College Football Playoff picks after Week 2
Joe Burrow tosses four touchdown passes, including two in the fourth quarter, as LSU wins in Austin 45-38. (2:22)
Week 2 of the college football season seemed to separate the elite teams fighting for spots in the College Football Playoff from the rest of the field.
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. Check back every week as the odds are updated following that week’s games.
Throughout the season, our college football writers will pick their top four teams after each week’s action. And this week, only five programs received votes.
No. 1 Clemson dominated against No. 12 Texas A&M, defeating the Aggies 24-10. Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence passed for a touchdown and ran for another.
No. 2 Alabama rolled over New Mexico State 62-10. There was no sluggish start for the Crimson Tide in Week 2, as they took a 38-0 lead into halftime.
No. 4 Oklahoma got another big game from QB Jalen Hurts, as the Sooners breezed to a 70-14 victory over South Dakota.
Justin Fields was again the star for No. 5 Ohio State, passing for two scores and running for two more as the Buckeyes blanked Cincinnati 42-0.
And No. 6 LSU showed it could win a big game on the road, outscoring No. 9 Texas 45-38. Joe Burrow passed for 471 yards and four touchdowns to lead LSU.
Here’s how our writers see the playoff field after Week 2, not their projections about how the season will end.
Andrea Adelson: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Oklahoma; 4. LSU
Edward Aschoff: 1. Clemson; 2. LSU; 3. Alabama; 4. Ohio State
Kyle Bonagura: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Ohio State
Bill Connelly: 1. Alabama; 2. Clemson; 3. LSU; 4. Oklahoma
Heather Dinich: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. LSU; 4. Oklahoma
Sam Khan Jr.: 1. LSU; 2. Clemson; 3. Alabama; 4. Oklahoma
Chris Low: 1. LSU; 2. Clemson; 3. Alabama; 4. Oklahoma
Ivan Maisel: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Ohio State
Ryan McGee: 1. Clemson; 2. LSU; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Alabama
Adam Rittenberg: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. LSU; 4. Ohio State
Alex Scarborough: 1. Clemson; 2. Oklahoma; 3. Alabama; 4. Ohio State
Tom VanHaaren: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Ohio State