College Football Playoff projection starts with obvious choice

AI-assisted summary
• Playoff projection includes five teams from the SEC, reflecting the conference’s depth.
• Big Ten team comes off the board first.
• Last at-large team in? Georgia.

With the first pick in the midseason College Football Playoff draft, I do hereby select . . .

*Wait while the faux suspense builds*

The defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes.

Who else, right?

The undefeated No. 1 Buckeyes possess no apparent weakness, and no ranked opponents remain on their schedule. They’re a slam dunk for the playoff.

On the most recent edition of “SEC Football Unfiltered,” the podcast I host alongside John Adams, we drafted our latest playoff projection.

We do this in tandem, choosing teams back and forth as we fill the bracket. Neither of us can veto the other’s picks.

We wound up with five SEC teams in our bracket, but no SEC team came off the board until the sixth round. That reflects the conference’s reality of being a deep league with a bundle of playoff contenders but no runaway front-runners.

In selecting the teams, we didn’t try to seed the bracket. Instead, we alternated picks choosing teams that we feel most strongly about qualifying for the playoff, while adhering to the playoff’s rules that at least five conference champions must be represented.

Here’s how our draft played out to result in a 12-team bracket:

My first pick: Ohio State

The Buckeyes’ robust defense, ironclad offensive line and wide receiver weaponry should protect them as they progress toward the Big Ten championship game.

John’s first pick: Miami

My thoughts on John’s pick: No argument. The Hurricanes put the hay in the barn early, with wins against Notre Dame, South Florida, Florida and Florida State. They don’t need to win the ACC to qualify. Just don’t collapse.

My second pick: Indiana

The Hoosiers proved themselves with a win at Oregon. They’re physical, athletic and propelled by strong quarterback play from Fernando Mendoza. The schedule becomes friendly, too.

John’s second pick: Texas Tech

My thoughts: Good choice. The Red Raiders are rolling. Put an SEC or Big Ten logo patch on their jersey, and they’d be ranked higher than their No. 8 spot in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll. Expect them to keep winning and keep climbing.

My third pick: Oregon

The loss to Indiana stings, and Oregon is left without a marquee victory thanks to Penn State’s collapse. The schedule is back-ended with games against Southern California and at Washington, but as long as Oregon keeps playing like the Big Ten’s third-best team, it’ll be fine.

John’s third pick: Ole Miss

My thoughts: The Rebels’ insistence on playing tight games every week causes me some unease with this pick, and road games against Georgia and Oklahoma are on tap. They enjoy some breathing room, though, thanks to their undefeated record.

My fourth pick: Alabama

Alabama has three ranked opponents left, but each of those games is at Bryant-Denny Stadium, where Kalen DeBoer hasn’t lost. The Crimson Tide show little resemblance to the team that flopped in Week 1 against Florida State. They look more like the SEC’s best team.

John’s fourth pick: Texas A&M

My thoughts: If Texas A&M wore Alabama jerseys, I’d breathe more easily. As it is, the Aggies’ history of shortcomings looms large. They’re undefeated but have road games remaining against LSU, Missouri and Texas, all ranked teams. Probably as safe as any pick at this point, though.

My fifth pick: Notre Dame

If Notre Dame beats Southern Cal at home this weekend, drop the blue and gold confetti. The Irish are in the playoff. Never mind the close losses to Miami and Texas A&M, because the schedule is cake after this weekend, and the committee is not going to omit a 10-2 Irish team.

John’s fifth pick: Tennessee

My thoughts: Tennessee’s defense makes me nervous. In three games against SEC opponents, it has allowed 36.3 points per game. Tennessee stands two losses away from a knockout, and Alabama is on deck.

My sixth pick: Georgia

One-loss Georgia’s dominance is long gone, but it usually finds a way to prevail. The win at Tennessee helps the résumé, but land mines remain. Not a foolproof pick, by any stretch.

John’s sixth pick: South Florida

My thoughts: A fine choice. We needed a Group of Five qualifier, and USF has looked as good as any team from this level. We’ll learn more in two weeks when USF plays at undefeated Memphis.

Our collaborative playoff projection at midseason: Ohio State, Miami, Indiana, Texas Tech, Oregon, Ole Miss, Alabama, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Georgia and South Florida.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.