Week 1 of the 2021 college football season has come and gone. With programs now having at least one game in the books, ESPN updated the “Allstate Playoff Predictor”, which projects which teams are most likely to make the College Football Playoff at the end of the year.
Alabama, Ohio State and Oklahoma rightfully claimed the top three spots in the updated predictions, but controversy began at No. 4. Despite losing to Georgia in Week 1, Clemson slotted in next with a 48 percent chance to make the playoff, while the Bulldogs came fifth at 46 percent.
Unsurprisingly, Paul Finebaum was apoplectic. The SEC Network host couldn’t believe that Clemson came in above Georgia despite losing the head to head match-up over the weekend.
Here’s what Finebaum said about the playoff predictor Thursday on Get Up:
“Georgia and Greeny you know I’m a child of the ’70s… I want what that playoff predictor is smoking, because that is ridiculous. There’s no way to justify that, and Heather laid it out perfectly, is the head to head. It may very well come down to these two schools and there’s not a chance in the world you can go with Clemson over Georgia. Not only head to head, but what the two of them will face the rest of the way. We laid this out earlier in the week and for those who were sleeping on Labor Day I’ll lay it out again, the ACC is terrible. It was a disaster for them and Georgia plays in the SEC and get to play in Florida, they’ll play Alabama and they’ll have a much better resume.”
Georgia narrowly beat Clemson 10-3, with the only touchdown coming on a pick-six, but surely have a better chance than the Tigers at getting into the playoff after Week 1. The Bulldogs have the head-to-head advantage and will have a much more difficult resume having played a tough SEC schedule.
Clemson should waltz through the ACC without being challenged and will likely emerge with an ACC Championship. However, if Georgia gets through the SEC title game undefeated and then loses to Alabama, the selection committee will face a difficult decision.
Luckily for college football fans, that choice won’t be for a few more months, so for now everyone can sit back and watch how the rest of the year plays out.
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