Out of the teams that made the cut, in my opinion, 4 of them can win it.
1. Miami
2. Oregon
3. Georgia
4. Indiana
Ohio State and Notre Dame both have massively overrated QB’s, Ohio State lost way too much NFL talent on defense, and Notre Dame doesn’t have the offensive firepower to win it all.
Now, let’s narrow it down some more.
Oregon has a history of choking in these games, and this year will be no exception. Dante Moore isn’t that guy. He showed that last year. They also lost both coordinators. That matters a lot more than casual fans understand.
Indiana will still be really good, but Josh Hoover isn’t Mendoza. He will get them far, but not all the way. He doesn’t have the touch on the back shoulder throws that Mendoza has, and he’s way more erratic with the football. Put pressure in his face and he’s gonna commit turnovers. Turnovers get you beat in the playoff. Losing Cooper, Sarratt and 2 thousand-yard RB’s hurts as well. Defense will still be stout, but not stout enough to carry them when Hoover inevitably has a multi-interception game.
Georgia is the one I worry about. Kirby has been there and done that twice, almost made the semifinal last year with an inferior team than the one he’s fielding this year. His defense will be stouter. Stockton is back. Offensive line will be better, running game always seems to be good. Only real question is, do they have legit playmakers at WR? That remains to be seen.
My money is Georgia vs. Miami for all the marbles. If we play a clean game and capitalize on big play opportunities on both sides of the ball, we will take home #6.