Urban Meyer reveals College Football Playoff picks

ARLINGTON, TX - JANUARY 12: Head Coach Urban Meyer (R) of the Ohio State Buckeyes shakes hands with Head coach Mark Helfrich (L) of the Oregon Ducks after the College Football Playoff National Championship Game at AT&T Stadium on January 12, 2015 in Arlington, Texas. The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Oregon Ducks 42 to 20. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - JANUARY 12: Head Coach Urban Meyer (R) of the Ohio State Buckeyes shakes hands with Head coach Mark Helfrich (L) of the Oregon Ducks after the College Football Playoff National Championship Game at AT&T Stadium on January 12, 2015 in Arlington, Texas. The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Oregon Ducks 42 to 20. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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Former Ohio State and Florida head coach Urban Meyer unveiled his picks for this year’s College Football Playoff field, with one very notable exclusion.

Former Ohio State Buckeyes and Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer revealed his picks for the College Football Playoff’s 2020 field over the weekend, sticking with the field in picking Clemson as the national champ but selecting Notre Dame over Alabama as one of his top four teams.

Meyer was the only analyst not to predict that the Crimson Tide would return to the College Football Playoff in 2020, and the vote of confidence in the Fighting Irish is somewhat puzzling considering their prior struggles in the playoff and track record against high-end competition.

While Clemson and Florida were both unanimous picks, Meyer’s choice to take two ACC teams rather than two from the SEC, as Pat Smith points out, is a curious one. Outside of the Tigers, the ACC pales in comparison, and Georgia, Alabama, and Florida all have legitimate cases as playoff picks.

Urban Meyer is high on the ACC

Although Meyer seems likely to be on point with his national title pick, his predictions may not seem feasible to dedicated college football fans. Reggie Bush also made an odd choice, predicting that Oklahoma State would take the fourth slot, but Matt Leinart and Brady Quinn both made more realistic choices.

While it remains to be seen how the college football season unfolds with major conferences kicking off on Saturday, the usual suspects like Clemson and Alabama figure to be competitive once again. The Gators also seem like a potential candidate for their first College Football Playoff appearance, with the panel unanimously selecting them as a playoff team.

The ACC and Big 12 start to play on Saturday, but SEC fans will have to wait another two weeks to watch their teams play. Alabama kicks off against Missouri on September 26 while Florida opens against Ole Miss.

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