Matt Leinart picks Texas A&M, USC as potential College Football Playoff surprise teams

Former USC quarterback Matt Leinart joined The Herd with Colin Cowherd the other day — with Cowherd out and Joy Taylor hosting — to talk all things college football as the season draws nearer. As part of his appearance, Taylor asked him which teams he could see winning the College Football Playoff. As well as which teams could make a surprise run to the CFP.

He went chalk with his favorites, saying that, “Alabama and Ohio State are just the top two again,” heading into 2022. However he did note two other schools he believed could surprise folks.

“I think Texas A&M has a shot,” said Leinart. “They had a great year last year. But Jimbo’s done an unbelievable job there.”

He also expressed his excitement about the potential matchup of Alabama and Texas A&M, considering the Aggies won last season and he thinks their team could be even better this fall. Plus, he noted the kerfuffle between Nick Saban and Jiimbo Fisher over the summer, which Leinart called “genuine” because the two SEC head coaches share a long history together. The drama both on and off the field makes Tide vs. Aggies must-watch television in early October.

Lastly, he picked a soon-to-be former Pac-12 power he could see making a run to the CFP. “I think USC has a shot to get to the Playoff, which would be a surprise.” He then added: “But it’s so early, it’s so early to tell. I just can’t wait, man. We’re like two months away.”

USC obviously made some splashy additions over the offseason. Lincoln Riley spurned Oklahoma for the temperate beaches of Los Angeles to coach the Trojans. He took his five-star freshman quarterback, Caleb Williams, with him as well. On3’s No. 1 ranked college football transfer this offseason. They also nabbed 2021 Biletnikoff winner Jordan Addison, the top-ranked receiver in the portal and the No. 2 overall guy. Yep, that’s the top two players in the entire portal headed to USC. So you can see why Matt Leinart is so high on them and their potential as a dark horse.

There’s also the fact that the Trojans are still in the Pac-12, a notoriously weak football league as of late. So there’s a real chance they face little resistance and can finish with a good enough record to make the four-team playoff in December.