The Clemson Insider

The Clemson Insider staff members Robert MacRae, Gavin Oliver, Kaila Burns-Heffner, William Qualkinbush and Gabby Bates go Around the Horn to answer some of the questions surrounding Clemson athletics and college football.

Which four teams will make the College Football Playoff this year?

Robert MacRae – After experiencing the College Football Playoff I can’t wait to get back and I’m sure all Clemson fans are the same. The good news is I believe the Tigers will once again have an undefeated season and make it back to the College Football Playoff. I’ll go further and state that Clemson will win it all this go round. The Tigers will have one of the best offenses ever assembled, another top 15 defense and the top quarterback in the nation.

I’ll have to go with Alabama once again to make the College Football Playoff. Wouldn’t it be nice to get another shot at the Tide in the playoff?

Filling out my final four will be Ohio State and Florida State. That’s right I believe the Noles will get in with their only loss coming to the Tigers. I am not buying the Michigan hype. Ohio State lost a lot to the NFL draft but reload with top talent just like Clemson. All other SEC teams will have two losses and Florida State will just beat out the winner Big 12. If no, I expect Oklahoma to be back which will be great new for the Tigers.

Gavin Oliver – I think both Clemson and Florida State will represent the ACC in the College Football Playoff this season. I also believe Alabama will return despite a loss to LSU (in Baton Rouge) for the first time since 2011. The remaining school was harder for me to pick. Ohio State is one of the favorites, but with Oklahoma on its early season schedule, a late-season trip to Michigan State and a rivalry matchup against a revamped Michigan team to round out the campaign, I can’t see the Buckeyes in the final four. I have my doubts about Michigan State as well after the departure of Connor Cook and the way the Spartans’ season ended in 2015. I think the Pac 12 lacks a clear favorite and, much like last year, will cannibalize itself out of playoff consideration. For me, that leaves Oklahoma. On the back of Heisman candidate Baker Mayfield and a standalone defense in the Big 12, I see the Sooners running through their schedule en route to the Playoff.

William Qualkinbush – Since it’s only July 7th, I’m asking that no one—and I mean, no one—holds me to this prediction. There’s WAY too much time between now and the season for me to assume I won’t talk myself into and out of some other teams in the next few weeks. But in this moment, right now, here’s what I’m thinking:

I can’t think of a single reason why I would assume there will be two teams from the same conference represented in the CFB Playoff, as many seem to think. It hasn’t happened yet, and people are still mad about LSU-Alabama, so I think it would take pretty much a national consensus that two conferences are totally, completely unqualified to be represented in the field by their respective best teams. The Big Ten is tough to figure at the top, but I’ll include Ohio State in my list in spite of its inexperience because I can’t see Urban Meyer missing out two years in a row. Pick against Nick Saban and Alabama at your own peril, and I still might, but I’m not prepared to do that yet. I still see the winner of the Florida State-Clemson game as a team with the inside track to the playoff, and I’m leaning toward the Seminoles at this moment. I’m not convinced there’s an elite squad in the Big 12 and the Pac-12, which takes me to my ace in the hole from last season: Notre Dame. The schedule is pretty easy and the Irish were oh-so-close to the playoff last year. I believe they will get that done in 2016.

Kaila Burns-Heffner – The four teams that I could see making it to the College Football Playoffs are Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma and Notre Dame.

Clemson has all the potential to run the table in 2016 with an offense that is capable of putting up scary amounts of points on the board. If Clemson can come away from the Florida State matchup with a win, the Tigers will be in the playoffs. Florida State will pose a challenge as they are also a team capable of making it to the playoffs, but for them to get in would mean defeating Clemson. FSU, even with a loss at home to Clemson is on the doorstep of the playoffs if they beat Ole Miss in the opener, and then Ole Miss knocks off either LSU, Alabama or both and is also a top 10 team.

Alabama leads the pre-season polls as the defending National Champions, but making it to the playoffs could be difficult while replacing a starting quarterback, dealing with the departure of Derrick Henry and facing LSU on the road. I’m predicting Alabama to make it to the playoffs, but it could also easily be LSU. The Tigers return virtually all of their starters and get to take on Alabama at home. I believe the winner of this game goes to the playoffs if the rest of their respective seasons go accordingly.

Oklahoma will make it to the playoffs again in 2016. Quarterback Baker Mayfield is returning to lead a talented team that should be able to make it through their schedule pretty easily. A tough matchup for the Sooners will be Ohio State – a team that could also be in the playoff conversation. Do I believe that Mayfield should be compared to Deshaun Watson’s quarterback capabilities? Absolutely not. I do not buy that hype after seeing how Clemson was able to shut him down in the Orange Bowl, but Oklahoma returns 7 starters to both sides of the ball including running back Semaje Perine.

This last team is the wildcard. I debated a lot about the final team to make it to the playoffs and found myself looking at Stanford, Ohio State and Notre Dame. All three teams are talented, but Notre Dame stands out as a team that could make it. The only losses the Irish had last season were to Clemson, Stanford and OSU (bowl game), and Notre Dame will not have to face Clemson again. Stanford has one of the best players in college football in Christian McCaffrey, but they have to replace their quarterback. Notre Dame has the play caller spot locked down, returning both DeShone Kizer and Malik Zaire. The Irish also return several other starters lost to injury redshirt early last year. Last season, Notre Dame only lost to Stanford by two points on the road, and the Irish regains home field advantage in 2016. Notre Dame has defeated Stanford in South Bend eight of the nine last times and could be capable of doing it again. Ohio State should have a good season, but an early road trip to Oklahoma could ruin playoff hopes.

Gabby Bates – The four teams that I see making it to the College Football Playoffs are Clemson, Alabama, Michigan and Oklahoma. Having so many threats on offense, including a 2015 Heisman candidate Deshaun Watson as quarterback, is going to make if difficult for any team to go against. As for Alabama, they will reload like they do every year. The only concern for Alabama is how their new defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, who took over Kirby Smart’s job, will adjust to his position.

Michigan, who went 10-3 last season, will come back this season with an even stronger and more physical team under Jim Harbaugh that will put them in the running for the National Championship title. I also believe they will host one of the top defenses in the nation. Despite losing a handful of important players this season, Oklahoma still has some very important talent returning including Baker Mayfield, running back Samaje Perine, and running back Joe MIxon. I see the Sooners being even more explosive on offense this season.