Josh Pate predicts which 12 teams will make College Football Playoff
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Josh Pate’s picks for the College Football Playoff are in, and there are some interesting selections to his 12-team bracket.
We’ll start with the top 4: Penn State, Alabama, Texas, and Oregon. That obviously assumes Drew Allar carrying on his success from 2024 and Arch Manning living up to the hype at Texas. Pate also sees Alabama making it back to the Playoff after missing out in Kalen DeBoer’s first season and Oregon returning for back-to-back seasons.
What about the others? Clemson is in as a 5 seed, according to Pate. The Tigers will face 12th-seeded Boise State in his bracket. Ohio State, meanwhile, is his 7th seed, facing 10th-seeded Arizona State.
The other first-round matchups are quite intriguing. Pate has Nebraska making the Playoff for the first time in program history, as an 11 seed facing Notre Dame. He also not only has Georgia returning to the Playoff, but has them facing what would be a first-time Playoff participant in Florida in Gainesville in an 8-9 matchup. Clearly, Pate is predicting the Cocktail Party to end all Cocktail Parties in the postseason.
Here’s the full list:
1. Penn State
2. Alabama
3. Texas
4. Oregon
5. Clemson
6. Notre Dame
7. Ohio State
8. Florida
9. Georgia
10. Arizona State
11. Nebraska
12. Boise State
The SEC and Big Ten are projected to send 4 teams each to the Playoff in Pate’s bracket. The ACC, Big 12, and Mountain West each have one team represented.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
