College Football Playoff picks after Week 1
Travis Etienne runs for his third touchdown of the game as Clemson extends its lead. (0:27)
One thing we know for sure about the College Football Playoff — it’s never too early to start picking which teams should be in the top four.
How will Saturday’s top games affect the College Football Playoff chase? What are the current odds for making the top four? The Allstate Playoff Predictor has the answers.
Throughout the season, our college football writers will pick their top four teams after each week’s action. And Week 1 was very good to the sport’s elite programs.
No. 1 Clemson rolled over ACC rival Georgia Tech 52-14, with Travis Etienne rushing for a career-high 205 yards and three touchdowns, including one for 90 yards.
No. 2 Alabama overcame a sluggish start (the game was scoreless after one quarter) and routed Duke 42-3. Tua Tagovailoa threw for 336 yards and four touchdowns for the Tide.
No. 3 Georgia started the season with a conference road game, and the Bulldogs dominated Vanderbilt in a 30-6 win. D’Andre Swift gained 149 yards on 16 carries, and Brian Herrien added 65 and a touchdown as Georgia rolled up 326 yards rushing.
No. 4 Oklahoma’s new quarterback, Alabama transfer Jalen Hurts, looked right at home on Sunday night in charge of the Sooners’ offense. He passed for three touchdowns and ran for three scores in a 49-31 win over Houston. Hurts finished with 508 total yards, the fifth most in school history.
No. 5 Ohio State also debuted a new starting quarterback in Georgia transfer Justin Fields, who tossed four TD passes in the Buckeyes’ 45-21 win over Florida Atlantic.
Here’s how our writers see the playoff field after Week 1, not their projections about how the season will end.
Andrea Adelson: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Ohio State
Edward Aschoff: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Ohio State; 4. Texas
Kyle Bonagura: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Ohio State
Bill Connelly: 1. Alabama; 2. Clemson; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Georgia
Heather Dinich: 1. Alabama; 2. Oklahoma; 3. Clemson; 4. Ohio State
Sam Khan Jr.: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Georgia
David M. Hale: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Ohio State; 4. Oklahoma
Chris Low: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Georgia
Ivan Maisel: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Utah
Adam Rittenberg: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Georgia
Alex Scarborough: 1. Clemson; 2. Oklahoma; 3. Alabama; 4. Michigan
Tom VanHaaren: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Georgia; 4. Oklahoma