Inside Texas Roundtable: Playoff predictions, Heisman winners, other national storylines to watch

College football season arrives in earnest today! The Inside Texas staff provides their playoff predictions, Heisman winners, and answers other questions related to the national college football scene including who is on the hot seat or liable to jump on the carousel

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Which non-Texas game are you most excited about this season?

Eric Nahlin – Washington vs. USC. I think the winner wins the Pac-12 in its final year. Tough road game for Washington but they can win it due to having equal firepower and a potentially good defense.

Justin Wells – Oregon-Texas Tech. I want to see the Ducks put Joey McGuire in his place.

Ian Boyd – Just in Week 1 I’m eager to see Colorado at TCU. I’m not sure anyone should feel confidence in the relative strength of either team and I’m fascinated to see the drama of two likely pretenders squaring off.

Joe Cook – Beginning of year? The upcoming contest between Florida State and LSU. Wish it were in Tallahassee instead of Orlando, but the NFL stadium neutral site is the price we have to pay to see this game. Late in the year, it’s obviously Michigan versus Ohio State, though I am intrigued by Texas Tech and Oregon.

Bobby Burton – I truthfully have not thought much about this. Michigan-Ohio State maybe.

Gerry Hamilton – No. 5 LSU at No. 8 Florida State Sunday. The reason is simple, the top 10 ranked loser of that game faces a very difficult task of getting to the playoff. LSU still has road games against Ole Miss and Alabama of note. FSU still has road games at Clemson, Wake Forest, Pitt and Florida after Sunday. The loser Sunday will not end the regular season with a lone “L.”

Paul Wadlington – Ohio State-Michigan. Jim Harbaugh going three in a row over OSU would be a lot of fun as Buckeye lunatics contemplate firing a coach who is probably 56-7 overall after the L.

Who are your four College Football Playoff teams?

Eric Nahlin – Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, and Texas. Georgia and Michigan are pretty obvious. I think Ohio State will run the table outside of a loss to Michigan. Texas might be able to get in as 10-2 conference champs, but I also like their chances more for an upset in Tuscaloosa depending on the Tide’s QB. I almost went with LSU in place of UT.

Justin Wells – Georgia, Michigan, USC, Clemson

Ian Boyd – Michigan, Georgia, Florida State, USC

Joe Cook – Georgia, Michigan, Florida State, Alabama

Bobby Burton – Michigan, USC, Georgia, Texas

Gerry Hamilton – Michigan, Georgia, Washington and Alabama

Paul Wadlington – Michigan, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State. The Pac-12 cannibalizes itself and I hope voters are smart enough to see through the ACC. Texas has a real shot, but they likely need a 12-1 resume. Penn State has a legitimate road if Drew Allar is actually good and James Franklin will let it loose. Garrett Riley can certainly make Clemson legit if Cade Klubnik is up to speed in a soft ACC. Florida State is interesting in that they have so many good but not great players.

Who is your national champion?

Eric Nahlin – Georgia. Maybe LSU gets them in the SEC Championship game but then they’d still get in the playoffs. They’re beatable in the playoffs but the clear favorite in my estimation.

Justin Wells – Michigan

Ian Boyd – Michigan

Joe Cook – Georgia. I’m picking the plucky underdawg who nobody (at IT) seems to believe in. Michigan is better suited to give them a game this year.

Bobby Burton – Michigan

Gerry Hamilton – Michigan, only because it’s difficult to three peat.

Paul Wadlington – Michigan. Everyone answering Georgia is incredibly boring. Let me me guess, you have four 1 seeds in your Final 4 every year?

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Who will win the Heisman?

Eric Nahlin – Michael Penix Jr. I have Washington winning the Pac-12 so I’ll go with him over Caleb Williams.

Justin Wells – Quinn Ewers

Ian Boyd – I guess given my four it’s either JJ McCarthy or Jordan Travis. FSU will throw more so that makes it Travis.

Joe Cook – If Florida State is making the playoff it’s on the arm of Jordan Travis. Quinn Ewers finishes second. Michael Penix Jr. becomes the victim of #Pac12AfterDark and USC doesn’t do enough on defense late in the year to give Caleb Williams the needed wins.

Bobby Burton – Caleb Williams, USC

Gerry Hamilton – Caleb Williams back-to-back, unless Michael Penix Jr. steals it head-to-head.

Paul Wadlington – Caleb Williams, I guess. The award lost all meaning for me decades ago.

Which CFB program is receiving either too much hype or not enough hype?

Eric Nahlin – With the caveat it could be Texas receiving too much attention, I’ll go with FSU, though I might look stupid as early as Sunday night. I like FSU’s Big 3 on offense but I’m not 100 percent sold on Mike Norvell, though they finished 2022 strong.

Justin Wells – Too much: Texas Tech. Not enough: Utah

Ian Boyd – I think Dabo Swinney‘s Clemson was left out of the fridge too long. That milk is sour.

Joe Cook – I’m not going to say Florida State is getting too much hype because they’re on a Texas-like trajectory and I do think Mike Norvell has that program going in the right direction after the Nole faithful showed a degree of patience. I think it’s Tennessee that’s getting overhyped. We probably see Nico Iamaleava by the end of the year.

Bobby Burton – Too much: Tennessee; Not enough: Texas A&M

Gerry Hamilton – Washington, but I’m talking about head coach Kalen DeBoer. He’s the best college HC that doesn’t the national attention he truly deserves. Three NAIA National Championships (56-1 his last four seasons in NAIA!), got Fresno State to 9-3 in first full year, and then won 11 games at Washington in his first year in Seattle. He’s a tremendous young coach in college football, and the first place Alabama decisions makers should look when Nick Saban retires.

Paul Wadlington – Too much hype: Tennessee, Utah, USC, Colorado, North Carolina, South Carolina. Not enough hype in their respective leagues? Colorado State, South Alabama, Oregon State, UCLA.

Which coach or coaches are you paying attention to when it comes to the hot seat or carousel?

Eric Nahlin – Billy Napier‘s seat is going to be very hot by the end of the year. Outside of extreme circumstances coaches get three years, but the Gator faithful are going to be restless after this season, especially if they experience some de-commitments. The same could go for Brent Venables but OU’s easy schedule could mask deeper issues.

Justin Wells – Jimbo Fisher in College Station. The self-professed bass-fisherman’s seat could be hotter than fish grease in December.

Ian Boyd – Ryan Day, if only because I think Urban Meyer will be wandering down the halls and just staring into his office now and again leading up to The Game against Michigan.

Joe Cook – Jim Harbaugh and Lane Kiffin. Why would Harbaugh stop flirting with the NFL with the NCAA becoming a pest, along with his recent airing of grievances with the direction college football is going, when the NFL is always going to show some degree of interest in him? Kiffin is in the same category. If the NFL comes calling, Ole Miss isn’t going to be a place he decides to stay.

Bobby Burton – Jimbo Fisher

Gerry Hamilton – How long will Nick Saban, Mack Brown and Mike Gundy coach? Those coaches are dominoes that would make for a crazy carousel. Hot seat? West Virginia, Syracuse, Houston, and Baylor if they have a tough season.

Paul Wadlington – Neal Brown and Dana Holgorsen will play for pinks slips Oct 12th. Poor Cal head coach Justin Wilcox will battle a strong top half of the PAC along with his own administration and the city of Berkeley. We should hire him as an analyst immediately. If A&M somehow disappoints again, Jimbo Fisher is in real trouble – depending on the price of crude oil in December. Pay attention to Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith. He has done a terrific job in Corvallis and the Beavers are out in the conference cold. Jeff Traylor is still biding his time for an elite SEC job. One of the few coaches I’d fear at A&M.