Scarlet and Game
Fansided

Ohio State Football: 2019 CFB season predictions

By Peter Burtnett

PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: The National Championship Trophy presented by Dr. Pepper is seen on the field prior to the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2015 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: The National Championship Trophy presented by Dr. Pepper is seen on the field prior to the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2015 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 7
Next
BALTIMORE, MD – OCTOBER 15: Head Coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens reacts to a call during the first quarter against the Chicago Bears at M&T Bank Stadium on October 15, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – OCTOBER 15: Head Coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens reacts to a call during the first quarter against the Chicago Bears at M&T Bank Stadium on October 15, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /

Once the conference games have been played and the dust has settled Clemson will be the clear number one. If my projections are correct, Alabama would be a clear No. 2.

But will the committee respect Ohio State’s resume, or push Oklahoma all the way up from sixth?

Would they keep LSU at 4, and leave Oklahoma in the dry because of a tougher strength of schedule? Here is my projected top 10 in 2019’s final CFP poll, along with the criteria given on the official CFP website and some key match-ups for each team:

  • Championships won
  • Strength of schedule
  • Head-to-head competition (if it occurred)
  • Comparative outcomes of common opponents [COCO](without inserting margin of victory)

(For comparative outcomes, I will use only the team listed compared to the significant teams around it; COCO and CC only listed for top six teams)

2019 Final CFP Top 10:

1. Clemson Tigers (13-0)

  • Conference Championship (CC) = ACC
  • SOS: 56th
  • Head-to-head Top 10: Win vs. #10 Texas A&M
  • COCO: Texas A&M (Alabama) Win, South Carolina (Alabama) Win
  • Key Matchups: Texas A&M, @ Syracuse, FSU, @ NC State, @ South Carolina

2. Alabama Crimson Tide (12-1)

  • CC = SEC
  • SOS: 20th
  • H-to-H Top 10: Loss @ #10 Texas A&M, Win vs. #4 LSU, Win vs. #5 Georgia
  • COCO: Texas A&M (Clemson) Loss, South Carolina (Clemson) Win
  • Key Matchups: @ Texas A&M, LSU, @ Auburn

3. Ohio State Buckeyes (12-1)

  • CC = Big Ten
  • SOS: 26th
  • H-to-H Top 10: Win @ #7 Michigan
  • COCO: none
  • Key Matchups: Cincinnati, @ Nebraska, Michigan State, @ Northwestern (Fri.), Wisconsin, Penn State, @ Michigan

4. LSU Tigers (11-1)

  • CC = NO (T-1st SEC West, lost tiebreaker to Alabama)
  • SOS: 10th
  • H-to-H Top 10: Loss @ #2 Alabama, Win vs. #8 Florida, Win vs. #10 Texas A&M
  • COCO: Texas (Oklahoma) Win, Florida (Georgia) Win, Texas A&M (Georgia) Win, Auburn (Georgia) Win, Vanderbilt (Georgia) Win, Alabama (Georgia) Loss
  • Key Matchups: @ Texas, Florida, @ Mississippi State, @ Alabama, Texas A&M

5. Georgia Bulldogs (11-2)

  • CC = NO (Won SEC East)
  • SOS: 5th
  • H-to-H Top 10: Loss vs. #2 Alabama, Loss vs. #10 Texas A&M, Win vs. #8 Florida, Win vs. #9 Notre Dame
  • COCO:  Florida (LSU) Win, Texas A&M (LSU) Win, Auburn (LSU) Win, Vanderbilt (LSU) Win, Alabama (LSU) Loss, Texas A&M (LSU) Loss

6. Oklahoma Sooners (12-1)

  • CC = Big 12
  • SOS: 40th
  • H-to-H Top 10: none
  • COCO: Texas (LSU) Loss
  • Key Matchups: @ UCLA, vs. Texas, @ Baylor, @ Oklahoma State

7. Michigan Wolverines (10-2)

  • SOS: 21st
  • H-to-H Top 10: Loss vs. #3 Ohio State, Win vs. #9 Notre Dame
  • Key Matchups: @ Wisconsin, @ Penn State, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Ohio State

8. Florida Gators (10-2)

  • SOS: 3rd
  • H-to-H Top 10: Loss @ #4 LSU, Loss vs. #5 Georgia
  • Key Matchups: vs. Miami (FL), @ Kentucky, @ LSU, vs. Georgia, FSU

9. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-2)

  • SOS: 51st
  • H-to-H Top 10: Loss @ #5 Georgia, Loss @ #7 Michigan
  • Key Matchups: @ Georgia, Virginia, @ Michigan, Virginia Tech, @ Stanford

10. Texas A&M Aggies (9-3)

  • SOS: 11th
  • H-to-H Top 10: Loss @ #1 Clemson, Loss @ #4 LSU, Win vs. #2 Alabama, Win vs. #5 Georgia
  • Key Matchups: @ Clemson, Alabama, Mississippi State, @ Georgia, @ LSU

LSU and Georgia being ahead of Oklahoma is questionable, but certainly a possibility. If Oklahoma’s one loss is to a 9-3 Texas team, while Georgia loses to Alabama and Texas A&M and LSU to Alabama, then Oklahoma will likely be left in the dark, even if they have one more win and a conference championship.

This would set up a controversial precedent, and LSU could certainly find themselves even higher than Ohio State in the 3 spot.

For 11-25, not much would change from the pre-championship weekend projections, but Oregon would practically swap with Utah (Utah up to #11, Oregon down to #16). The conference championship losers (Virginia, Minnesota, and Baylor) would drop one or two spots for losing to a top 6 team, and Cincinnati would move up a few spots as my projected AAC champion.

For the College Football Playoff and New Years’ Six projections, keep reading to see who will triumph over college football in 2019.

Home/Ohio State Football