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Kirk Herbstreit unveils his 2019 CFB Playoff picks
Kirk Herbstreit has predicted the 2020 College Football Playoff...
247sports.com
One of the most respected voices in college football media, Kirk Herbstreit, has submitted his picks for which teams he believes will get to the College Football Playoff in 2019.
In his 2019 preseason Herbie Awards on ESPN, Herbstreit has Alabama beating Texas in one of the semifinal game, and he has Clemson beating Ohio State in the other semifinal. In a national championship rematch, and the fifth straight time the two programs have met in the playoff, Herbstreit has the Crimson Tide getting some revenge on the Tigers and capturing Nick Saban’s sixth ring at Alabama.
Herbie’s selection of Alabama and Clemson will come as a surprise to exactly no one. Those two teams are heavy favorites to get in the College Football Playoff once again, and for good reason. Both rosters are bursting at the seams with young four- and five-star talent. In fact, much of that young talent saw action in last year’s playoff. Herbstreit’s other two playoff picks — Texas and Ohio State — will draw a little more argument.
Ohio State is working with a new head coach in Ryan Day and a new quarterback in Justin Fields. Neither has much experience in his respective role, but they both have shown a good amount of promise. The Buckeyes recruited at an elite level under Urban Meyer, so the talent is there for Day to navigate through the Big Ten and get a College Football Playoff bid. As for Texas, Herbstreit has made it clear that he expects big things from the Longhorns this fall. The ESPN analyst is betting on quarterback Sam Ehlinger and the offensive weapons he has around him in 2019.
“I love to go to the Kentucky Derby and I’m a horse racing guy, so I hate the favorite,” Herbstreit said back in July. "So in this case, I'm trying to beat the favorite. Because of that, I see value with Texas at 20/1. With (Sam) Ehlinger coming back, he’s got enough weapons led by Collin Johnson. I think this team can make some noise and there’s very good chance they go to Dallas against Oklahoma undefeated. If they’re able find a way to win it, look out, because Texas can be one of those teams to keep an eye on.”
Vegas certainly seems to agree with Herbstreit’s assessment. Listed at 1-to-5 and 1-to-3 to make the College Football Playoff, respectively, Clemson and Alabama are clearly the biggest favorites. The oddsmakers also consider Ohio State (5-to-2) and Texas (6-to-1) to be contenders for the college football’s top four spots at the end of the season.
Looking back to last year’s preseason Herbie Awards, Herbstreit also picked Alabama and Clemson to make the playoff. Perhaps somewhat unfortunately for fans of the Buckeyes and Longhorns, he also picked Penn State and Washington. Both of those teams found themselves on the outside looking in, but it’s a guessing game and Herbstreit’s is as good as anyone’s.
