ESPN's "experts" pick conference winners, the final four and the national champion

[Saunders]

ESPN's college football experts offer their predictions for the 2014 conference winners, which four teams will make the final four, and which team will win the first College Football Playoff.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/11401777/espn-experts-offer-their-2014-predictions

Man, Ed Cunningham is such a .... wait, what?

 

[StPaulHusker]

Nice to see that only 3 of the experts picked 2 teams from one conference to be in the playoff. That to me says that SOS and conference champions will mean a lot more.

Also: Ed Cunningham picks NU as the B1G champion but leaves them out of the playoff.

 

[74Hunter]

Holy crap, how many "experts" do they have?

 

[NUance]

Wow, not one person picked tOSU to win the B1G?? Not even one? Okay, Braxton is exciting and all. But he wasn't the whole team.

 

[NUpolo8]

I am very afraid now that Lee Corso and I agree on the national champ.

 

[Junior]

Baylor as National Champs? That would be a sure sign that the end is nigh.

 

[3-N-OUT]

Cunningham has S.Carolina winning SEC, but Alabama in the playoffs? huh? That would mean that Alabama either didn't make that championship game, but still gets in over the winner or they lost in the championship game and still get in over the winner? That would be messed up.

 

[HuskerCarter]

I don't think Ed Cunningham understands how a playoff system works.

 

[Bigred_inSD]

Kansas state. ..

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

Mostly safe picks. Why wouldn't you? You'd sound crazy -- or biased -- to pick anyone else.

But you know an even safer bet?

A team that's not on anyone's list will crash the party. Because it happens every year.

Maybe even two teams. Or three.

And a team left out of these inagural playoffs will have everyone screaming conspiracy.

Bank on it.

 

[Mierin]

Wow, not one person picked tOSU to win the B1G?? Not even one? Okay, Braxton is exciting and all. But he wasn't the whole team.

Wow, not one person picked tOSU to win the B1G?? Not even one? Okay, Braxton is exciting and all. But he wasn't the whole team.

They had lots of close calls last year with him though. IIRC...

 

[Count 'Bility]

Mostly safe picks. Why wouldn't you? You'd sound crazy -- or biased -- to pick anyone else.

But you know an even safer bet?

A team that's not on anyone's list will crash the party. Because it happens every year.

Maybe even two teams. Or three.

And a team left out of these inagural playoffs will have everyone screaming conspiracy.

Bank on it.

When the SEC only gets in 1 and not 2 or even 3 in, there will be a meltdown of epic proportions among all national media, and ESPN will be in total damage control and spin mode.

 

[Creighton Duke]

I like how Desmond can't bring himself to pick Osu or Msu

 

[Redux]

South Carolina WILL NOT win the SEC this year, maybe ever.

I this Ed's way of saying "Sorry I was drunk off my a$$ during your bowl game Nebraska".

Baylor may score 60 points a game, but they are capable of allowing 70 a game so I don't think the Bears will be in playoff contention.

 

[Joe_5700]

A couple of Baylor and UCLA picks! This is going to be a fun season to watch. If Braxton Miller had not gotten injured, I wonder where OSU would have been in the discussion. See...injuries do have an impact...