David Pollack names favorite to win college football national championship

The former ESPN analyst predicts this program will win it all this year and in the process, make program history.

College football analyst David Pollack believes a Big Ten powerhouse will win this year's national championship and create some school history in the process. | Kirsten Fiscus/Advertiser via Imagn Content Services, LLC

The field is officially set for the 12-team College Football Playoff. After a chaotic championship weekend shuffled the rankings, the bracket is locked in with first-round games scheduled to kick off Friday, Dec. 19. With the path to Miami Gardens now visible, analysts are racing to predict who will hoist the trophy in January.

Former Georgia Bulldogs linebacker turned analyst David Pollack joined Yahoo Sports Daily on Tuesday to break down the postseason landscape. The college football personality identified only four programs he believes possess the roster strength to survive the expanded tournament format and compete for a title. His shortlist includes three teams from the Big Ten and one from the SEC.

Despite a recent shakeup in the rankings that saw a new No. 1 seed emerge, Pollack remains confident in the reigning titleholders. He predicted the defending national champions would recover from their conference title-game stumble and secure back-to-back crowns for the first time in school history.

David Pollack predicts College Football Playoff winner

Pollack made it clear that the Ohio State Buckeyes are his pick to win the national championship. Even after dropping the No. 1 seed following a loss to the Indiana Hoosiers, the analyst believes the roster talent in Columbus is simply too overwhelming for the rest of the field to match. He specifically pointed to the depth of offensive skill players available to head coach Ryan Day.

"If you asked me to pick, I would take Ohio State," Pollack said. "I think Ohio State in their combination of weapons at receiver, man, like they've got two first round picks at wide receiver. They've got Julian Sayin."

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receivers Jeremiah Smith (4) and Carnell Tate (17) have combined for 128 receptions for 1,924 yards and 20 touchdowns this season. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Buckeyes feature a lethal passing attack led by sophomore quarterback Julian Sayin and the receiver tandem of Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. While the offense has occasionally struggled in the red zone, the unit is paired with a defense that led the nation in points allowed per game. Pollack acknowledged that the road to a repeat title will be difficult but views the tournament as a four-horse race.

"So if you ask me to pick, I think there's four teams that could win it," Pollack said. "There's only four teams in the bracket that I would say, yes, they can win it. And Georgia, Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon. Those are the four teams, which if you're counting, that's three Big Ten teams."

.@davidpollack47 predicts Ohio State will defend its CFP title 🔮

(via Yahoo Sports Daily) pic.twitter.com/vFYIwwx5Pr

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) December 16, 2025

Ohio State enters the playoff as the No. 2 seed after falling 13-10 to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game. The loss highlighted issues with red-zone execution, but the team still has one of the most complete rosters in the sport. They will look to regroup during the bye week before beginning their title defense.

The Buckeyes will play their Cotton Bowl quarterfinal matchup on Dec. 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN against the first-round winner between the Miami Hurricanes and Texas A&M Aggies.