Dan Mullen predicts surprise College Football Playoff teams, misses

As the College Football Playoff expands to 12 teams this season, there are sure to be more teams in contention late in the year. It’s part of the new landscape in the sport this season, and Dan Mullen thinks there could be some surprises when the final rankings come out in January.

Mullen started with which teams he thinks could sneak into the field, and he went with two SEC teams. Missouri is sure to be a team to watch this year with its firepower on offense and revamped defense, while Ole Miss made some moves in the transfer portal to make a run.

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Mullen got a first-hand look at Mizzou in Thursday night’s resounding victory over Murray State, which saw the Tigers’ playmakers such as Luther Burden and Theo Wease on full display. As for why he likes Ole Miss, he pointed out the influx of talent Lane Kiffin brought in, headlined by three of the Top 25 players in the On3 Industry Transfer Rankings.

“I got to see one Thursday night with Missouri as a surprise team,” Mullen said at halftime of Oklahoma vs. Temple. “They have offensive firepower. Brady Cook’s throwing to Luther Burden, Theo Wease, some of the best receivers in the country. A talented o-line, they can run the football. But most impressively, the defense. They lost a lot of guys [from] last year to the NFL, but they looked sharp defensively.

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“The other team, Ole Miss. Lane Kiffin’s getting over the hump this year. He’s got his quarterback in Jaxson Dart, he has a lot of talented players. He’s excited about this roster. I think both Missouri and Ole Miss make the playoffs from the SEC.”

Dan Mullen: Alabama, Michigan will miss CFP

Of course, with the expanded rankings, there are more teams that can be on the bubble. Dan Mullen predicted two big names would miss the CFP entirely.

The first was Alabama, which underwent perhaps the highest-profile coaching change in recent memory as Kalen DeBoer succeeded Nick Saban. Mullen noted the caliber of the hire – he thinks DeBoer will be great – but the first year could have just enough bumps in the road to keep the Crimson Tide out of the CFP.

The other surprise miss, according to Mullen, is Michigan. The Wolverines also went through a coaching change after winning the national title, but also saw some serious roster turnover. Combine the two, and Mullen said it means UM could be on the outside looking in during Sherrone Moore’s first season.

“Yeah, it’s not the 5 and 6 left out. You’re looking further down,” Mullen said. “I’m gonna go with one surprise team left out – Alabama. Kalen DeBoer, I think’s an excellent hire. I think he’s gonna do a great job. You already see the transition, I think it’s been very successful. They have a tough schedule, new coach, transition again. I think they get left out.

“The other surprise team? Michigan. Sherrone Moore in his first year, a lot of new faces on that roster. There’s some tough teams in the Big Ten with Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State. I think the defending national champion gets left out of the College Football Playoff.”