Phil Steele reveals his preseason College Football Playoff picks

Phil Steele reveals what four teams he believes will make the College Football Playoff this year.

Phil Steele does not anticipate teams like Cincinnati or Michigan will crash the College Football Playoff party this season.

Steele appeared on The Morning Show with John and Hugh on 92.9 FM The Game in Atlanta on Thursday. His annual College Football Preview magazine has long been the gold standard in the sport. While last season did not play out as expected, Steele expects depth will be a big reason why four usual suspects will end up making the College Football Playoff field this holiday season.

Here is what Steele told John Fricke and Hugh Douglas during his radio hit on Thursday morning.

"“I’ve got Ohio State making the playoff, Alabama making the playoff, Georgia making the playoff and Clemson making the playoff,” said Steele on 92.9 FM The Game. “I think if you look at their rosters overall due to what we just talked about — to your point originally there, John — was the recruiting classes that they brought in over the last five years have really got them the most talented teams.”"

Let’s assess the chances Alabama, Georgia, Clemson and Ohio State make up the four-team field.

Phil Steele projects four usual suspects will make the College Football Playoff

Let’s be real. Any four-team field projection for the 2022 college football season that does not include both Alabama and Ohio State should not be considered. Alabama returns the two best players in the sport in Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Bryce Young, as well as pass-rusher extraordinaire Will Anderson. The Crimson Tide played for the national championship a year ago.

As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes are probably the most likely team to get to the College Football Playoff unscathed. They are the overwhelming favorite to come out of the Big Ten. While Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback C.J. Stroud could be the first player taken in the 2023 NFL Draft, it remains to be seen how good the Buckeyes defense will be under new coordinator Jim Knowles.

Though it is somewhat bold to project two teams from the same conference, Georgia is the defending national champions. The Dawgs could easily get to Atlanta undefeated like they did a season ago. If Georgia’s lone loss on the year once again came in the SEC Championship game to Alabama, there is no way the Selection Committee will keep the Dawgs out. They will be getting in.

Now we get to the always tricky last team in. Steele is right in that Clemson had a down year. The Tigers not being part of the ACC Championship game last season was shocking. Because they have recruited at an SEC level under Dabo Swinney, Clemson probably gets in as a one-loss team if the Tigers win the ACC Championship. There are other teams contending for the last spot as well…

Around the country, keep an eye on marquee teams like national independent Notre Dame and Big 12 contenders like Baylor, Oklahoma or Oklahoma State. Out west, Utah is fantastic, and maybe Lincoln Riley does the improbable to get USC into the big dance in his first season at the helm? Outside of these six, perhaps Michigan State, Texas, Texas A&M and Wisconsin have a shot, too?

It is understandable for Steele to play it safe and go with these four teams to make the playoff.

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