We’ve got the College Football Playoff all figured out. Well, we’ll give it our best guess, anyway.
The dog days of summer are the perfect time to cook up our first CFP bracket predictions, but here on “SEC Football Unfiltered,” a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, we arrive at our picks a little differently: It’s a team effort.
Hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams are each responsible for supplying six teams. No overlapping picks. No overriding the other host’s choices. Keep going ’til we hit 12 qualifiers.
The selections begin in a chalky manner, before Adams sprints to pick a Big 12 qualifier so that Toppmeyer won’t pick BYU.
The final count includes four SEC teams and four more from the Big Ten, including a final Big Ten pick from Adams that makes Toppmeyer come unglued.
Here’s how it shakes out:
College Football Playoff picks
Adams selects: Miami
Toppmeyer’s reaction: I like it. We’ve got the ACC covered, with the obvious choice, right out of the gates.
****
Toppmeyer selects: Notre Dame
Adams’ reaction: Good pick. That schedule is tailor-made for playoff qualification.
****
Adams selects: Texas
Toppmeyer’s reaction: A loaded schedule worries me, but I still think it’s a solid choice, considering Texas’ talent.
****
Toppmeyer selects: Oregon
Adams’ reaction: Do I trust Oregon and Dan Lanning after the playoff starts? No. Do I trust them to make the playoff? Yes. A fine choice.
****
Adams selects: Georgia
Toppmeyer’s reaction: Georgia is the safest bet from the SEC. This is Georgia’s best squad since 2023, and the schedule breaks nicely.
****
Toppmeyer selects: Ohio State
Adams’ reaction: This mirrors my pick of Texas — the schedule is a bear, but the team is good enough to handle it.
****
Adams selects: Texas Tech
Toppmeyer’s reaction: I saw you worrying that I’d pick Brigham Young if you didn’t hurry and lock in Big 12 choice. I might’ve done it, too. Without Brendan Sorsby playing for Texas Tech, I think it’s a coin flip between Tech and BYU, but I’m OK with this.
****
Toppmeyer selects: Indiana
Adams’ reaction: Three playoff bids in a row for Indiana? Believe it. Believe in Curt Cignetti.
****
Adams selects: LSU
Toppmeyer’s reaction: I think LSU is going to land in the 9-3 to 10-2 range. Is Sam Leavitt going to be back to form? If he’s healthy and thriving, I feel better about this pick, but any pick is a risk at this stage.
****
Toppmeyer selects: Texas A&M
Adams’ reaction: I was worried you’d pick Alabama. I know you’re higher on the Tide’s CFP chances than I am. Among remaining SEC teams, I like the Aggies best. Solid pick.
****
Adams selects: Southern Cal
Toppmeyer’s reaction: Noooooooo. You blew it! There goes our perfect bracket. This pick shocks me. Actually, no it doesn’t. You got sucked in by USC, once again. Sure, a lot of talent returns, and maybe Gary Patterson will improve the defense, but look at the schedule. It includes: Oregon, Washington, Penn State, Ohio State, Indiana. Too much schedule.
****
Toppmeyer selects: Boise State
Adams: A reasonable pick for our Group of Six qualifier, but what if Oregon steamrolls Boise State in the opener? I might like UNLV as much, if not more, than Boise State.
2026 CFP predictions
- Miami
- Notre Dame
- Texas
- Oregon
- Georgia
- Ohio State
- Texas Tech
- Indiana
- LSU
- Texas A&M
- USC
- Boise State
Where to listen to SEC Football Unfiltered
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. John Adams is the senior sports columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel. Subscribe to the SEC Football Unfiltered podcast, and check out the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Our too-early College Football Playoff predictions with shocking sleeper pick
