Week 1 of college football is in the books and fans could not have asked for more. Now there weren't any huge upsets like the one in Week 0 with No. 10 Florida State losing to Georgia Tech, but a full slate of football all day long was just what the doctor ordered.
In Week 1, Georgia came out firing against Clemson in the second half and reminded everyone that they shouldn't be questioned as the best team in the country. West Virginia showed they may not actually have what it takes to win the Big 12 by getting beat down by No. 8 Penn State, and UCF scared fans in the first half with rough quarterback play, but came out and got the job done in the second half.
This season, however, the biggest thing teams are focusing on is the new 12-team College Football Playoff. Each team in the power conferences is working to win their conference championships to get the automatic bid and first round in the playoff along with the next seven best teams and a Group of Five champion.
So here is my prediction on who will make the College Football Playoff after Week 1 of the college football season.
Rank | Team | Why are they here | Previous ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Georgia | SEC champion | 1 |
2 | Ohio State | Big Ten champion | 2 |
3 | Utah | Big 12 champion | 11 |
4 | Miami | ACC champion | N/A |
5 | Oregon | At-large | 3 |
6 | Texas | At-large | 5 |
7 | Alabama | At-large | 7 |
8 | Missouri | At-large | 9 |
9 | Notre Dame | At-large | 10 |
10 | Michigan | At-large | 8 |
11 | Kansas State | At-large | 4 |
12 | Boise State | MW champion | 12 |
There was some movement around the rankings with some teams moving up and others moving down, but the biggest change in this week's prediction is the addition of Miami and Florida State dropping out of the rankings.
After Florida State lost to Georgia Tech in Week 0, the Miami Hurricanes went into the Swamp and Gainesville and handled business against the Florida Gators. Miami is looking like the favorite to now win the ACC and get the automatic bid, but with the state of the ACC, it seems hard to believe more than one team from that conference will make it in.
In the Big 12, Kansas State and Utah switched places in the rankings, but that is because the Utes handled their business a bit better than the Wildcats did in Week 1. Notre Dame also moved up in the rankings after a solid late win over N0. 20 Texas A&M.
Boise State remains in the mix as the highest-ranked Group of Five champion as they also handled their business well in Week 1. The SEC also still has four teams and remains the conference with most teams predicted to be in the playoff.