College Football Playoff 2018: Final Four Predictions After 1st Top-25 Rankings

It is no surprise to see Alabama, Clemson, LSU and Notre Dame in the top four spots of the initial College Football Playoff rankings released on Tuesday.

However, there is a very good chance that one or more of those teams may not be among the top four teams that are in the playoffs at the end of the season.

The LSU Tigers have been one of the best stories in college football to this point in the season. They were not expected to be a top-10 or even top-20 team by many of the preseason college football publications. However, the addition of quarterback Joe Burrow has helped make the Bayou Bengals a dangerous team that competes hard every week and usually comes out on top.

LSU head coach Ed Orgeron has already seen his team register one monumental upset when it beat then-No. 2 Georgia earlier this month.

The 36-16 triumph opened eyes up around the nation, and it provided even more intrigue to this week's matchup with top-ranked Alabama. Many college football observers will say that there is no tougher place for a visiting team to play than Tiger Stadium on a Saturday night, and this is clearly the Crimson Tide's biggest challenge of the season to this point.

Alabama is a huge 14.5-point favorite over LSU, per OddsShark, and that's somewhat difficult to understand considering LSU's 7-1 record and home-field edge.

Alabama is the dominant team in college football and Nick Saban regularly has his team in the role of national title contender. However, the 2018 edition of the Crimson Tide appears to be the most explosive team he has coached, and they regularly light up the scoreboard based on the superb passing of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

It would be a surprise if Alabama didn't beat LSU and even if that happened, it would be a true shock if the Crimson Tide was not involved in the College Football Playoffs.

Clemson also has an excellent chance to hold onto its position as the No. 2 team in the nation. The Tigers are 8-0 and the rest of their schedule in the Atlantic Coast Conference is not overly challenging.

They will play No. 24 Boston College on the road on Nov. 10 and that appears to be the most difficult game on their schedule. However, it would be a major upset if Dabo Swinney's team lost that game or any other on the schedule.

LSU would almost certainly have to beat Alabama to hold onto its position. Even if they do, the Tigers would face another challenge in the SEC title game if they can finish the regular season without another loss.

Notre Dame may have a difficult time holding onto its top-four spot even though it is undefeated at 8-0. The Fighting Irish have tough road games remaining at Northwestern this week and traditional rival USC on Nov. 24. They also face 22nd-ranked Syracuse on Nov. 17.

Even if the Irish win all of those games, Notre Dame has no conference championship game, and that is likely to be a negative when the committee decides the four CFP teams.

However, if fifth-ranked Michigan wins out from this point, Notre Dame should have the edge over the Wolverines since the Fighting Irish beat them in September.

However, teams like No. 7 Oklahoma (7-1), No. 6 Georgia (7-1) and No. 10 Ohio State (7-1) will all have a chance to challenge the Fighting Irish if they win out. Central Florida, ranked 12th in the initial CFP rankings, faces a tough remaining schedule with games against Temple and South Florida to close out the season. However, if the Knights remain undefeated for the second straight season, they will gain quite a bit of support for a spot in the playoff.

Predictions

Alabama and Clemson are almost certain to compete in the College Football Playoff. If Alabama loses to LSU or in the SEC championship game, the Crimson Tide are still going to get in. Clemson makes it in because the Tigers will not lose the rest of the way.

We expect Notre Dame to get involved in a fight for its life Saturday on the road against Northwestern, but Brian Kelly's Fighting Irish will survive that game and also beat Syracuse and USC. The Irish may have to sweat out the final vote, but they will make the CFP for their first time in school history.

The fourth and final position will go to Michigan. The Wolverines have a sensational defense and are allowing just 14.4 points per game while scoring 36.0 points per game.

Michigan has been powerful since losing in Week 1 to Notre Dame, and we expect the Wolverines to win out, meaning they will handle Penn State this week and beat Ohio State in the regular-season finale. Michigan will be put to the test in the Big Ten championship game as well, but Jim Harbaugh's team should beat Iowa or Northwestern in that game.

The appearance of the Wolverines in the College Football Playoff will not sit well with Oklahoma fans, who believe their team should return to the playoffs if the Sooners can beat Texas Tech, archrival Oklahoma State and 12th-ranked West Virginia and an opponent in the Big 12 title game.

Despite going through that gauntlet, Oklahoma will find itself on the outside looking in.

College Football Playoff teams

1. Alabama

2. Clemson

3. Notre Dame

4. Michigan