In landing the fourth and final spot in the 2020 College Football Playoff, Notre Dame earned their second bid in the last three years and denied Texas A&M their first playoff appearance. In doing so, there were zero first-time participants for the first time in the seven-year history of the four-team field.
Eleven different teams have made the playoff, several of whom are in line for a potential return in 2021. If this year’s field isn’t composed entirely of repeat participants, which team will make their first appearance?
This week on High Motor by BetMGM, we made 20 college football predictions for 2021, including predicting the most likely first-time playoff team:
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1. Which under-.500 team from 2020 is most likely to win 10 games in 2021?
Andrew: Kentucky
Chase: Houston
- 2. Which team with a win total of fewer than 6 is most likely to finish in the top ~40?
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3. Which 10-win team won't be THAT good?
Andrew: Washington
Chase: Houston
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4. Which preseason top-10 team is most likely to implode?
Andrew: Notre Dame
Chase: Alabama
- 5. Which coach will be fired first?
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6. Which Power Five program are you most certain will have a new coach in 2022?
Andrew: Syracuse
Chase: USC
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7. Which four teams will make the playoff?
Andrew: Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, and Oregon
Chase: Clemson, Georgia, Iowa State, and Ohio State
RELATED: College Football Playoff odds
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8. What's your favorite win total bet in college football betting?
Andrew: Oregon over 9 wins
Chase: South Carolina under 3.5 wins
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9. What's your favorite non-win total futures bet?
Andrew: Oregon -110 to win the Pac-12 North
Chase: Cincinnati +1100 to make the playoff
RELATED: College football futures odds
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10. Over/Under on 8.5 wins for Notre Dame?
Andrew: Over
Chase: Over
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11. What will be the playoff debate everyone is having during the final weeks of the season?
Andrew: Will a 1-loss Big 12 champion deserve a spot?
Chase: Like every year, is the committee selecting the four best teams or the four most deserving teams?
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12. Who's the most likely first-time playoff team?
Andrew: Iowa State
Chase: Iowa State
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13. Who will be the top three G5 teams, in order, in the final playoff rankings?
Andrew: Cincinnati, Louisiana, and Nevada
Chase: Cincinnati, Louisiana, and Toledo
- 14. Who will win Big 12 Coach of the Year?
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15. Who's the most likely conference champion from this group: UCLA, Iowa, Miami, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Houston, Kent State, FAU, San Diego State, or Troy?
Andrew: Kent State
Chase: FAU
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16. What will be the three best divisions in 2021?
Andrew: SEC West, Big Ten East, and SEC East
Chase: SEC West, Big Ten East, and ACC Coastal
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17. Will there be zero playoff stakes in the Clemson-Georgia game?
Andrew: No
Chase: Yes
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18. What will be the most shocking Week 1 upset?
Andrew: Florida State over Notre Dame
Chase: UCLA over LSU
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19. What's your favorite Week 1 bet?
Andrew: Wisconsin -4.5 vs. Penn State
Chase: Louisiana +9.5 at Texas
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20. What will be the game of the year?
Andrew: Cincinnati at Notre Dame
Chase: Cincinnati at Notre Dame
Listen to the entire podcast episode below (or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere else podcasts are available):
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