2017 College Football Playoff preseason predictions

Champion: Alabama Crimson Tide (8 first place votes)

Also receiving first place votes: Ohio State (3), Florida State (1), Penn State (1), Oklahoma (1), USC (1), Auburn (1)

One second was the difference between Nick Saban’s sixth national championship and a runner-up appearance. Deshaun Watson’s pass to Hunter Renfrow with time running out was unlikely the first time. If Saban gets within a second of a national title this year he won’t be denied again.

Alabama is the easy pick to win the College Football Playoff. It’s almost a given that the Crimson Tide will finish on top of the college football landscape once more. However, there’s a reason why they place the games, right? When Saban does falter it tends to happen in spectacular fashion. Another infamous one-second loss came against Auburn in the 2013 SEC Championship Game. Do the words “Kick Six” mean anything to you?

Each of the other College Football Playoff participants earned a championship vote. All four are certainly worthy and once the field of four is set, anything goes. Urban Meyer has proven even the four seed can’t be counted out, even if they do match up against Nick Saban.

There is a lot of football yet to be played and plenty of margin for error in these predictions. Maybe one of the darkhorse teams picked to surprise by the Saturday Blitz staff will make a run and earn themselves a College Football Playoff spot.

Next: Ranking the top 50 players in college football in 2017

What do you think? Is making the case for anyone outside of Alabama a fool’s errand? Or was last season a precursor of things to come. Perhaps the mighty Crimson Tide Dynasty is coming to a close.  Let us know in the comments or on Facebook or Twitter.