixth-ranked Florida in the SEC Championship game on Dec. 19. Even if the Tide lose to the one-loss Gators, Alabama will still be one of four teams to reach the College Football Playoff.

No. 2 Notre Dame (10-0)

Notre Dame took care of business by taking down Syracuse 45-21 on Saturday to keep its CFP hopes intact. Senior quarterback Ian Book tossed three TD passes and ran for two more to record the 30th win of his career to become the winningest quarterback in school history. Notre Dame faces Clemson in the ACC Championship game on Dec. 19 and even if they do lose to the Tigers after beating Clemson 47-40 earlier this season, unless it’s a blowout of epic proportions, I think the Fighting Irish will still get in. If Notre Dame gets crushed, their loss could open the door for No. 5 Texas A&M.

No. 3 Ohio State (5-0)

The Buckeyes finally got back on the field on Saturday for the first time since beating then, 10th-ranked Indiana back on Nov. 21. Ohio State gave its CFP hopes a big boost by routing Michigan State 52-12 as quarterback quarterback Justin Fields threw two TD passes while rushing for two more scores.

The Buckeyes need to play Michigan on Saturday in order to become eligible to play in the Big Ten championship game while keeping their CFP hopes alive. However, recent reports say that the Big Ten is considering removing the six-game threshold rule it would take for Ohio State to play in the conference championship and that means the Buckeyes are almost assured of being one of the final four teams standing – if they can avoid getting upset by the mediocre Wolverines.

No. 4 Clemson (9-1)

The fourth-ranked Tigers reached the ACC Championship game by man-handling Virginia Tech in the second half of its 45-10 blowout win on Saturday. Trevor Lawrence and company outscored the Hokies 28-0 in the second half and will look to extract some revenge against No. 2 Notre Dame for their 47-40 double overtime loss on Nov. 7. This time around, Clemson will have their superstar quarterback back on the field after Lawrence was forced to miss the previous meeting because of a positive COVID-19 test result.

If Clemson wins and wins big, then the Irish could be in danger of missing the CFP. However, if Clemson loses, then I believe the Tigers will certainly be left on the outside looking in come playoff time. Still, I like Clemson to get the huge, regular-season ending win on Dec. 19. The outcome of this matchup will determine which, if any, of the teams outside of the national top four, gets in.

No. 5 Texas A&M (7-1)

The Aggies kept their playoff hopes intact by man-handling Auburn 31-20 on Saturday as Kellen Mond passed for two touchdowns and ran for another while running back Isaiah Spiller rushed for 120 yards. Texas A&M has a pair of remaining home games against Ole Miss on Saturday and Tennessee on Dec. 19. If the Aggies win both, they’ll have a shot, seeing as how either Notre Dame or Clemson are assured of suffering one more loss. Texas A&M needs some help, but it could happen!

No. 6 Florida (8-1)

I actually like sixth-ranked Florida’s chances of reaching the CFP a bit more than Texas A&M’s, even though the Gators suffered a narrow 41-38 loss to the Aggies on Oct. 10. If Florida avoids the upset loss against LSU on Saturday – and stuns top-ranked Alabama in the SEC Championship game on Dec. 19, I can see Florida leap-frogging Texas A&M for the fourth and final spot in the CFP.

No. 7 Cincinnati (8-0)

Cincinnati had a bye on Saturday after squeaking past Central Florida 36-33 in Week 13. The Bearcats have two games remaining at Temple on Saturday and at Tulsa, but i don’t think it matters if Cincy runs the table at this point. There’s no way Cincinnati jumps past Texas A&M or Florida if the Aggies win out and Florida puts up a real fight in the SEC title game against Alabama.

Predictions

In the end, I’m going with Alabama to get the No. 1 seed unless they suffer an embarrassing loss to Florida in the SEC Championship game, which, just isn’t going to happen (although a high-scoring shootout might). I like currently, fourth-ranked Clemson to get the No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff by beating Notre Dame in the ACC Championship.

I still like the Irish to get in, likely, as the No. 4 seed – unless they get completely overpowered by Clemson. Ohio State also gets in as the No. 3 seed, although I’m not impressed with the Buckeyes number of games played this season – or their narrow win over Indiana. As it stands right now, the top four teams in the College Football Playoff rankings remains the same – unless we see a massive upset.


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