Who Picked Oregon Ducks to Win the CFP on College GameDay?

Breaking down what the hosts of College Football GameDay on ESPN had to say about their predictions for who will win the new 12-team College Football Playoff and if the Oregon Ducks were mentioned as a team to potentially win it all.

Oct 21, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; The ESPN College Gameday crew broadcasts from the field prior to the NCAA football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio Stadium. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

It’s college football week zero and the College Football GameDay show on ESPN is camped out in Dublin, Ireland, for the featured game of the week and season opener as Florida State lost by a field goal to Georgia Tech.

During this highly anticipated broadcast, panelists Pat McAfee, Desmond Howard, Kirk Herbstreit, and new addition former Alabama coach Nick Saban gave their thoughts and predictions on the new 12-team College Football Playoff. Rece Davis, the other panelist, did not officially offer up his playoff prediction bracket.

During the three hour broadcast, the hosts offered up their predictions for which teams could win it all during a season of brand new conferences, coaches, and much more. This new college football playoff format involves the four highest ranked teams taking a bye week, as eight other teams, including one other conference champion, will battle it out to see who advances to play the four highest teams.

The Oregon Ducks, currently ranked No. 3 on the AP Poll entering their first game versus Idaho next week, have long been considered to be a serious contender for the College Football Playoff. During this week zero episode, a few of College GameDay’s analysts agreed with this idea.

College Gameday Hosts Desmond Howard, Kirk Herbstreit, Nick Saban, and Pat McAfee give their thoughts on the College Football Playoff winners with guest picker Sheamus in Dublin, Ireland. Courtesy: ESPN.

Let’s start with the predictions of West Virginia alumnus Pat McAfee. Football fans shouldn’t be surprised McAfee has the Mountaineers as the winner of the Big 12 Conference. His other conference winners include Georgia for the SEC, Ohio State for the Big Ten, Virginia Tech for the ACC, and Boise State as the Group of Five (G5) conference champion out of the Mountain West Conference. He predicted Georgia would win it all. Below are his ordered selections for the playoff rankings.

Pat McAfee’s picks:

1.  Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. West Virginia
4. Virginia Tech
5. Ole Miss
6. Oregon
7. Texas
8. Michigan
9. Florida State
10. Utah
11.  Alabama
12. Boise State

Next, let’s look over the College GameDay newbie and former Alabama coach Nick Saban’s picks. Saban chose his conference winners as Utah for the Big 12 Conference, Georgia for the SEC, Florida State for the ACC (ouch), Ohio State for the Big Ten, and Liberty University as the G5 representative out of Conference USA. He predicted Georgia would win the championship. Below are Saban’s ranking choices for the playoffs.

Nick Saban’s picks:

1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Florida State
4. Utah
5. Texas
6. Oregon
7. Alabama
8. Ole Miss
9. Penn State
10. Notre Dame
11. LSU
12. Liberty

Then, there’s long-time College GameDay panelist Kirk Herbstreit. Herbstreit chose his conference winners as Utah for the Big 12, Georgia for the SEC, Clemson for the ACC, and Ohio State for the Big Ten, with Boise State as the highest G5 winner. He predicted that Oregon would win it all. Here’s Herbstreit’s picks for the playoff rankings.

Kirk Herbstreit’s picks:

1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Clemson
4. Utah
5. Oregon
6. Texas
7. Missouri
8. Penn State
9. Notre Dame
10. Florida State
11. Michigan
12. Boise State

Finally, we get to panelist and former legendary Michigan Wolverine wide receiver: Desmond Howard. His conference champions include Utah as the Big 12 champion, as Oregon as the Big Ten winner, Miami for the ACC, Georgia for the SEC, and Liberty for the Conference USA representing the G5. He chose the Oregon Ducks to win it all in the end. Here’s Howard’s playoff rankings.

Desmond Howard’s picks:

1. Oregon
2. Georgia
3. Miami
4. Utah
5. Texas
6. Ole Miss
7. Ohio State
8. Michigan
9. Oklahoma
10. Clemson
11. Notre Dame
12. Liberty

It should be noted that guest picker and WWE Superstar Sheamus chose the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to win the championship. However, we believe that he had to, as we suspect Sheamus would not have been let back into Ireland if he chose anyone else to win the College Football Playoff. No sweat Sheamus, you do you.

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