It is the time of the year for optimism. The time when everyone thinks their team has a chance going all the way in college football, but in reality there are probably only eight teams who could actually even make the playoff. I am here to give my thoughts on the teams that are going to make the playoffs.

Alabama is the defending champ coming into this year after beating Georgia in overtime last year in exciting fashion. The best thing that came out that game other than winning a National Championship was the coming out party of true freshman quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Alabama has won five of the last ten national titles in college football, but they always lack a true difference maker at the quarterback position until this year with Tua. They’re still Alabama, so they still have the best coach in college football history in Nick Saban. They still have one of the best defense in the country and an outstanding running back core with Damien Harris and Najee Harris.

Prediction for the season: Alabama will go 11-1 only loss will be to LSU in Death Valley, and will beat Georgia in the SEC title game then go on to lose in the national title game.

Ohio State is coming off 12-2 campaign and a Rose Bowl victory over the USC Trojans. Ohio State is coming in this season with the second best d-line in the country. In about every other year they would be first. The Leader of the d-line is junior Nick Bosa out of St. Thomas Aquinas high school in Florida who is expected by many to be the first pick in the upcoming NFL draft. Ohio State’s offense will be led by first year starter Dwayne Haskins who looks like he going to be a stud. But he is going have help at the running back position in sophomore JK Dobbins and junior Mike Weber. Biggest question mark coming into the upcoming season is how will the team react to the Urban Meyer scandal that happened right before the season.

Prediction for this season: Ohio State will go 11-1; only loss will be to Penn State in Happy Valley, and will go on to beat Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship and then lose first round of the playoff.

Notre Dame is coming off a 10-3 campaign and a Citrus Bowl win over the LSU tigers. This season the Irish are returning 9-11 starters on the defense and are looking like one of the best defenses in the country. Of those returning starters is linebacker Te’von Coney who is coming off a season where he had 116 tackles and proved himself as one of the best. Notre Dame’s biggest concern coming into the season is the red shirt junior quarterback Brandon Wimbush who had a bad season throwing the ball last year, but also accounted for 37 touchdowns.

Prediction for the season: Notre Dame will go a perfect 12-0 with big wins against Virginia Tech and Stanford but will go on to lose in the first round of the playoff.

Clemson is coming off a 12-2 season, but lost to Alabama in the college football playoff. Clemson is coming into the season with the best d-line we have seen in a very long time with Dexter Lawrence, Christian Wilkson, Austin Bryant and Clelin Ferrell. They all are looking like they will either go day 1 or 2 in the upcoming NFL draft. But that is not it. The rich keep getting richer as Clemson got the number one d-lineman coming out of high school in Xavier Thomas who is looking like he is going to be just as good as the other guys.

On offense they have two quarterbacks that are sharing time. They are Kelly Brant and Trever Lawrence. It looks like Kelly Brant is going to win the job, but look out for Trever Lawrence in the future. Lawrence was the number one player in the country coming out of high school last year.

Prediction: Clemson will go a perfect 12-0 in the regular season with big wins over Texas AM and Virginia Tech and will win the ACC championship and go on to be the National Champs!