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SEC Sports
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Despite the Big Ten and Pac-12's decisions to postpone football this fall, thus excluding several heavyweights from the College Football Playoff race, there's hasn't been much change in the national narrative surrounding the 2020 season.
Outside of Ohio State's projected dominance unable to come to fruition, most prognosticators are going with chalk picks in the final four, various combinations of Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma and a fourth team of personal preference. Will we see parity for the first time in years during an unprecedented campaign or will the same title contenders once more prove they're equipped to play for a title?
Outside of talent differential and coaching advantages, schedule favorability plays a vital role in getting to the final four, according to Kirk Herbstreit and the rest of the College GameDay crew during Saturday's first show of the season. With the SEC moving to a 10-game, league-only slate, the road to a berth intensifies for the nation's most competitive league given nationally-ranked showdowns week after week.
Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard and David Pollack revealed their preseason final four picks and national champion during Saturday's first show. Here are those predictions and their thoughts on each selection:
DESMOND HOWARD
The picks: Clemson, Oklahoma, Alabama, Cincinnati
The word: "Cincinnati is my sleeper from the Group of 5. I’ve got Bama winning everything, beating Clemson in the national championship game."
One perceived elite team Howard says could struggle this season is LSU, who replaces more than 75 percent of its starting lineup and its top two assistant coaches following last year's unbeaten run to a national championship.
“LSU is a team that people are high on just because they won the national championship last year, but I think they’re a longshot to make the college football playoff," Howard said. "They lost so many guys. They lost about everybody from that national championship team except Coach O.”
DAVID POLLACK
The picks: Clemson, Georgia, Alabama, Oklahoma
The word: "I do think we’re heading for (Clemson-Alabama) again. I think Bama takes it all as well."
He didn't pick the Gators to make the final four, but Pollack says Florida could be a surprise national title challenger this season.
“I think Florida (is the sleeper),” Pollack said during Saturday's show. “When you look at the new schedule, they didn’t get the worst of it. They don’t play Auburn or Alabama. Coming back from two 10 win seasons back-to-back, and with a huge showdown vs. Georgia, I think their offense is going to be better than it has been. Florida has a real chance … This year, by the way, as we’re talking about schedules I think we’ll see our first two-loss team in the College Football Playoff. Now you bring in teams like Florida and (top teams) in the ACC with one or two losses, they’ll be in the mix.”
LEE CORSO
The picks: Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma, Notre Dame
The word: "Alabama wins it. Rebounds from last year."
During Saturday's show, Corso debuted his new at-home setup for GameDay, complete with cardboard cutouts of his co-horts and a pool lanai in the background.
“Do you see that the crew did a magnificent job,” Corso said on College GameDay. “Two or three days they worked on this thing. A wonderful job to set this up at my house.”
KIRK HERBSTREIT
The picks: Clemson, Alabama, Texas, Florida
The word: "It’s all shenanigans until the championship game. As a floater, I'm picking Florida as a second team coming out the SEC. I've got Trevor Lawrence and Dabo and the boys beating Bama for the national title."
Herbstreit said Miami and North Carolina could be two darkhorses, not only in the ACC, but nationally.
“I try to reach out of the SEC and grab somebody in the ACC,” Herbstreit said. “Everyone’s talking about Notre Dame coming in and of course Clemson. I really think D’Eriq King going over to Miami, with the players he has to work with over there, I just feel Miami has always been missing a quarterback. If the Canes had a quarterback, it makes the defense play better, the offensive line can play better, the running game. Everything can be impacted by a belief in that position.
"It's been since Ken Dorsey in like ‘02, ‘03…(since) Miami has had a quarterback that can really come through for them. I think D'Eriq King coming over from Houston is a guy who can create a lot of juice, a lot of belief so look out for the Canes as a potential surprise in the ACC this year.”
