CFP top 4 predictions from Kirk Herbstreit to Paul Finebaum and more ahead of first poll
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CFP top 4 predictions from Kirk Herbstreit to Paul Finebaum and more ahead of first poll

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The College Football Playoff poll debuts Tuesday, Nov. 1, and most can agree on who the top three teams in the country will be.

The order in which they are ranked, however, is a different matter altogether.

There are a number of factors the CFP committee looks at when calculating the results of the poll.

  • Strength of schedule
  • Conference championships (when decided)
  • Head-to-head
  • Results vs. common opponents
  • Results vs. ranked opponents

“I think it will be Georgia,” CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm told me on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 in Mobile on Tuesday. “You got Georgia, Ohio State and Tennessee. I think you can reasonably order those team anyway you like, but I think the committee’s gonna go with Georgia.”

Tennessee’s win over Alabama will score big with the committee, he said, but the Vols haven’t dominated opponents like Ohio State. The Buckeyes, however, suffer – in comparison – because of their schedule.

“Ohio State’s schedule hasn’t been as good as the other two, but they are killing everybody.”

It will certainly be resume vs. eye test for the committee.

“It’s what flavor do you like and what this committee is going to favor.”

SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum, who likes Ohio State at No. 1, said his top 4 will look different than what the committee reveals Tuesday night.

“I think the committee will go with Tennessee (at No. 1) for this reason: They have the best win in the country,” Finebaum said on “Get Up.” “That speaks for itself with the win two weeks ago in Knoxville over Alabama. After that, I think you can mix it up any way you want.”

Here is a sampling of predictions:

Jerry Palm, CBS Sports

  1. Georgia
  2. Ohio State
  3. Tennessee
  4. TCU

Paul Finebaum, SEC Network

  1. Ohio State
  2. Georgia
  3. Tennessee
  4. Michigan

Greg McElroy, ESPN

  1. Tennessee
  2. Ohio State
  3. Michigan
  4. Georgia

Heather Dinich, ESPN

  1. Ohio State
  2. Georgia
  3. Tennessee
  4. Michigan

Dennis Dodd, CBS Sports

  1. Ohio State
  2. Tennessee
  3. Georgia
  4. TCU

Kirk Herbstreit, ESPN

  1. Tennessee
  2. Ohio State
  3. Georgia
  4. Michigan

Mark Heim is a sports reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim.