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Even Alabama coach Nick Saban will concede that right now, Georgia is at the top of college football. That doesn’t mean Alabama can’t change that narrative. Or Tennessee. Or LSU. Or Ohio State.

“Georgia has won two national championships in a row, so I’d say for the moment they are the best,” Saban told ESPN this spring. “They’ve proven on the field that they are the best for the last two years. But success is not a continuum for us. It’s not a continuum for anyone.”

According to the College Football Power Index, nobody has a better chance to make the College Football Playoff — and win it — than Ohio State. Georgia is right behind the Buckeyes, but they’re hardly alone, as there are 17 teams with at least a 1% chance of making the CFP this fall. Of those 17 teams, 11 are given at least a 1% chance to win the national title. The sport only has a handful of truly elite teams, but the beauty lies in its ability to surprise us. Think TCU last year. Or Cincinnati the year before. Who could that be in 2023?

While the FPI percentages generated below come from a formula derived by ESPN Analytics, the selection committee brings a human element to the process, so we factor that in to determine how well the percentages line up with what could happen in the room. We’ve also noted odds from Las Vegas courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook. The teams are ranked in order of the best chance to reach the playoff, according to FPI (through July 31).


Ohio State

Last year’s record: 11-2
FPI projection: Make playoff: 82.2% | Win national title: 36.7%
Caesars Sportsbook odds to make playoff: +105

Agree or disagree with FPI: Somewhat agree. This team is definitely CFP material, but it shouldn’t be given a higher chance than Michigan — at least not yet — considering the Wolverines have a veteran starting quarterback returning from a CFP team that beat the Buckeyes the past two seasons. Ohio State’s defense will play better and smarter in the second season under coordinator Jim Knowles, the roster is still oozing NFL draft talent on both sides, and there is proven CFP experience.

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No. 7 Georgia Tech down 3 starters vs. Syracuse

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No. 7 Georgia Tech down 3 starters vs. Syracuse

No. 7 Georgia Tech will be without three starters — wide receiver Malik Rutherford, center Harrison Moore and nickelback Jy Gilmore — against Syracuse on Saturday.

All three were ruled out on the ACC availability report after suffering injuries during last week’s win over Duke.

Rutherford is tied for the Yellow Jackets’ lead with 23 receptions and two receiving touchdowns this season and ranks third on the team with 202 receiving yards.

With cornerback Ahmari Harvey out for the second straight week, Georgia Tech will be down two key secondary members against an Orange passing game that is averaging 294.3 yards per game (15th in the NCAA).

The Yellow Jackets are 7-0 for the first time since 1966, while their No. 7 ranking is the school’s highest since 2009.

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UNT QB Mestemaker has record 608 yards in win

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UNT QB Mestemaker has record 608 yards in win

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Redshirt freshman Drew Mestemaker passed for a school-record 608 yards with four touchdowns as North Texas scored 37 unanswered points to beat Charlotte 54-20 on Friday night.

Mestemaker completed 37 of 49 passes with one interception in breaking the record.

He covered 80 yards with three passes — the final one a 41-yard scoring strike to Cameron Dorner — on the game’s first possession to put North Texas (7-1, 3-1 American) up 7-0.

Charlotte (1-7, 0-5) answered with Liam Boyd‘s 24-yard field goal and Grayson Loftis‘ 33-yard touchdown pass to Javen Nicholas to take a 10-7 lead into the second quarter. Loftis and Nicholas then teamed up for a 64-yard score in a one-play drive and Charlotte led 17-7.

Kali Nguma followed with a 29-yard field goal and Mestemaker hit Caleb Hawkins for a 6-yard score to tie it 17-all at halftime.

Charlotte had a drive stall at the North Texas 3-yard line to begin the third quarter and settled for Boyd’s field goal and a 20-17 lead. It was all Mean Green from there.

Mestemaker passed to Tre Williams III for a 30-yard gain to the Charlotte 1 and Kiefer Sibley ran it in on the next play to put North Texas ahead. Nguma added a 41-yard field goal for a 27-20 advantage after three quarters.

Mestemaker connected with Hawkins for a 7-yard touchdown, and Wyatt Young turned a short pass into a 70-yard score and a 20-point lead after the 2-point run failed. Sibley added a 45-yard touchdown run, and Ashton Gray scored on a 32-yard run to polish off the rout.

Young finished with nine receptions for 190 yards. Dorner caught seven passes for 117 yards, and Landon Sides hauled in five for 114.

Loftis totaled 295 yards on 20-for-36 passing for the 49ers. Nicholas had seven catches for 187 yards.

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Utah QB Dampier now probable to face Colorado

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Utah QB Dampier now probable to face Colorado

Utah quarterback Devon Dampier has been upgraded to probable for the Utes’ game against Colorado, according to the updated Big 12 availability report released Friday night.

The junior quarterback has dealt with a lower leg injury this season, and coach Kyle Whittingham said Dampier “got beat up in this game pretty good” after the Utes’ 24-21 loss to rival BYU last weekend.

Dampier was initially listed as questionable Wednesday but progressed throughout the week and took reps in practice, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

The 5-foot-11, 210-pound junior, a transfer out of New Mexico, has started every game despite the injury and ranks sixth in the Big 12 in total offense with 1,375 passing yards, 442 rushing yards and 18 total touchdowns.

True freshman backup Byrd Ficklin played four snaps against BYU and would be in line to start if Dampier is unavailable Saturday against the Buffaloes (10:15 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Utah wide receiver Tobias Merriweather and defensive tackle Dallas Vakalahi were downgraded from doubtful to out against Colorado. Merriweather ranks second among Utes wideouts with 130 receiving yards on eight receptions this season.

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