Kirk Herbstreit’s College Football Playoff predictions, sleepers, College GameDay at The Masters

ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit foreshadows a lot of drama in the coming weeks of the College Football Playoff rankings and isn’t ready to count out the Pac-12.

The first batch of College Football Playoff rankings will be unveiled on ESPN on Tuesday, Nov. 24. There likely won’t be much drama with Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Clemson the consensus top four teams. The only real drama is what order the teams will come in and if Notre Dame can take the top spot from AP No. 1 Alabama on the strength of their win over then-No. 1 Clemson in double-overtime.

In an effort to put the fans first and give them a voice, Goodyear Playoff Fan Picks have ranked Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson and then Notre Dame in their field.

ESPN’s college football broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit joined me to talk about the Goodyear Playoff Fan picks, how he envisions the top four, the path for BYU and Cincinnati, cautions us not to forget about Oregon in the Pac-12 and his College GameDay experience at The Masters.

https://twitter.com/CollegeGameDay/status/1330164455662030849

Schmidt: The Goodyear playoff fan picks like Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson and Notre Dame in that order. I anticipate we’ll see that same foursome when the first rankings come out on Tuesday, but what order do you think we’ll see them in?

Herbstreit: I always feel like every year since 2014 we’ve been following along with the AP and the coaches poll, and then you start to anticipate what you think the initial rankings that come out from the committee will be. And there always seems to be a curveball, for whatever reason. So I don’t know where it’s going to be. To me, being objective and fair, the results of the Notre Dame-Clemson game really changed things. I would have Bama at one and Notre Dame at two, just because of that win. You have to recognize a win of that magnitude. At the time, Clemson was one, and they beat them. So, I think Notre Dame’s knocking on the door of one more than being at four, because of that win.

Then I would have Ohio State at three, really because they haven’t played a lot of games. They’ve looked great, but I think it’s more of what we anticipated from them and Justin Fields, and they haven’t really let us down as fans, and what they did, and the committee, in their eyes. And then I would have Clemson at four. That’s what I’m expecting to see.

Schmidt: I’m right there with you and that’s what I’m expecting to see too. Looking down the road, if we foreshadow a rematch with Notre Dame and Clemson, Clemson would have Trevor Lawrence back this time. If they lose to Clemson in the ACC Championship Game, do you think that would bump them out of the playoffs?

Herbstreit: If they go and get embarrassed, then I think it leaves the door potentially open. That’s assuming Alabama and Ohio State were to win out, it would potentially leave the door open. If Clemson beats them and it’s a good competitive game, then I think the teams flip. I think Notre Dame drops behind Clemson because of the timing of their loss, but I don’t think that would be enough necessarily to knock them out. I think what you’d see at that point is Notre Dame probably goes to four depending on how Alabama and Ohio State played and finished out.

But to answer your question, now, Notre Dame’s still got some wood to chop, as you know. They’ve still got North Carolina the day after Thanksgiving, which is going to be an interesting test for them. Wake is showing some life. That’s the last game for them at this point, at the end of the year, before the ACC championship. So if they’re able to win out, I think they go into the ACC championship with a real shot. Even if they were to lose a competitive game, I think they would still be in the playoffs.

Schmidt: Who is the team outside the big four with the best chance of getting in?

Herbstreit: Texas A&M is out. More than likely, they’re not going to have a chance if Alabama wins to get to Atlanta [for the SEC Championship Game]. Florida would be the team that would get a chance, and they’re the team that seems to be trending right now with the way Kyle Trask is playing. But remember, they’d have to play Alabama in Atlanta. And again, going by the assumption if Bama were to win, that would knock Florida out. So, the teams that you really would be talking about potentially taking Notre Dame’s place, if they were to lose to Clemson, would be potentially A&M, that didn’t go to their conference championship game. Maybe it’s Cincinnati, maybe BYU, maybe Oregon comes out of the Pac-12.

Schmidt: What would it take for an undefeated Cincinnati or an undefeated BYU to get in this season?

Herbstreit: I think the big thing they’re going to need, it would help them if Notre Dame just won out. If you’re a Cincinnati or BYU fan, you’d love to see Alabama win out, you’d love to see Notre Dame and Ohio State all win out. You are fans of those three teams. What that would do obviously is that would open up the door for a four spot, and Clemson would now be eliminated. Now you would have the debate and the discussion about who could potentially be that fourth team. That’s the easiest path for me, to open the door.

Let’s see what happens in the Pac-12. Let’s see if Oregon, who I did their Stanford game their opening night, they’ve got a lot of firepower. The problem is they’ve only played two games and not a lot of people have seen them two games in. I think you’re going to see them if they keep winning. I think they’re a team no one’s talking about right now that could start to really gain traction and start to go over the top of some teams.

But if Bama, Notre Dame and Ohio State all win out, that’s the best possibility for Cincinnati or BYU. And I think Cincinnati, because of the resume and who they still have to play, UCF this weekend on the road is a tough game for them. Tulsa is all of a sudden a team that’s playing a lot better, and a team in the top 25. So they have a chance against better teams.

BYU may be a better team. I’m really impressed with BYU, not just the quarterback play of Zach Wilson, but the offensive line and defensive line, they just bully people at the line of scrimmage. They’ve got tremendous skill, they’re experienced. Once in awhile BYU has that veteran team. That’s what they have this year.

Wouldn’t that be great if BYU stumbled into a game with an Oregon or Washington or USC? That could really help them. And in this year we’re all just trying to get through, that’s something to put a little asterisk next to, is will BYU get an opportunity down the stretch to play somebody? Because they play this weekend, and then they don’t play again until Dec. 12 and that’s their last game. If in fact, the Pac-12 were to call the AD at BYU and say, “Hey, do you guys want to play this team because they missed out this weekend on their game, are you interested?” all of a sudden, BYU, potentially their stock could really start to go up if they win those games if they get those opportunities.

Schmidt: You and the College GameDay crew have been all over the country and seen some awesome venues, but what was the experience like to be at Augusta National last week for The Masters?

Herbstreit: It was surreal. I’d been there probably the last three or four years just as a patron. And I’m just a big sports junkie myself, and a bit of a traditionalist. So when I go to certain venues as a sports fan, whether it’s the Kentucky Derby, or going to Augusta, you just take a step back just as a spectator and just take it in. That’s my background of just going there.

And I’m not an avid golfer, but I can appreciate a major tournament and a setting like that. And I would walk around and try to watch Tiger, but the gallery that follows him, there are thousands of people. You can’t even really see him. You can see his golf club as it maybe moves up into his swing, but he can’t get close enough. You’re like 80th deep from seeing him. And here we were Friday, and I’m just walking with maybe 20 or 30 other people, and we’re standing right there. We followed him his entire round on Friday. I think he got through 11 or 12 holes. And just to be able to watch him in a major tournament and to be that close and watch every shot that he took was probably the most surreal thing I’ve ever experienced as a sports fan.

And then to cap off our stay there by doing GameDay that morning, I thought our producer Jimmy Gaiero did a really good job with his staff of balancing. Not too much college football, not too much golf; it just felt like the right balance. I was just really proud of the show and what we did there. It was a unique opportunity, and I’m glad we were able to capitalize on it.

XXXX on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020 in Atlanta. (Todd Kirkland/AP Images for Goodyear

XXXX on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020 in Atlanta. (Todd Kirkland/AP Images for Goodyear

XXXX on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020 in Atlanta. (Todd Kirkland/AP Images for Goodyear

The interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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