Nick Saban predicts 12-team College Football Playoff field on ESPN College GameDay

The expanded College Football Playoff is coming and it promises plenty of intrigue, not the least of which is seeing which teams some of the top analysts have penciled in with their playoff predictions.

ESPN’s Nick Saban is the latest to provide his picks for this year’s Playoff field and he’s got mostly powerhouses included in the mix.

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Let’s take a look at Saban’s College Football Playoff predictions below, which he released on ESPN’s College GameDay on Saturday, going game-by-game through the playoff field to see what matchups would shake out.

5 Texas vs. 12 Liberty (First Round)

Liberty has mostly been the trendy pick to emerge as the Group of Five champion, and Nick Saban is going with the flow on that one. Led by quarterback Kaidon Salter, the Flames can score with just about anyone in the country. That makes them an intriguing playoff option.

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Texas, on the other hand, would arrive in the playoffs as the likely SEC runner-up based on how the playoffs break down. Quinn Ewers provides the Longhorns with an excellent veteran quarterback to lean on. After reloading the skill positions in the portal, Texas is hoping that’s enough to roll to back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances.

8 Ole Miss vs. 9 Penn State (First Round)

In a potential rematch of last year’s Peach Bowl, Nick Saban’s playoff predictions have the Nittany Lions and Rebels squaring off again. The first game was never really in doubt, as Jaxson Dart and Ole Miss carved up Penn State to the tune of 394 passing yards and three touchdowns.

Of course, both teams have done some retooling since. Ole Miss has reloaded heavily through the transfer portal, while Penn State turned over some of its offensive staff in hopes of sparking things. Should both reach the playoffs it’d probably be fair to say both strategies were effective.

6 Oregon vs. 11 LSU (First Round)

Playing in the new Big Ten, Oregon is viewed as the likely runner-up in the league based on this ranking. And given the addition of transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel and the caliber of talent Dan Lanning has landed at Oregon, the Ducks are a pretty good pick to reach the playoffs.

LSU, on the other hand, is replacing a ton of talent, including Heisman Trophy quarterback Jayden Daniels and a pair of first-round picks at receiver. Can the Tigers take enough of a step forward defensively to make up for the likely step back on offense? Saban seems to think so based on his playoff predictions.

7 Alabama vs. 10 Notre Dame (First Round)

The Crimson Tide are the third-ranked SEC team for Saban, who has already indicated he has Georgia and Texas playing for the SEC title this year. But that should leave the Crimson Tide plenty hungry, a position they found themselves in last year as a bit of an underdog in the title game. There’s no questioning the talent if Kalen DeBoer can get it to mesh.

Notre Dame, on the flip side, brings in a transfer quarterback for the second straight year in Riley Leonard. Can he help the Fighting Irish recover some lost glory and get back to competing for national titles? A redundant question here, as Saban says yes.

4 Utah vs. 5 Texas / 12 Liberty (Quarterfinals)

The new-look Big 12 could be won by a newcomer, with Utah predicted to win the league in their first year, according to Nick Saban’s playoff predictions. The Utes have veteran starting quarterback Cam Rising back and have hit the transfer portal hard to give him some weapons to throw to. Meanwhile, the defense has typically been very stout.

That should make for an interesting matchup against whoever wins the Texas vs. Liberty game. Utah would likely be an underdog against Texas due to the talent discrepancy, while you figure they’d have to be favored over Liberty. Either way it would be a fun quarterfinal matchup.

1 Georgia vs. 8 Ole Miss / 9 Penn State (Quarterfinals)

Georgia the powerhouse is once again the top overall seed, perhaps fueled by last year’s postseason failure and narrow miss on the College Football Playoff. Nick Saban has a healthy respect for the Bulldogs, noting that he’s basically the only one to beat them in two of the last three years.

With Carson Beck back the Bulldogs figure to have one of the SEC’s best passers, and the skill position corps has been completely retooled via the transfer portal this offseason. Can Georgia shake off what happened last year and continue on its juggernaut course? It’s probably a good bet.

3 Florida State vs. 6 Oregon / 11 LSU (Quarterfinals)

One year after the historic playoff snub after an undefeated regular season and an ACC title, Florida State finds itself in the playoffs as the ACC champs, according to Saban. His playoff predictions have the Seminoles making it back in, despite major turnover at quarterback, receiver and the defensive line.

That said, Mike Norvell is a big user of the transfer portal. In comes DJ Uiagalelei at quarterback, as well as a handful of additions from Alabama on offense. Defensively the recruiting has been stellar and there are plenty of experienced veterans back, despite the loss of a few key cogs to the NFL Draft. Don’t expect the Seminoles to go quietly into the night in 2024.

2 Ohio State vs. 7 Alabama / 10 Notre Dame (Quarterfinals)

In perhaps the most intriguing pick of Nick Saban’s playoff predictions, Ohio State comes in as the No. 2 overall seed and the winner of the Big Ten. If that pans out, it’s safe to say that Ryan Day will have significantly cooled any lingering talks about whether his job is safe, having gotten the Michigan weight off his back.

To do so, the Buckeyes will be relying on transfer quarterback Will Howard and a handful of other key transfers, like running back Quinshon Judkins and safety Caleb Downs. The skill positions are once again stacked, so if Ohio State can’t get it done and make the College Football Playoffs it’ll be a disappointing year in 2024.

There you have it, the complete playoff predictions from Nick Saban, the long-time Alabama coaching legend and now ESPN College GameDay star. It’s hard to find too much fault in any of those picks, and what a thrill that 12-team playoff would be.