It’s the most contentious time of the year as the College Football Playoffs committee arrives on our Tuesday night television to deliver the CFP rankings. Ahead of the first set of rankings, we’ve put together our College Football Playoffs predictions, casting our eyes into our crystal ball and delivering what could be the first “final four” of the 2022 college football season.
Predictions for the College Football Playoffs
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Michigan Wolverines
1) Georgia Bulldogs
Defending your national title has historically been an impossible affair. That task has been made even harder for the Georgia Bulldogs, with a significant chunk of their dominating title-winning team departing for the NFL Draft. Yet, Kirby Smart’s team has been imperious as they make their march to a date with College Football Playoffs destiny.
The Bulldogs are in pole position in the race for the final four in our first College Football Playoffs predictions. Other than a near-miss with Missouri, they’ve swept aside all opponents in dominating fashion.
They’ve won seven of their eight games by a double-digit margin, with a 20+ cushion in all but two games. That includes the opening weekend beatdown of an Oregon team that now sits in the top 10 of the AP Poll.
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With the incredible, physics-defying plays of Brock Bowers, an offensive line that’s paving the way for a national top-10 yards per carry ground game, and a defense that ranks fourth in total defense, second in scoring defense, fourth in rush defense, and top 15 in pass defense, the Bulldogs have certainly passed the dreaded “eye test” to begin as the number one team in College Football Playoffs.
According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Bulldogs are a +200 joint favorite to win the College Football National Championship. Furthermore, they offer odds of -600 to make it to the College Football Playoffs.
2) Tennessee Volunteers
The surprise package of the 2022 college football season, the Tennessee Volunteers enter the College Football Playoffs conversation with an incredibly strong résumé and with an electric and entertaining brand of football that certainly passes the eye test.
Although they sit at number two in our College Football Playoffs predictions, they have a definite candidacy to be the number one ranked team in the nation when the committee announces their first CFP rankings on Tuesday evening.
Let’s start with the eye test. There isn’t a team in the nation that are as entertaining to watch offensively as the Vols right now. Hendon Hooker has come of age, delivering week-in, week-out, Heisman Trophy-worthy performances.
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He wins with his arm, and he wins with his legs — Hooker is leading Tennessee to win after win after win. Wide receiver Jalin Hyatt leads the nation in touchdown receptions, and running back Jabari Small has been immense behind an impactful offensive line.
There’s been nothing more fun than watching Tennessee this season. While they’ve been electric, they’ve also swept aside an array of impressive opposition. It’s not like they’ve curb-stomped eight FCS teams or just destroyed the SEC basement dwellers.
They have a higher-ranked win (Alabama) than any other team in these College Football Playoffs predictions. They also destroyed a currently 15th-ranked LSU team, giving them two top-25 AP Poll wins.
If there’s one knock on the Vols’ College Football Playoffs résumé, it’s the play of their defense through the majority of the season. However, that unit flexed its muscle against Kentucky ahead of its biggest test of the year against Georgia.
With that game looming on the horizon, DraftKings offers odds of +800 for Tennessee to win a national title and -105 to make the College Football Playoffs.
3) Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State missed out on the College Football Playoffs last year, but their destiny is very much in their own hands as they make the final four in our first CFP rankings predictions of the season.
The Buckeyes have been atop Pro Football Network’s College Football Top 25, expertly put together each week by All-American utility man James Fragoza, for several weeks, but their résumé and recent performances aren’t as strong as the two SEC teams.
With the potential QB1 of the 2023 NFL Draft — C.J. Stroud — and a plethora of pass-catching powerhouses led by Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State’s offense is arguably one of the best in the nation.
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They feature in the top 5 nationally for both scoring offense and total offense, with a strong run game acting as the perfect counterfoil to Stroud’s passing game. As a result, they’ve put up 40+ points in all but one game.
That game was the season-opener against a Notre Dame team that has had struggles this season but is playing their best football at the right time for the Buckeyes’ résumé conversation. Meanwhile, they boast a ranked win over Penn State, which will be fresh in the College Football Playoffs committee’s collective craniums.
The dominant nature of the majority of their wins is sure to earn them some respect when the first CFP rankings are announced. While DraftKings doesn’t own a seat at the College Football Playoffs committee table, they remain convinced by Stroud and the Ohio State offense.
The oddsmaker has the Buckeyes as a -650 favorite to make the playoffs and a +200 joint favorite with Georgia to become national champions.
4) Michigan Wolverines
The final team in the final four in our first College Football Playoffs predictions is the Michigan Wolverines. There’s a Nov. 26 date with destiny that will decide which of the two hated Big Ten rivals will go to the College Football Playoffs, but until then, you can make the argument that both deserve their spot in the upper echelons of the first CFP rankings.
Perennially a bridesmaid under Jim Harbaugh, Michigan has kicked on from the success of last season to continue to be a college football force in 2022. In J.J. McCarthy, they appear to have finally found a quarterback that can actually play the position.
Their offensive line is comfortably the best in the nation. Behind it, Blake Corum has emerged as one of the top running backs in the nation and a genuine Heisman Trophy contender.
Despite losing Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo, the defense has been just as solid as it was last season. The result has been a commanding charge to eight consecutive wins. They obliterated their only ranked opponent in Penn State in a performance that could earn them consideration over the Buckeyes when the CFP rankings are announced later today.
However, they haven’t been as dominant as their Big Ten counterpart for the entire season, putting together a one-score win over Maryland and laboring to a 27-14 win over a poor Iowa side.
If they lose to Ohio State, this fourth spot could be inhabited by an undefeated ACC champion in Clemson or even an ascending Oregon team. DraftKings currently has odds on the Tigers at -180 to make the College Football Playoffs at Michigan’s expense.