College Football Playoff 2020: Latest NCAA Predictions After Week 1 Standings

The first College Football Playoff contender takes to the gridiron Saturday. 

Trevor Lawrence and the Clemson Tigers open their ACC slate against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. They are one of a few playoff hopefuls to kick off their season in Week 2.

Oklahoma begins its season with what should be a fairly easy nonconference game against Missouri State, while Notre Dame and Texas will attempt to gain momentum from their respective openers. 

Since the SEC does not start play until September 26, we will not get a great idea of which teams belong in the playoff until then. 

College Football Playoff Predictions

1. Clemson

2. Alabama

3. Georgia

4. Oklahoma

With only three of the five power conferences scheduled to play this fall, at least one of the ACC, SEC and Big 12 will produce a pair of playoff teams. 

History suggests the SEC will be that conference because of its depth and the high quality of teams around Alabama and Georgia, but that will only be confirmed when we see the teams on the field. 

One of the biggest questions about the ACC and Big 12 is which is second best behind title favorites Clemson and Oklahoma.

Clemson should be viewed as an overwhelming favorite to win the ACC, even with the inclusion of Notre Dame in 2020.

Lawrence is one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the country now that Jake Fromm, Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts are in the NFL.

Alabama, Georgia and Oklahoma will rely on new starting signal-callers to navigate them through the majority of conference play.

The one setback Clemson suffered was the season-ending injury to wide receiver Justyn Ross. 

Lawrence will have to establish connections with a new set of wideouts, but he still has Travis Etienne alongside him in the backfield. 

You could make a case that Etienne, who has run for 1,600 yards in each of the last two seasons, is the top returning running back in the FBS. Oklahoma State's Chuba Hubbard could also fit that title. 

Oklahoma will call on Spencer Rattler to be the next star in Lincoln Riley's offensive system. He will be tasked with shining in an offense that lost CeeDee Lamb, Trey Sermon and a few other key figures.

Charleston Rambo, who had 43 catches for 743 yards in 2019, could be Rattler's top target in the passing game. 

Senior running back Rhamondre Stevenson, who was the team's third-best rusher last season, should be one of the primary backs working with the first-year starter. 

Oklahoma should look fine against Missouri State because of the talent gap, and that performance may help the team find a rhythm before embarking on Big 12 action. 

At the moment, Texas and Oklahoma State appear to be Oklahoma's top competition to win the Big 12, but both programs have to prove they can beat the Sooners after losing head-to-head matchups in 2019. 

Clemson could face a similarly easy route to the playoff since there is a list of unproven contenders in the ACC is expansive. 

Notre Dame appears to be the lone serious threat at the moment, and the head-to-head meeting November 7 might shuffle the ACC hierarchy.

However, Dabo Swinney's side has proved it can pass any test. The Tigers have gone 9-0 against Top 25 foes in the regular season in the last three years. 

All Clemson can worry about right now is defeating Wake Forest and making an early statement to the rest of the playoff contenders. 

If that occurs, the Tigers and Oklahoma could be the talk of the playoff field before the SEC gets going.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.