Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt has updated his projected College Football Playoff rankings entering the month of November — along with a bold prediction for the Nov. 9 showdown in Baton Rouge between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the LSU Tigers.
Speaking on the Thursday edition of his daily podcast, The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast, Klatt unveiled his new 12-team playoff projections entering the month of November. He sees the Oregon Ducks as the Big Ten champion and No. 1 overall seed with the Georgia Bulldogs as the SEC champion and No. 2 seed.
The Clemson Tigers were Klatt’s projected ACC champion and No. 3 seed, with the BYU Cougars the No. 4 seed and Big 12 champion.
As for Alabama, Klatt projected the Crimson Tide as the No. 10 seed after predicting that Kalen DeBoer’s team will beat LSU at Tiger Stadium. Kickoff for Alabama vs. LSU is set for 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 9. The game will be televised on ABC.
Klatt said on his podcast:
“Remember, ‘Bama has the win over Georgia. And in this case, I would have them winning, at night, at LSU. So, they’re in. They’re absolutely in.”
Earlier this week, Klatt ranked Jalen Milroe and the Crimson Tide at No. 9 in his updated Top 10 rankings.
Klatt said of Alabama after its 34-0 win over the Missouri Tigers:
“That was a big bounce-back win for Alabama on Saturday, even if it was against a Missouri team that has been overrated since the beginning of the season. Alabama’s defense played incredibly well after a few weeks of underwhelming play. I’m not sure how much we should take from that game because I don’t think Missouri is particularly good. But when you win 34-0 against an SEC opponent, it should mean something.”
In addition to Alabama as the No. 10 seed in his projected playoff field entering November, Klatt has the Ohio State Buckeyes as his No. 5 seed, the Texas Longhorns at No. 6, Penn State Nittany Lions at No. 7, Notre Dame at No. 8, and the Tennessee Volunteers at No. 9.
The Miami Hurricanes were Klatt’s No. 11 seed with Group of Five champion Boise State rounding out the field as the No. 12 seed.