David Pollack is going out on a limb with his preseason College Football Playoff forecast, and the boldest part of it might not even be his bracket - it’s the team he thinks will finish on top.
On the See Ball Get Ball podcast, the former SEC standout laid out his full 12-team CFP field and pegged Oregon as the No. 4 seed while still picking the Ducks to win the national championship. That would make Oregon the fourth straight different Big Ten program to claim the CFP crown if Pollack’s prediction hits. The Ducks enter the year ranked No. 2 in the preseason coaches poll behind Ohio State, and Pollack still had the Buckeyes in the field as well.
Pollack sounded convinced Oregon’s experienced roster is the difference. "These guys all came back for a reason," said Pollack.
"These are some adults. You're going to leave the Oregon game this year black-and-blue."
He pointed to the Ducks’ physical defense as a major strength, and also noted the return of likely No. 2 NFL Draft pick Dante Moore as a big reason Oregon can bring plenty of offense, too.
His bracket included only three Big Ten teams - Oregon, Indiana and Ohio State - but he loaded up on the SEC with five selections: Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss, Oklahoma and Alabama. The rest of his field featured No. 1 overall seed Notre Dame, projected ACC champion Miami, Big 12 champ Texas Tech and Group of Five pick Boise State.
That Alabama choice could raise a few eyebrows in SEC circles, especially with Texas A&M left out despite being preseason No. 8 and Alabama sitting at No. 11.
Pollack said the Aggies’ offensive line was "a question mark for me" and then explained why he liked the Tide. He called Alabama "not that far removed" from having the best talent in the country and pointed to Kalen DeBoer’s calm style, along with what he described as a preseason chip on DeBoer’s shoulder, as part of the case.
Even with five SEC teams in the bracket, Pollack didn’t have one of them reaching the semifinals. His semifinal matchups were Oregon against Notre Dame and Texas against Indiana. In his projections, Miami and Texas Tech, both top-four seeds, were knocked out in the quarterfinal round.
Pollack also made clear he isn’t just tossing Boise State into the mix for the sake of balance. "I love this team," he said, citing Maddux Madsen’s return at quarterback and the track record of strong programs in Broncos history.
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