Are Georgia football and Ohio State inevitable? Why you can't ignore a few underdogs
- Georgia football doesn't present as having much weakness, but Bulldogs' schedule is loaded with Texas, Alabama, Ole Miss and Tennessee.
- Ohio State boasts an impressive roster, but Buckeyes will transition to new starting quarterback Will Howard.
- Will Georgia even win the SEC? Texas' arrival makes the conference even tougher.
Either Georgia or Ohio State will be preseason No. 1. But just how heavily are those teams favored to win the national championship?
The SEC will be even more of a juggernaut than usual, following the arrival of Texas and Oklahoma. Georgia's schedule will include games against Clemson, Texas, Alabama, Ole Miss and Tennessee. That's a rugged road before the playoff arrives. Ohio State is loaded but will transition to a new starting quarterback.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams consider this question: If you were predicting the national champion and could either take Georgia and Ohio State or the field, which would you choose?
It's a tough question, because Georgia and Ohio State are deserving frontrunners, but navigating a 12-team playoff presents more potential pitfalls.
TOPPMEYER:Why 12-team College Football Playoff is blessing, curse for Tennessee, Florida, LSU
ADAMS:Looking for a college football dark horse? I've got one.
Here's the analysis:
Toppmeyer: I'd take Georgia and Ohio State. Although I think as many as about 30 teams could be considered preseason playoff hopefuls, I only consider six to be serious national championship contenders: Georgia, Ohio State, Texas, Oregon, Ole Miss and Alabama. My top three champion picks would be Georgia, Texas and Ohio State. So, if you're giving me two of those three, I'm taking that duo over the field. Georgia lacks an obvious weakness. Ohio State will have a new quarterback, but starter Will Howard previously played well for Kansas State. If the Buckeyes are hitting their stride behind Howard come postseason, they're plenty loaded elsewhere. I'd feel more confident in this pick if I could have Georgia and Texas rather than Georgia and Ohio State, but as long as I'm getting Georgia and another top-tier team, I'm taking that over the field.
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Adams: Give me the field. Georgia is really good, and quarterback Carson Beck will be a Heisman Trophy contender. I wouldn't be surprised if the Bulldogs won a national championship. But, I don't think this is Kirby Smart's best squad, and there are other teams I like from the SEC, too, like Ole Miss and Texas. Ohio State doesn't sweeten the pot enough. I don't trust Ryan Day to navigate a 12-team playoff, and I'm made more skeptical of the Buckeyes because of the quarterback transition.
Later in the episode
– A look at John Calipari's quest to build an NCAA Tournament roster in Year 1 at Arkansas. Calipari is considering an unusual strategy as he approaches this season.
Where to listen to SEC Football Unfiltered
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's SEC 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.