Kirk Herbstreit on social media, CFB playoff and new head coaches

Playoff Predictions Plus

As the season kicked off, Kirk Herbstreit made his annual predictions for this year’s College Football Playoff Field – picking Alabama, Ohio State, USC and Florida State as his four playoff participants.

But what if one of those teams falters? What if something happens to prevent one of those playoff picks from winning their conference. We asked Kirk to play “If not…then who?” for his four picks.

In the SEC, if not Alabama, then who? Herbstreit likes the Auburn Tigers. His reason:

“New quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who’s coming over from Baylor, is going to give that offense what they need.”

In the Big Ten, if not Ohio State then who? Herbstreit leaned towards Penn State. His reason:

“I’ll give Penn State the edge because of Trace McSorley and Saquon Barkley.”

Moving out west to the Pac-12, if not USC, then who? Herbstreit pondered a moment before giving the nod to Washington. His reason:

“I think Washington has the best schedule to make a run, and I think they’re ultimately going to get to the Pac-12 championship game.”

Finally, in the ACC, if not Florida State, then who? Herbstreit thinks despite losing so many offensive weapons, Clemson still has a shot. His reason:

“It’s hard for me to say I can see them back, especially as defending champs, but I guess I give Clemson a little bit of a nod over Miami.”

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It will be interesting to see how Herbstreit’s weekly updates on his playoff picks go this season, and if any of this “then who?” teams find their way into this playoff mix.

You can listen to the entire interview with Kirk Herbstreit here.