Week 1 is in the books, and there have already been multiple games that had major College Football Playoff implications. There were three different matchups between top 10 teams, so that means that three squads with CFP hopes already have losses. With the playoff expanded to 12 teams, it's okay to suffer an early season loss, but for a team like Notre Dame, another loss could end its CFP hopes. It was an important week to begin the season, and it's time to take a look at our Week 2 College Football Playoff predictions:
1. LSU
After taking down Clemson on the road, LSU is our top overall team in this week's College Football Playoff predictions. The Tigers looked impressive going into a daunting environment, and it looks like this could be Brian Kelly's best team since coming to Baton Rouge. Right now, they look are our SEC winner.
2. Ohio State
Our Big Ten winner right now is Ohio State, who knocked off No. 1 Texas at home. It was an incredibly impressive performance from the defense, and the Buckeyes are more like a 1B team than No. 2.
3. Penn State
Remember, the byes don't go to the four highest-ranked conference champs anymore. Right now, we're going with Ohio State to win the Big Ten, but Penn State is going to be one of the best teams in the country. The Nittany Lions will end up securing a bye.
4. Clemson
Clemson missed out on a marquee win in Week 1 with LSU coming to town, but the Tigers have a pretty easy schedule the rest of the way. They don't play Miami in the regular season, but Florida State is looking like a much tougher matchup after beating Alabama. The Tigers are still our pick to win the ACC for now.
5. Texas
Texas lost on the road against Ohio State, but the Longhorns will be fine. Arch Manning missed a lot of easy throws that could've changed the game, and they still had a chance to force overtime at the end on the road against the No. 3 team in the country. Texas will be alright.
6. Oregon
Dante Moore passed his first test of the season, but things will get more challenging this weekend against Oklahoma State. We will learn a lot about both teams this weekend.
7. Miami
The Hurricanes picked up a huge win against Notre Dame at home over the weekend, but Miami's schedule is a little bit tougher than Clemson's. They look like the best two teams in the ACC, and a clash in the title game would be a lot of fun.
8. Georgia
Coming in at No. 8 on our Week 2 College Football Playoff predictions is Georgia. Gunner Stockton played well in Week 1 against Marshall, but the schedule will get much more difficult for the Bulldogs. We need to see Stockton and Georgia take on a better team to really get a good idea about how good this squad is.
9. Notre Dame
Notre Dame went down on the road against Miami, but the Fighting Irish should be okay. Quarterback CJ Carr looked good, but he needs his offensive line to be much better. One more loss for Notre Dame could end the team's CFP hopes.
10. Michigan
True freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood looked terrific in his debut, and if Michigan can take down Oklahoma this weekend, their CFP chances will skyrocket.
11. Texas Tech
Texas Tech is still our predicted winner in the Big 12. It's too early to get a good idea of who the real contenders in the conference are, but the Red Raiders looked good in Week 1 as they put up 67 points against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
12. USF
The final team in our Week 2 College Football Playoff predictions is USF. One Group of Five team will make the College Football Playoff, and USF is the front-runner right now after an impressive showing against No. 25 Boise State. This week, the Bulls will hit the road to take on Florida. They don't need a win, but getting one would obviously be massive.
Quarterfinal predictions: 1 LSU vs. 8 Georgia, 2 Ohio State vs. 10 Michigan, 3. Penn State vs. 6 Oregon, 4. Clemson vs. 5. Texas
Semifinal predictions: 1 LSU vs. 5. Texas, 10 Michigan vs. 3. Penn State
CFP National Championship prediction: 1 LSU vs. 3 Penn State
College Football Playoff champ: 1 LSU
Before the season started, these predictions looked a lot different. We originally had Clemson winning it all, but LSU's Week 1 win on the road changed a lot. It's only been a week, and there have already been a lot of changes in these predictions. We'll see if Week 2 brings more shifts. With some big matchups going down involving teams in the field, that will likely be the case.
