Kirk Herbstreit releases College Football Playoff Top 4, first 2 out after Week 9

With November nearly upon us, the race toward the College Football Playoff is about to come down to the wire. Now, with only a few weeks to go, Kirk Herbstreit has shared his picks for who would make the cut for him in the final year of the four-team field.

Herbstreit shared his top-six, his four selections and first two out, on Twitter on Sunday. Herbstreit had all of the same six teams that are the top six in the latest AP Poll but flipped No. 1 and No. 2 as he has Michigan above Georgia. Ohio State and Florida State then follow with Washington and Oregon on the outside looking in.

My top 4 AFTER week 9
1a-@UMichFootball (most consistent)
1b-@GeorgiaFootball (best they’ve looked all year)
3-@OhioStateFB (impressive resume and defense)
4-@FSUFootball (Oklahoma loss helps Noles down the road)

Next 2@UW_Football (need to regain their momentum from a couple…

— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) October 29, 2023

1. Michigan Wolverines

Sign-stealing or not, Michigan remained at No. 1 in Herbstreit’s rankings. Being on bye this weekend didn’t hurt their case either as they had no game to lose.

Herbstreit described the Wolverines as the “most consistent” team this season. With them winning their games by almost 35 points per game, winning by almost 40 points a game in their Big Ten contests, and no opponent coming any closer than 24 points of them so far, it’s hard to argue otherwise or question their spot at the top.

2. Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia hasn’t always looked like Georgia this season. Even so, they haven’t necessarily needed to considering the results have stayed very much the same.

After an up-and-down first five games, the two-time defending champions have gone 3-0 with a 38-point win over Kentucky and a 23-point win over Florida – a performance that Herbstreit described as their best all year. It has been more of what many expected and has been important to see based on how the final four games are currently looking for the ‘Dawgs.

3. Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State followed a similar narrative to Georgia with a slower start. Still, since then, it has been pedal to the metal for the Buckeyes over their last five games.

Over the last month or so, Ohio State has picked up a pair of Top-10 wins for their “impressive resume” in Herbstreit’s eyes. Add in the nation’s No. 2 defense with an offense full of weapons and the Buckeyes have proven to be a balanced squad that could accomplish a lot based on what they do in November.

4. Florida State Seminoles

For all the consistency that Michigan has shown, Florida State has made a similar case. They also sit at 8-0 with an average margin of victory of 23.3 points including a margin of 25.8 over their last four following their bye.

As Herbstreit noted, this weekend was also a big one for the Seminole’s playoff hopes with Oklahoma’s loss at Kansas. With each of the Big 12’s top teams having a loss to their name, it makes it more and more likely that the champion in the ACC, which could very much be FSU, would get in over the champion out of the Big 12.

5. Washington Huskies

Washington has admittedly not been as good over the past month. They still have an undefeated record and did pick up a win over Oregon in their last four games. Even so, all four have been within single digits as they only beat Arizona by a touchdown, Arizona State with the help of a pick-six, and Stanford by nine.

Victories are victories but, in order to make and compete in the playoff, it’s going to take the energy that they had over their first four games to get there. That’s why Herbstreit is fascinated to see how they come out in Los Angeles next weekend when they take on No. 24 USC.

6. Oregon Ducks

Oregon is the only team that Herbstreit selected that has a loss this fall. However, that doesn’t make them any less of a threat or contender to make or win the playoff.

The Ducks, who replaced the Sooners on this ranking, have pummeled their competition, with the latest being a 29-point road win against a ranked Utah squad, and could make the case that they would be undefeated if not for some high-risk play calls at Washington. That’s why Herbstreit is as interested in them as he is as he thinks it’s completely up to them whether they make the Pac-12 Championship and College Football Playoff or not.