College Football Playoff: Top Predictions After Week 1

College soccer is back in action after a warm-up in Week Zero, with Week 1 handing over some interesting video games over the vacation weekend. While it’s still early in the season, and the College Football Playoff rankings are months away, several top teams made strong statements with awesome performances, setting the stage for what could be an exciting race to the playoff spots.

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In Week 1 of college soccer, we saw a combination of familiar faces and sturdy performances. The Georgia Bulldogs, ranked No. 1 inside the AP Top 25, ruled the No. 14 Clemson Tigers with a 34-three victory. Georgia’s quarterback, Carson Beck, threw for 278 yards and touchdowns, even as their protection completely closed down Clemson.

Other top teams also cruised through their matchups. The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes, No. 4 Texas Longhorns, No. 5 Alabama Crimson Tide, and No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels effortlessly defeated their unranked, non-conference fighters. These games had been extra of a warmup, however, they set the tone for what fanatics can assume.

Week 1: Oregon’s Close Win and Top Teams Shine

The No. 3 Oregon Ducks had a more difficult time, starting up slowly toward the Idaho Vandals. Although they eventually won 24-14, it wasn’t as dominant as their previous showings towards FCS groups. While it wasn’t a blowout, Oregon still controlled to stabilize the win and keep their playoff hopes alive.

However, the top six teams in the AP Top 25 had a dominant Week 1, triumphing by way of a combined rating of 301-23. Their strong performances set the tone for the season, as they continue to push toward the College Football Playoff.

Therefore, in the weekend’s top matchup, No. 7 Notre Dame faced No. 20 Texas A&M in a defensive battle. Both teams traded field goals in the first half, and the game remained tight until the end. With less than two minutes to go, Jeremiah Love’s 21-yard touchdown run secured the win for Notre Dame.

Notre Dame’s defense was strong, holding Texas A&M to just 246 total yards, their lowest since last season began. However, love’s touchdown was only his second career score and his first against an FBS team, making it a memorable moment for the Irish.

Other top 20 teams and conference favorites also made strong cases for the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff. No. 19 Miami Hurricanes had a big win, defeating the Florida Gators 41-17. Canes quarterback Cam Ward shined with 385 passing yards and three touchdowns.

No. 8 Penn State Nittany Lions also impressed with their explosive plays in a 34-12 win over West Virginia. They had two scores of 40 or more yards, a big improvement from last season, where they only had 3 such plays.

Top 8 Playoff Picks by Analyst

Remember, the top four conference winners get the top seeds, and a fifth conference winner is guaranteed a spot:

• Andrea Adelson: 1. Georgia 2. Ohio State 3. Miami 4. Kansas State 5. Alabama 6. Texas 7. Notre Dame 8. USC 9. Penn State 10. Ole Miss 11. Missouri 12. Memphis
• Kyle Bonagura: 1. Georgia 2. Ohio State 3. Utah 4. Miami 5. Alabama 6. Texas 7. Notre Dame 8. Oregon 9. Michigan 10. Ole Miss 11. Arizona 12. Boise State
• Bill Connelly: 1. Georgia 2. Penn State 3. Miami 4. Oklahoma State 5. Texas 6. Alabama 7. Notre Dame 8. Ohio State 9. Missouri 10. Ole Miss 11. Oregon 12. Memphis
• David Hale: 1. Georgia 2. Ohio State 3. Miami 4. Kansas 5. Notre Dame 6. Texas 7. Oregon 8. Alabama 9. Penn State 10. Ole Miss 11. Utah 12. Memphis
• Eli Lederman: 1. Georgia 2. Ohio State 3. Miami 4. Kansas State 5. Notre Dame 6. Texas 7. Oregon 8. Penn State 9. Ole Miss 10. Alabama 11. Missouri 12. Memphis
• Chris Low: 1. Georgia 2. Ohio State 3. Miami 4. Utah 5. Alabama 6. Texas 7. Notre Dame 8. Penn State 9. Ole Miss 10. Tennessee 11. Oregon 12. UNLV
• Harry Lyles Jr.: 1. Georgia 2. Ohio State 3. Miami 4. Utah 5. Texas 6. Alabama 7. Notre Dame 8. Penn State 9. Missouri 10. Ole Miss 11. Oregon 12. Memphis
• Ryan McGee: 1. Georgia 2. Ohio State 3. Utah 4. Miami 5. Alabama 6. Texas 7. Notre Dame 8. Oregon 9. NC State 10. Ole Miss 11. Kansas 12. Boise State
• Max Olson: 1. Georgia 2. Ohio State 3. Miami 4. Oklahoma State 5. Alabama 6. Texas 7. Notre Dame 8. Ole Miss 9. Oregon 10. Penn State 11. Utah 12. Boise State