College football league pictures: Alabama, Michigan, Georgia, Cincinnati; plus six New Year’s picks

College Football Qualifiers matches will be announced on Sunday, but Sporting News is giving its best guess for now on how those final tie-ups will look in 2021.

The weekend championship conference got rocked. 3 Alabama beat No. 1 Georgia 41-24 in the SEC championship match, which means the two could meet in a rematch in the College Rugby Round. The Crimson Tide will hit the playoffs for a seventh time, and the Bulldogs will follow based on a dominant unbeaten season.

9 Baylor defeated Oklahoma State 5 with a score of 21-16 in the Big 12 championship game, opening the way for No. 4 Cincinnati to become the first Pot 5 school to make it to the four-team playoffs. The Bearcats drew Houston with a score of 35-20 and played impressively in the second half. They also have a head-to-head victory over No. 6 Notre Dame as an insurance. Who knew Cincinnati would be certain?

No. 2 Michigan took care of business against No. 13 Iowa with a resounding 42-3 victory in the Big Ten championship game. The Wolveines will also be in the playoffs for the first time after breaking the Big Ten championship drought that has lasted since 2004.

That leaves a pretty clear playoff picture, even if seeding is the subject of debate.

SEX: ‘Underdog’ Alabama, Bryce Young rout UGA

With that, here are SN’s final CFP predictions for 2021:

Four in a college football league match

1. Alabama (12-1)

Alabama beat Georgia 41-24 in the SEC championship game in the eighth conference championship under the lead of Nick Saban. Midfielder Bryce Young overcame 421 yards and had a total of 4 TDs, while Jameson Williams had 7 catches at 184 yards and 2 TDs. The Crimson Tide is the #1 seed in the CFP rankings, and they won the national championship from that spot last year. There may be a little debate for the top spot, but the Crimson Tide will be at the top for a seventh national championship under Saban.

2. Michigan (12-1)

Michigan wasn’t emotionally down after the win over Ohio State. The Wolverines took advantage of first-half big play against Iowa in the Big Ten championship game. Blake Corum scored on the 67-yard TD run and Donovan Edwards threw a 75-yard TD pass to Roman Wilson in a trick. The defense did the rest in a 42-3 win. Michigan has a case of the number 1 seed, but Alabama will find it difficult to top if it wins against Georgia. However, Jim Harbaugh brought the Wolverines back to the big stage once again.

3. Georgia (12-1)

Georgia’s defense, with 6.8 points per game in the regular season, couldn’t slow Young and the Crimson Tide. That could open up some debate about the Bulldogs’ position and whether Notre Dame is worth considering. The problem is that the Irish haven’t played in a conference championship game, and the Bulldogs are the best team so far in the regular season. Georgia has three wins in the Top 25 with a loss to Alabama considered No. 1. Kirby Smart will bring the Bulldogs back in the playoffs for the second time.

THAN: Smart still believes in Bennett

4. Cincinnati (13-0)

Bearcats will make history. Cincinnati took a one-point lead at half-time against Houston in the American Athletic Conference championship game with an impressive 35-20 victory. The parallel of Desmond Ridder and Jerome Ford on the big stage. Ridder over 190 yards and three times TD. Ford scored 79 and 42 yards respectively, for a total of 187 yards. The defense locked down the Cougars in the second half, and Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell didn’t take the Notre Dame job. There’s no reason to knock this Group of 5 school out of the playoffs, and they’ll have a chance to prove it against an SEC powerhouse.

Four ra

5. Notre Dame Cathedral (January 11)

The Irishman has had a pretty good week off the pitch. Brian Kelly is out. Marcus Freeman attended. Notre Dame will likely miss the College Football game because of the loss to Cincinnati. The Irish have won the last six games by an average of 27.3 points per game, but the lack of a conference championship game can be argued as usual. Notre Dame will now settle for a six-berth New Year’s Day, potentially against the ACC champion.

SEX: ND selection right with the coach of the players

6. Baylor (11-2)

Baylor won the Big 12 championship and eliminated the conference from the playoffs at the same time. The Bears’ stands secured a 21-16 win over Oklahoma State in the Big 12 championship game, and that knocked out the Cowboys two losses. Back-up midfielder Blake Sharpen passed 180 yards and three TDs, and the defense had four interceptions. Baylor can build on that with sophomore coach Dave Aranda at the Sugar Bowl.

7. Ohio State (10-2)

The Buckeyes are one of the best cases for an eight-team playoff. Ohio State did not play in the Big Ten championship game and had two losses against the top 25 teams in Oregon and Michigan. Ohio State averages 45.5 points per game, and quarterback CJ Stroud is a good choice to reach the finals of the Heisman Trophy. However, the Buckeyes do not have a reasonable route into the four-team playoffs under sophomore coach Ryan Day and will likely have to settle for a Rose Bowl landing.

8. Ole Miss (10-2)

Lane Kiffin worked wonders in his second season with the Rebels with the help of Matt Corral, who raced for 3,333 yards with 20 TDs and 4 interceptions, while also adding 506 yards of javelin and 4. TD. Ole Miss has had a 2-1 record against top opponents this season, and the 10-match season is indicative of a rapid rebuilding under Kiffin. Rebels are likely to land in the Six Bowl on New Year’s Day with this resume.

THAN: Kiffin signs contract extension with Ole Miss

New Year’s Day Predictions

College football match prediction