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Who makes the College Football Playoff? ESPN surveyed 42 college football analysts

Michael Wayne Bratton

By Michael Wayne Bratton

Published:

With game week finally here, time is running out to make preseason College Football Playoff predictions. To celebrate the official start of the college football regular season, ESPN has surveyed just about every college football analyst that works for the network to ask their four Playoff teams.

In total, 42 analysts were polled and every single pollster picked Clemson to advance to the Playoff out of the ACC. Alabama received the second most selections, as 39 analysts picked the Crimson Tide to go to the Playoff.

You shouldn’t be all that upset if your team didn’t get a vote, as ESPN did this practice heading into the 2017 season and not a single member picked Georgia to make the Playoff. In addition, only Tom Luginbill, Brad Edwards, Tommy Tuberville, Ivan Maisel, Greg McElroy and Chip Kelly got as many as two selections correct. No member of the poll accurately predicted three teams into the Playoff heading into the 2017 season.

Here’s a breakdown of which analysts voted for SEC teams to make the upcoming College Football Playoff over at ESPN.com:

Voted for Alabama and Georgia

  • Todd McShay
  • Mack Brown
  • Bob Wischusen
  • Brock Huard
  • Olivia Dekker
  • Jake Trotter
  • Chris Cotter
  • Mike Corey
  • Dave Pasch
  • Chris Doering

Voted for Alabama and Auburn

  • Laura Rutledge

Voted for Alabama only

  • Rece Davis
  • Kirk Herbstreit
  • Desmond Howard
  • Sean McDonough
  • Greg McElroy
  • Marty Smith
  • Trevor Matich
  • Heather Dinich
  • Ryan McGee
  • Adnan Virk
  • Emmanuel Acho
  • Mark Schlabach
  • Dan Orlovsky
  • Andrea Adelson
  • Tom Luginbill
  • Andre Ware
  • Cole Cubelic
  • Anish Shroff
  • Rod Gilmore
  • Anthony Becht
  • Mitch Sherman
  • Adam Rittenberg
  • Kyle Bonagura
  • David M. Hale
  • Myron Medcalf
  • Ivan Maisel
  • Alex Scarborough
  • Todd Blackledge

Voted for Georgia only

  • Lee Corso
  • Jon Vilma
  • D.J. Shockley
Michael Wayne Bratton

A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com

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