{"id":453236,"date":"2025-12-17T12:52:12","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T12:52:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/453236\/"},"modified":"2025-12-17T12:52:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T12:52:12","slug":"college-football-playoff-coach-confidential-love-for-georgia-concern-for-ole-miss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/453236\/","title":{"rendered":"College Football Playoff coach confidential: Love for Georgia, concern for Ole Miss"},"content":{"rendered":"

This has been one of the most entertaining college football seasons<\/a> in recent memory. Neither of the top two teams in the preseason AP Top 25, Texas or Penn State, made the College Football Playoff. Nor did No. 4 Clemson or No. 6 Notre Dame. In fact, just five of the preseason top 17 made the field.<\/p>\n

With such an interesting mix in this Playoff field, what do the real experts \u2014 the coaches themselves \u2014 think?<\/p>\n

We polled more than two dozen coaches from the Power 4 and Group of 5 and asked them: Who will win it all? Who is the biggest fraud? Who is the best coach and the biggest sleeper?<\/p>\n

Which team will win it all?<\/p>\n

\u2022 Georgia: 50%<\/p>\n

\u2022 Ohio State: 42%<\/p>\n

\u2022 Indiana: 4%<\/p>\n

\u2022 Oregon: 4%<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s any team that is just great this year. Or as good as Alabama or Georgia were when they won it, or even as good as Ohio State last year. Georgia\u2019s O-line has matured, so that team has taken a jump. The QB is a winner. Defensively, Georgia can play big and can match up. They\u2019re really good and they\u2019re battle-tested.\u201d \u2014 Group of 5 head coach<\/p>\n

\u201cOhio State. Georgia seems flawed. I know Indiana just beat them but I don\u2019t think they can beat them twice. Ohio State was pretty banged up in that game.\u00a0 The wideouts will be healthier. On defense, Ohio State is really sound with great players. Their red zone defense is unbelievable.\u201d \u2014 Big Ten offensive assistant coach<\/p>\n

\u201cIndiana. They\u2019ve played big in big games. I was really impressed with them winning at Oregon and beating Ohio State the way they did.\u201d \u2014 Group of 5 head coach<\/p>\n

\u201cGeorgia. They look the cleanest. They\u2019ve been getting better as the season\u2019s gone on. They\u2019re gonna stop the run and find your weaknesses. And they\u2019re good at using them against you.\u201d \u2014 SEC defensive coordinator<\/p>\n

Who do you think is the biggest fraud in the field?<\/p>\n

\u2022 Ole Miss: 29%<\/p>\n

\u2022 Texas Tech: 17%<\/p>\n

\u2022 Alabama: 17%<\/p>\n

\u2022 JMU: 8%<\/p>\n

\u2022 Oregon: 4%<\/p>\n

\u2022 Oklahoma: 4%<\/p>\n

\u2022 No answer: 21%<\/p>\n

\u201cOle Miss. They\u2019ve had so many distractions<\/a> with Lane Kiffin leaving, and Oklahoma is probably their only good win this year.\u201d \u2014 Group of 5 head coach<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Alabama should have, like, five losses this year. They shouldn\u2019t be there.\u201d \u2014 SEC defensive coordinator\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAlabama. Maybe I\u2019m old-school, but I don\u2019t believe a three-loss team should have a shot to win a national title. I\u2019ve watched them. They\u2019re not that good this year. I didn\u2019t see enough from them to get this chance.\u201d \u2014 Big Ten defensive line coach\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTexas Tech. Their D-line is really phenomenal. They can hold their gaps and they let those linebackers play freely. But their offense has had so many opportunities and they really struggle in the red zone. (QB Behren) Morton is talented, but he\u2019s played a ton and some of his decision-making is pretty poor.\u201d \u2014 Big 12 offensive coordinator\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cJMU. They have no business in the Playoff. If you put them in the ACC, they wouldn\u2019t even be .500. Defensively, they\u2019re legitimate, but offensively, they are not good.\u201d \u2014 Group of 5 head coach<\/p>\n

\u201cOklahoma. The defense is awesome, but I don\u2019t think their offense can piss a drop.\u201d \u2014 Group of 5 tight ends coach<\/p>\n

Which team is the biggest sleeper in the field?<\/p>\n

\u2022 Miami: 21%<\/p>\n

\u2022 Oregon: 17%<\/p>\n

\u2022 Oklahoma: 17%<\/p>\n

\u2022 Alabama: 13%<\/p>\n

\u2022 Ole Miss: 13%<\/p>\n

\u2022 Texas A&M: 13%<\/p>\n

\u2022 Texas Tech: 4%<\/p>\n

\u201cOklahoma. I don\u2019t think they have had any movement on their staff or roster. Cohesiveness could play a key role in the Playoff.\u201d \u2014 Big Ten defensive backs coach<\/p>\n

\u201cAlabama is good enough to beat anybody in the field, but can Ty Simpson get his form back from the middle of the season? They don\u2019t run the ball well, but schematically, they do some things to mitigate their running game.\u201d \u2014 Group of 5 head coach<\/p>\n

\u201cOle Miss. With everything going on with Lane (Kiffin) and around their program, I can see why people might be doubting them, but they played Georgia so tight and could\u2019ve beaten them. I feel like they\u2019re gonna rally around Lane not being there. I think they can get into the semifinals.\u201d \u2014 Group of 5 tight ends coach<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Notre Dame was in, I\u2019d have said them, to be honest. I\u2019ll say (Texas) A&M.\u201d \u2014 Big Ten running backs coach<\/p>\n

\u201cMiami<\/a>. Their D-line is scary, and those guys can change a game. (WR) Malachi Toney is the most dangerous player in college football. I\u2019m not sure how many people actually watch the ACC, but that kid is special. Notre Dame has a really good secondary and they couldn\u2019t touch him, and he kept getting better and better as the season went on. They\u2019ll use him at QB \u2014 and he can throw. They\u2019ll line him up outside, in the slot. No one can cover him. He\u2019s fast and super quick. They do so much stuff with him now.\u201d \u2014 ACC offensive analyst<\/p>\n

Is there a path for the Group of 5 teams (Tulane and James Madison) to win a game this year?<\/p>\n

\u2022 No: 88%<\/p>\n

\u2022 Yes: 12%<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to see it happen personally, because it keeps the hopes alive of like, 50-plus G5 programs, but they just can\u2019t match up physically.\u201d \u2014 Big 12 head coach<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Tulane can pull off the big upset. Everybody\u2019s thrown off by that first score (45-10 in late September). I think they have enough talent to be very competitive, but (Tulane QB Jake) Retzlaff has to be on. They don\u2019t have the depth that Ole Miss has.\u201d \u2014 Group of 5 head coach<\/p>\n

\u201cNo way. Tulane\u2019s gonna be beat by 20-plus. JMU may lose by 40. They\u2019re gonna get embarrassed.\u201d \u2014 Big Ten running backs coach<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only shot is if someone\u2019s buses break down.\u201d \u2014 ACC offensive analyst<\/p>\n

Who do you think will pull off an upset?<\/p>\n

\u2022 Miami: 58%<\/p>\n

\u2022 No one: 25%<\/p>\n

\u2022 Oklahoma: 13%<\/p>\n

\u2022 Tulane: 4%<\/p>\n

\u201cMiami over A&M. The Aggies are really good, but both their coordinators might be distracted, and Miami is really talented.\u201d \u2014 Group of 5 tight ends coach<\/p>\n

\u201cOklahoma over Alabama. OU is playing at home. Their defense is really good and they have a pretty nasty pass rush. (QB John) Mateer hasn\u2019t looked good since he got hurt in September, but he should be better with a few weeks off.\u201d \u2014 Big Ten defensive line coach<\/p>\n

\u201cMiami over A&M. Miami has a lot of talent top to bottom and (QB Carson) Beck has played in a ton of big games.\u201d \u2014 Big 12 head coach<\/p>\n

Which team would you least like to play?<\/p>\n

\u2022 Georgia: 46%<\/p>\n

\u2022 Ohio State: 21%<\/p>\n

\u2022 Indiana: 17%<\/p>\n

\u2022 Miami: 8%<\/p>\n

\u2022 Ole Miss: 4%<\/p>\n

\u201cGeorgia. They can win in a bunch of different ways. They can beat you 40-something to 30-something or win a 13-7 game. There\u2019s not a lot of those types of teams out there.\u201d\u00a0 \u2014 Group of 5 head coach<\/p>\n

\u201cIndiana. Their defense is a problem. Their scheme makes you work a lot harder. They\u2019re very multiple. They\u2019re so good with fire zones, simulated pressures, and do a good job of fitting the run. (Defensive coordinator Bryant) Haines does such a great job of breaking his own tendencies. He does some stuff that is NFL-complicated, and (QB Fernando) Mendoza\u2019s post-snap decision-making is exceptional<\/a>.\u201d \u2014 Big Ten running backs coach<\/p>\n

\u201cOle Miss. They have that up-tempo spread. Their offense is a little different. They\u2019re a headache to play against. Their running back (Kewan Lacy) is really good. He can take it the distance, and (Trinidad) Chambliss<\/a> is a really good college quarterback.\u201d \u2014 SEC defensive coordinator<\/p>\n

How many teams actually have a legitimate shot at being champions?<\/p>\n

\u2022 Three teams: 38%<\/p>\n

\u2022 Four teams: 21%<\/p>\n

\u2022 Six teams: 13%<\/p>\n

\u2022 Five teams: 8%<\/p>\n

\u2022 Seven teams: 8%<\/p>\n

\u2022 Eight teams: 8%<\/p>\n

\u2022 10 teams: 4%<\/p>\n

Who do you think is the best coach in the Playoff?<\/p>\n

\u2022 Kirby Smart: 50%<\/p>\n

\u2022 Curt Cignetti: 38%<\/p>\n

\u2022 Dan Lanning: 8%<\/p>\n

\u2022 Joey McGuire: 4%<\/p>\n

\u201c(Kirby) Smart. He\u2019s won multiple national titles. He learned well from (Nick) Saban. It\u2019s how he recruits and the schemes he has. Georgia\u2019s a machine.\u201d \u2014 Group of 5 head coach<\/p>\n

\u201cCurt Cignetti. It\u2019s really hard to argue against him. He talks so damn much, but give it to him. He\u2019s backed it all up. I\u2019d love to see them win it all.\u201d \u2014 Group of 5 head coach<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth Kirby and Cignetti have their teams ready to play, and they have good game plans every week. That\u2019s really all you can control. Kirby\u2019s amazing. But as for who is doing the most with the least, that\u2019s Cignetti.\u201d \u2014 Big Ten running backs coach<\/p>\n

\u201cCignetti. Indiana\u2019s gone to the Playoff in back-to-back years? Are you friggin\u2019 kidding me? I know guys who used to work there. That place was a football graveyard. That place hadn\u2019t been in the top 10 in like 100 years. (Editor\u2019s note: 57 years.)\u201d \u2014 ACC offensive coordinator<\/p>\n

\u201cSmart. He\u2019s won two national championships. He\u2019s doing a great job of being a head coach and not just being a defensive guy. It feels like he helps their offense out a lot.\u201d \u2014 SEC defensive coordinator<\/p>\n

\u201cCignetti. When he was talking his s\u2014, I was like, who is this guy? But he backs it up. And when you watch them on both sides, his team is seriously well-coached. I just think he\u2019s the best coach. And I respect his path too; to leave Alabama (as an assistant) to take a small-school job is so impressive.\u201d \u2014 Big Ten defensive line coach\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This has been one of the most entertaining college football seasons in recent memory. Neither of the top…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":453237,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[8802,1428,1318,3919,9443,127816,1426,1317,1315,1316,4733,21286,1716,9445,62,13877,8799,35598,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-453236","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-football","8":"tag-alabama-crimson-tide","9":"tag-college-football","10":"tag-football","11":"tag-georgia-bulldogs","12":"tag-indiana-hoosiers","13":"tag-james-madison-dukes","14":"tag-miami-hurricanes","15":"tag-ncaa","16":"tag-ncaa-football","17":"tag-ncaafootball","18":"tag-ohio-state-buckeyes","19":"tag-oklahoma-sooners","20":"tag-ole-miss-rebels","21":"tag-oregon-ducks","22":"tag-sports","23":"tag-texas-am-aggies","24":"tag-texas-tech-red-raiders","25":"tag-tulane-green-wave","26":"tag-united-states","27":"tag-unitedstates","28":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115735006056481760","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=453236"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453236\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/453237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=453236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=453236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=453236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}