USA TODAY Sports projects Alabama to host first-round Playoff game

The 2024 college football season is already shaping up to be one of the best in recent memory with pre-season No. 10 Florida State out to an 0-2 start, the No. 5 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish losing at home to unranked Northern Illinois and the defending national champion Michigan Wolverines losing by three touchdowns at home to Texas. And we are still just one month into September.

The Alabama Crimson Tide looked unbelievable in Week 1 against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers but took a step back against the USF Bulls this past weekend. Granted, the Tide won 42-16, but it wasn’t truly that ugly as it took four fourth-quarter touchdowns for Alabama to pull away. The competition does get much stiffer this weekend as Alabama travels up north to take on the (2-0) Wisconsin Badgers.

Kalen DeBoer and the coaching staff will continue to settle in and improve by the week and I think the Crimson Tide will be a really scary team by the end of the season.

Following all of the Week 2 games, Erick Smith of USA TODAY Sports projects all of the Playoff and bowl match ups. Smith expects the Crimson Tide to host and beat the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the Playoff before losing to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal. Ultimately he has the Buckeyes taking on the Georgia Bulldogs in the national title.

USA TODAY Sports also projects Auburn to take on West Virginia in the Liberty Bowl!

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