College Football HQ

College GameDay makes bold College Football Playoff game predictions

The guys on College GameDay present their final predictions for college football's most consequential first round playoff games today.
James Parks|
The guys on ESPN's College GameDay lock in their predictions for the first round College Football Playoff games today.
The guys on ESPN's College GameDay lock in their predictions for the first round College Football Playoff games today. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Texas A&M AggiesMiami (FL) HurricanesOle Miss RebelsTulane Green WaveOregon DucksJames Madison Dukes

ESPN’s most popular college football program hit the road again this weekend, as College GameDay planted its flag in SEC country on the site of a first-round College Football Playoff game kicking off around the country today, and now the boys have locked in their final predictions.

Texas A&M welcomes Miami to boisterous Kyle Field in the first round of the 2025 playoff, but other matchups include Ole Miss hosting Tulane and Oregon at home against James Madison.

Alabama did their part on Friday night, coming back from an early 17-0 deficit to defeat Oklahoma by 10 points, booking a date against No. 1 seed Indiana in the Rose Bowl.

College GameDay was joined by former Texas A&M basketball star Alex Caruso to get a preview of college football’s most consequential games kicking off today.

College GameDay makes College Football Playoff predictions

Joined by guest picker Alex Caruso, here is who Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, Pat McAfee, and Kirk Herbstreit are picking today

Montana at Montana State

Desmond Howard: Montana State
Nick Saban: Montana State
Pat McAfee: Montana
Alex Caruso: Montana State
Kirk Herbstreit: Montana State

Tulane at Ole Miss

Howard: Ole Miss
Saban: Ole Miss
McAfee: Ole Miss
Caruso: Tulane
Herbstreit: Ole Miss

James Madison at Oregon

Howard: Oregon
Saban: Oregon
McAfee: Oregon
Caruso: Oregon
Herbstreit: Oregon

Miami at Texas A&M

Howard: Miami
Saban: Miami
Herbstreit: Texas A&M
Caruso: Texas A&M
McAfee: Texas A&M

College GameDay locations in 2025

ESPN and College GameDay were on site for the most consequential conference championship event of the season, as Georgia and Alabama faced off for the SEC title.

True home teams have dominated with College GameDay in town this season, with those schools enjoying a 10-4 overall advantage so far in the 2025 campaign. Good news for the Aggies?

Championship Week: Atlanta Ga. for the SEC Championship Game... Georgia def. Alabama, 28-7

Week 14: Ann Arbor, Mich... Ohio State def. Michigan, 27-9

Week 13: Eugene, Ore... Oregon def. USC, 42-27

Week 12: Pittsburgh, Pa... Notre Dame def. Pittsburgh, 37-15

Week 11: Lubbock, Tex... Texas Tech def. BYU, 29-7

Week 10: Salt Lake City, Utah... Utah def. Cincinnati, 45-14

Week 9: Nashville, Tenn... Vanderbilt def. Missouri, 17-10

Week 8: Athens, Ga... Georgia def. Ole Miss, 43-35

Week 7: Eugene, Ore... Indiana def. Oregon, 30-20

Week 6: Tuscaloosa, Ala... Alabama def. Vanderbilt, 30-14

Week 5: State College, Pa... Oregon def. Penn State, 30-24

Week 4: Miami, Fla... Miami def. Florida, 26-7

Week 3: Knoxville, Tenn... Georgia def. Tennessee, 44-41

Week 2: Norman, Okla... Oklahoma def. Michigan, 24-12

Week 1: Columbus, Ohio... Ohio State def. Texas, 14-7

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James Parks
JAMES PARKS

James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He has covered football for a decade, previously managing several team sites and publishing national content for 247Sports.com for five years. His work has also been published on CBSSports.com. He founded College Football HQ in 2020, and the site joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022 and the On SI network in 2024.

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