CBS Sports experts predict College Football Playoff field, 2022 national champions

CBS Sports college football analysts got together and predicted the College Football Playoff field ahead of the 2022 season, as well as the national champions. That includes Dennis Dodd, Tom Fornelli, Chip Patterson, Barrett Sallee, Shehan Jeyarajah, David Cobb, and Jerry Palm.

Dennis Dodd

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia
4. Utah
5. Michigan
6. Baylor

Tom Fornelli

1. Ohio State
2. Alabama
3. Georgia
4. Michigan
5. Clemson
6. Oklahoma

Chip Patterson

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia
4. Clemson
5. Michigan
6. Utah

Barrett Sallee

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Clemson
4. Utah
5. Georgia
6. Baylor

Shehan Jeyarajah

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia
4. Utah
5. Clemson
6. Baylor

David Cobb

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Clemson
4. Oklahoma
5. Utah
6. Georgia

Jerry Palm

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia
4. Oklahoma
5. Texas A&M
6. Michigan

No one made any surprising or bold predictions for their College Football Playoff choices. Absolutely everyone chose Alabama and Ohio State as their first and second seed in whatever order that person chose. Only four other teams get any votes to be in the Playoff.

Of note, David Cobb and Barrett Sallee both chose Georgia to miss the College Football Playoff after winning the national championship last season. They must be expecting turnover on the defensive side of the ball to be too much for the Bulldogs to overcome.

The College Football Playoff national champions

Ultimately, there were only two different teams that CBS experts think will win the College Football Playoff national championship. The first, which was picked by Cobb, Dodd, Fornelli, Palm, and Jeyarajah, is the Alabama Crimson Tide.

“With reigning Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young back at quarterback and CBS Sports Preseason Player of the Year Will Anderson Jr. anchoring the defense, the Tide are an easy pick to finish the job and win the national title,” writes Cobb.

The other team, which was chosen to win the national championship, was Ohio State. It was only Patterson and Sallee who chose the Buckeyes to win the College Football Playoff national championship.

“The advantage created by scheme will pair with the existing talent advantage Ohio State carries into almost every matchup, creating a perfect compliment to that high-powered, Stroud-led offense. This is not a controversial pick as Ohio State is clearly one of the two or three top selections on the board, but what has me choosing the Buckeyes over the Tide or a repeat from the Georgia Bulldogs is considering the lessons learned by a team that took its first regular season losses of the Ryan Day era last season.”