NCAAF · 1 year ago

College Football Playoff Bracket Picks: Predicting All 11 CFP Games

Zack Cook

Host · Writer

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No. 1 Oregon vs No. 2 Georgia
Talk about the storylines we'd get for this one. A former member of Kirby Smart's staff in Dan Lanning takes on his former squad that he won a national title with. The storybook ending writes itself. Lanning captures his first national championship as head coach.

Pick: Oregon Ducks, National Champions

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No. 10 Indiana vs No. 7 Notre Dame
Besides a horrendous showing against Northern Illinois, Notre Dame has had a very consistent season. Even if the same is true for Indiana, I trust the defense of the Fighting Irish more here at home.

Pick: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

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No. 11 SMU vs No. 6 Penn State
It's been a nice story to see SMU find success this year as the runner up in the ACC. The Penn State Nittany Lions have advantages all over the football field, and I think that shows up early and often here.

Pick: Penn State Nittany Lions
No. 12 Clemson vs No. 5 Texas
The consensus here is that the Texas Longhorns will steamroll the Clemson Tigers. Although I don't envision a crazy blowout, the Longhorns defense will ultimately be too much for the Tigers to handle.

Pick: Texas Longhorns
No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State
Out of the entire 11 games, this one might be the one giving me the most pause. The Tennessee Volunteers looked strong down the stretch, while the Ohio State Buckeyes dropped a mentally taxing game against Michigan. I see this playing out one of two ways. Either the Buckeyes talent comes on full display at home and they blow out Tennessee, or the mental hurdles for Ohio State are too much to overcome. Right now, I lean the latter.

Pick: Tennessee Volunteers
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No. 1 Oregon vs No. 9 Tennessee
If the Volunteers get by the Buckeyes, they'll have their hands full with a rested Oregon team. This won't be an easy one for the Ducks, but they ultimately prevail on the backs of their overall consistency this year.

Pick: Oregon Ducks
No. 4 Arizona State vs No. 5 Texas
It's not that we don't want to give the Sun Devils their flowers. It's more so that the Sun Devils haven't quite faced a team that has the caliber of players that Texas does.

Pick: Texas Longhorns
No. 2 Georgia vs No. 7 Notre Dame
As much as having a mobile quarterback has given the Bulldogs trouble this season, I think Georgia can do enough in this spot to advance. No one prepares better in these big spots than Kirby Smart.

Pick: Georgia Bulldogs
No. 3 Boise State vs No. 6 Penn State
Even though the Boise State Broncos kept their game tight against Oregon earlier this season, I don't think they belong in the cream of the crop with the top Big Ten schools. They can happily prove me wrong, but I have reservations about that happening.

Pick: Penn State Nittany Lions
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No. 1 Oregon vs No. 5 Texas
What a matchup this would be. The explosive elements that the Ducks have on offense ultimately make the different in a tightly contested battle over the Longhorns. Texas falls short for the second year in a row.

Pick: Oregon Ducks
No. 2 Georgia vs No. 6 Penn State
I think Penn State has a lot of similar qualities to their team that Georgia has. In saying that, the Bulldogs are a little bit better in those areas, and that ultimately makes the difference.

Pick: Georgia Bulldogs
No. 1 Oregon vs No. 2 Georgia
Talk about the storylines we'd get for this one. A former member of Kirby Smart's staff in Dan Lanning takes on his former squad that he won a national title with. The storybook ending writes itself. Lanning captures his first national championship as head coach.

Pick: Oregon Ducks, National Champions

Stay ahead of the game and elevate your sports betting experience with SportsGrid.
No. 10 Indiana vs No. 7 Notre Dame
Besides a horrendous showing against Northern Illinois, Notre Dame has had a very consistent season. Even if the same is true for Indiana, I trust the defense of the Fighting Irish more here at home.

Pick: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

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Jun 20 9:10 PM

SpreadMoneyTotal

PIT

-1.5

-220

O 10.5

COL

+1.5

+184

U 10.5

Jun 20 10:05 PM

SpreadMoneyTotal

LAA

+1.5

+138

O 9.5

ATH

-1.5

-164

U 9.5

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