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FOX Big Noon Kickoff crew makes College Football Playoff predictions with first rankings show approaching

Ryan Williamson

By Ryan Williamson

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On Tuesday, college football fans will be getting something they’ve been waiting quite a while for: the 2020 College Football Playoff rankings.

Whether it was COVID putting the entire sports world on pause in March or the delay of some college football seasons this fall, fans have been salivating for some sense of sports normalcy. They’ll get that on Tuesday as the first College Football Playoff ranking show will air and give us the committee’s top 25.

With that show rapidly approaching, it appears everyone is looking to make their predictions about what these rankings will look like, especially in the all-important top four. Here’s what the FOX Big Noon Kickoff crew had to say.

Looking at the picks, one Big Ten team emerges and that’s Ohio State, to no one’s surprise. The Buckeyes appear in everyone’s top four, ranging anywhere from No. 2 to No. 4.

Alabama at No. 1 appeared to be the obvious choice. The Crimson Tide have smoked just about everyone they face but will likely be tested on Saturday against Auburn in the Iron Bowl.

As for the next three, that’s where the debate gets interesting. Outside of Reggie Bush, the consensus is Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish are sitting unbeaten and might have the best win this season as they defeated Clemson.

No. 3 and No. 4 are where things get wild. There’s Ohio State, which makes sense. As long as the Buckeyes don’t stub their toe the rest of the way, it appears the Big Ten’s chance at being in the top four will revolve around a potential Ohio State-Northwestern Big Ten Championship Game.

Then, there’s Clemson. Though the Tigers fell to Notre Dame, they do have a partial excuse as Clemson was without Trevor Lawrence, who was in COVID protocol at the time. If Clemson can win out and defeat the Fighting Irish in the ACC title game, all bets are off.

The two outliers appear to be Florida and Cincinnati. The Gators look to be the clear-cut favorite to play Alabama in the SEC Championship Game and could really throw a wrench into things if Florida stuns the Crimson Tide.

As for the Bearcats, they’re the darling of 2020 as the unbeaten, non-Power 5 school. It seems unlikely, but in 2020, why not?

Ryan Williamson