There are plenty of familiar faces and a few long shots when predicting this year’s College Football Playoff national champion.
THE FAVORITES
Alabama (13-2, 7-1 SEC)
Nothing seems to slow down Nick Saban, who, despite turning 71 this year, has Alabama back in position for another run at an SEC Championship and a national championship.
While the Crimson Tide suffered through the typical roster attrition with seven players selected in the 2022 NFL draft, the team returns QB Bryce Young, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, and DL Will Anderson Jr.
— They said it: “We’ve had some great impact players, but never one on offense, one on defense, of the caliber that these guys have been able to play on a consistent basis.” — Saban on Young and Anderson.
Ohio State (11-2, 8-1 Big Ten)
Ohio State is 34-4 in the three-plus seasons under coach Ryan Day with all four losses coming against teams ranked in the top 10.
QB C.J. Stroud (4,435 yards passing, 44 TDs) is back after a record-setting season, as is WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (1,606 yards) and RB TreVeyon Henderson (1,248 yards). The defense underwent an overhaul, with Jim Knowles leaving Oklahoma State to take over as defensive coordinator.
— They said it: “C.J. has always had very good leadership skills. He’s always had a voice. Once you go on the field and you show credibility that you can do it, you walk a little differently and guys look at you through a different lens.” — Day on Stroud’s development.
Georgia (14-1, 8-0 SEC)
Georgia captured its first national title since 1980 with an impressive 33-18 win over Alabama. If the Bulldogs hope to become the first school to win back-to-back titles since Alabama (2011-12), they’ll need another stellar season out of their defense.
There was an NFL-record 15 Georgia players selected in this year’s draft, including eight from the defensive side led by DE Travon Walker and DL Jordan Davis. The Bulldogs return the least amount of production from their defense in the SEC, but a deep recruiting base should help alleviate some of those concerns.
— They said it: “People ask the question, ‘How does it feel to be hunted?’ We will not be hunted at the University of Georgia. I can promise you that. The hunting we do will be from us going the other direction. We’re not going to sit back and be passive about.” — Georgia coach Kirby Smart
Clemson (10-3, 6-2 ACC)
For the first time under coach Dabo Swinney, the Tigers underwent massive changes to the coaching staff, losing his offensive (Tony Elliott) and defensive (Brent Venables) coordinators.
The offense took a massive step back with quarterback DJ Uiagalelei struggling in his first season as a starter. The defensive front may be one of the best in the ACC, with all-conference standouts in Xavier Thomas, Bryan Bresee, Tyler Davis and Myles Murphy.
— They said it: “Being a starter for a whole season instead of just playing starter for two games taught me a lot about how to manage it, how to manage everything, how to manage media, manage to go into the preparation of a game.” — Uiagalelei on what he learned from his first season as a starter.
