Matt Leinart predicts College Football Playoff teams, National Champions

The Fox “Big Noon Kickoff” crew got in on the all-important college football prediction ahead of the season, naming their College Football Playoff fields for the 2023 season. Analyst Matt Leinart didn’t go too wild with his picks, but it’d be an exciting four-team field.

Leinart picked a trio of teams that have already been to the CFP, but only one that was in the field last year. And defending two-time national champion Georgia was not in his four-team field.

He also named a west coast team making the playoff for the first time, setting up an exciting 2023 CFP were Leinart’s picks to bear out.

Michigan

A back-to-back playoff entrant, Michigan is potentially poised for an even bigger year in 2023. Leinart isn’t picking against the Wolverines to once again reign supreme in the Big Ten and land in the four-team College Football Playoff.

With quarterback J.J. McCarthy spending the full offseason as the starter and running backs Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards back, Michigan is loaded on offense. If some transfer on the line stick, it could be another brutally effective rushing attack carrying Michigan to the postseason.

Clemson

A two-year run of missing the CFP after making it six years in a row will end for Clemson, according to Leinart. With Cade Klubnik taking the reins of the offense, Leinart thinks Clemson gets back to playoff form.

This also likely means the Tigers fend off trendy playoff pick and ACC challenger Florida State. Another ACC title and a return to the CFP would be a big boon for Dabo Swinney and Co. in Clemson.

USC

Leinart didn’t hesitate to pick his alma mater to make the College Football Playoff. USC almost made it a year ago, were it not for a shambolic defensive performance against Utah in the Pac-12 title game.

The defensive reinforcements are there, but the jury remains out on the unit as a whole. While Caleb Williams under center, that might not matter, though.

LSU (Champion)

It’s not a surprise that Leinart’s national champion comes from the SEC. It might be a surprise that it is LSU and not the Georgia three-peat many are predicting.

And an LSU trip to the CFP would mean the Tigers likely unseated Alabama for an SEC west title yet again. Not a bad two-year start for Brian Kelly in Baton Rouge to make an SEC title game in Year 1 and follow it up with a national title, should Leinart’s prediction hold true.

There are plenty of teams Leinart didn’t name that could quite easily crash the playoff part. Alabama, Penn State, Ohio State, Washington, Texas, Florida State and a few other teams could have realistic designs on making the four-team CFP field. And soon enough, Leinart’s College Football Playoff prediction will be put to the test.