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Thursday, March 28, 2024
<p>Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm (11) throws a pass against Florida in the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)</p>

Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm (11) throws a pass against Florida in the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Let me start off by saying I am no college football expert. I just watch games and form opinions based on what I see, like any other fan of the sport. With that being said, there are less than five weeks left until the field of the College Football Playoff is announced. Here are my picks for which teams will fill those four spots.

No. 1 Seed: Georgia

This is the year another team represents the SEC over Alabama. The Bulldogs have been impressive this season, even in the face of uncertainty earlier in the fall.

True freshman quarterback Jake Fromm was thrown into the fire on offense after sophomore quarterback Jacob Eason went down with a sprained ligament in his left knee. His first game? A 20-19 win against Notre Dame, a team that currently ranks No. 5 in the latest AP poll.

Since that game, Fromm has been dominant, leading Georgia to an undefeated season with huge performances against Mississippi State, Tennessee and Florida. The Bulldogs will also be able to add a quality win when it plays Auburn on Nov. 11.

Not to mention, Georgia has two of the best running backs in the SEC with Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, who have 95.6 and 89.9 yards per game, respectively.

A win against Alabama in the SEC Championship will solidify the Bulldogs’ spot as the No. 1 overall seed in the College Football Playoff.

No. 2 Seed: Ohio State

Before this week, I would’ve put Penn State in this spot. The Nittany Lions have looked strong behind quarterback Trace McSorley all year, including their game against Ohio State, where they were leading 35-20 heading into the fourth quarter.

But on Saturday, the story was J.T. Barrett and the Buckeyes. Barrett completed his last 16 passes of the game, including 13 in the final quarter to complete the comeback. Ohio State scored 19 points in the fourth quarter, including 12 points in the last five minutes of the game of the game.

Ignoring its loss to Oklahoma in Week 2, Ohio State has blown out its opponents by a combined score of 354-115. While Barrett receives a lot of the credit, the weapons around him have helped contribute to the success of the team.

Running back J.K. Dobbins ranks 19th in the NCAA at 107.9 yards per game with five touchdowns. Ohio State also has a deep receiving corps, which features eight players who have at least two touchdowns and three of them have over 300 receiving yards.

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They are playing some of their best football at the moment, and I don’t see the Buckeyes losing another game this season.

No. 3 Seed: Miami

I like what coach Mark Richt has done with the Hurricanes. Not only is Miami undefeated, it has impressive wins to add to its resume.

A win against Florida State for the first time since 2009, a 31-6 drubbing over Duke and a 27-19 victory over Syracuse – a team that handed Clemson its first loss of the season. While Miami still has to play Virginia Tech and Notre Dame this season, wins against those teams could add a few, much-much needed resume-boosting victories to the program.

Receivers Braxton Berrios and Christopher Herndon IV have been viable scoring options on offense, with Berrios amassing 415 yards and six touchdowns and Herndon collecting 331 yards and three touchdowns. And running backs Travis Homer and Mark Walton add a strong running game, combining for 940 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.

While Miami might be a bit more of a stretch to put into the College Football Playoff, a win in the ACC Championship Game over Clemson, if they make it there, would be enough to propel them into the No. 3 spot.

No. 4 Seed: Alabama

This one took a lot of thought, and I think I have a scenario where the College Football Playoff will feature two SEC teams.

Both Georgia and Alabama will enter the SEC Championship game undefeated. It will be extremely close, a game fitting for the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the AP Poll. It will go to overtime, and Georgia will edge out the win after stopping Alabama on the goal line.

Now, Alabama will make a case that it still deserves a spot, after soundly defeating FSU in Week 1 and collecting wins against LSU, Mississippi State and Auburn.

And I believe Alabama will get in.

After eight games, quarterback Jalen Hurts has recorded nine passing touchdowns and six rushing touchdowns. Receiver Calvin Ridley leads the team with 523 receiving yards and Henry Ruggs III leads all receivers with five touchdowns.

Running back Damien Harris has 87.13 rushing yards per game and leads all Crimson Tide players with 10 touchdowns.

Alabama hasn’t done anything to create worry all season, and if the game is close enough, I can see both Alabama and Georgia in the College Football Playoff at the end of the season.

You can follow Jake Dreilinger on Twitter @DreilingerJake, and contact him at jdreilinger@alligator.org.

Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm (11) throws a pass against Florida in the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

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