• Georgia and Ohio State built the nation’s best teams. Of course they’ll make the playoff.
• How many qualifiers from the SEC? Five. That includes Alabama in Kalen DeBoer’s first season.
• Michigan won’t make playoff, but Penn State will.

Anything seems possible in January.

You’re going to lose that extra 10 pounds that stubbornly clings to you like Louisiana humidity.

You’re going to learn a new language.

You’re going to spend less time on your phone and more time reading.

You’re going to make smarter financial decisions.

Come June, you’ve added five more pounds to your 10-pound cushion thanks to the 12-pack and three hot dogs you crushed celebrating Memorial Day.

Come July, the only Spanish phrases you know to say on your Cancún vacation are “Buenos dias” and “Cerveza, por favor.”

Come August, David McCullough’s 1,120-page “Truman” collects dust on your shelf, but you’ve attained a new high score on Candy Crush.

By September, you own zero shares of Coca-Cola but purchased two Bug-A-Salt guns off Amazon, and you can take out a house fly with a blast of salt from 10 yards away.

I made initial College Football Playoff projections in January, when anything seemed possible (like Missouri to the playoff). But January is the time for fantasy. August’s sobering light brings realism.

Here is my final playoff projection of the preseason.

Georgia (automatic bid, SEC): The Carson Beck-Trevor Etienne combination ranks as the SEC’s best quarterback-running back duo. The offensive line will be solid, and the defense robust. This isn’t Kirby Smart’s deepest squad, but it’s still the nation’s best collection of talent this side of Columbus, Ohio.

Ohio State (automatic bid, Big Ten): If the Buckeyes had Georgia’s Beck, they’d be my front-runner to win the national championship. They’re loaded. They have not one, but two, All-America-caliber running backs. Alabama transfer safety Caleb Downs cements the defense. Ohio State should cruise through the Big Ten.

Miami (automatic bid, ACC): Mario Cristobal assembled a talented squad. Quarterback Cam Ward (Washington State) and running back Damien Martinez (Oregon State) defected from the Pac-2. Transfers should improve the defensive front, too. The Hurricanes will host Florida State in their toughest ACC game.

3 underrated teams in preseason US LBM Coaches Poll

Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network offers three underrated teams in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll.

Advertisement

Oklahoma State (automatic bid, Big 12): How far can the nation’s best running back take the Cowboys? To the playoff, anyway. Ollie Gordon II spearheads an experienced roster. They were the Big 12’s second-best team last season, behind Texas. And Texas isn’t a problem anymore.

Memphis (automatic bid, Group of Five): I can think of Power Four schools that would be blessed to have Seth Henigan as their starting quarterback. Upperclassmen stock Memphis’ lineup, and the schedule doesn’t present many potholes other than a Week 3 game against Florida State.

Texas (at-large): The Longhorns are built for the SEC and made sure of it by reloading their wide receiving corps, including Alabama transfer Isaiah Bond. Their offensive line will make SEC peers blush. I’ve got a few questions about the interior of Texas’ defense, but not enough questions to think it won’t be one of the SEC’s top five teams.

TOPPMEYER: Kirby Smart’s crocodile tears don’t fool me, but does Georgia coach have a point?

SEC FOOTBALL: Hugh Freeze, stop worrying about Nick Saban ahead of pivotal season for Auburn

Oregon (at-large): All that Nike money looks good on Oregon. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel will keep the offense humming. He headlined a dynamite transfer class. Ohio State assembled the Big Ten’s best roster, but Oregon is closer to No. 1 than to No. 3 in that conference.

Alabama (at-large): Working with Kalen DeBoer will be a boon for Jalen Milroe. Already one of the nation’s most exciting quarterbacks, Milroe can become one of the nation’s most complete quarterbacks. Alabama’s offense will be fine. How its secondary develops will determine its national championship quest.

Ole Miss (at-large): The Rebels won 11 games last season, and this roster is superior. In fact, this is Lane Kiffin’s best squad ever. And the schedule ranks among the SEC’s most favorable. He retained his “Portal King” moniker by using transfers to elevate what had been an average defense.

Penn State (at-large): Speaking of favorable schedules, the Big Ten gifted Penn State a docket devoid of Oregon and Michigan. James Franklin fizzles in the big games, but he’s dependable in the ones he should win, and the Nittany Lions should be favored in nearly every game. As usual, their backfield and defense will be sufficiently stocked.

Advertisement

3 overrated teams in preseason US LBM Coaches Poll

Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network offers three overrated teams in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll.

LSU (at-large): The only way for LSU’s defense to go is up after last season’s disaster. New defensive coordinator Blake Baker previously engineered defensive improvement at Missouri. The offense remains in good hands with quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. He’s plenty talented and showed it in a bowl victory against Wisconsin.

Utah (at-large): Veteran quarterback Cameron Rising’s return should boost an offense that misfired when he missed the season with a knee injury. Utah won the 2022 Pac-12 Championship behind Rising. As usual, Utah’s defense is in good shape. In a Big 12 marked by parity, Oklahoma State and Utah are a bit better than the rest.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s SEC Columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.

Subscribe to read all of his columns. Also, check out his podcast, SEC Football Unfiltered, and newsletter, SEC Unfiltered.

Kalen DeBoer has carried over many traditions from the Nick Saban era. One of them seemingly is the high-profile speakers Saban would bring into the building just before the season began. Most of them turn out to be from the sports world and recently, DeBoer got a big-name guest.

San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul was in Mal Moore Facility on Tuesday, speaking to Alabama. Paul was described as an “NBA legend” thanks to all of the individual accolades earned throughout his career.

While no video was released, four photos were shared by the official Alabama Football X account. Two were Paul in the middle of his speech, while the first one was a conversation he was having in DeBoer’s new office. Finally, Paul and quarterback Jalen Milroe appeared to get some one-on-one time.

You can check out the photos posted by Alabama Football here.

On top of the accomplishments mentioned in the tweet, Paul is a four-time member of the All-NBA team. His career began in 2006 after coming out of Wake Forest, playing for a handful of organizations. San Antonio is just the latest after most recently being with the Phoenix Suns. New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Houston have also been places where Paul has called home.

This will be Paul’s 20th season in the NBA. Only LeBron James has more games played of active players currently in the league. Alabama is hoping a professional such as Paul can hand out some wisdom before the college football regular season gets underway for them on Aug. 31 against Western Kentucky.

Alabama names captains for 2024 season

In a twist, Alabama released its team captains for the 2024 campaign on Tuesday. The team captains are quarterback Jalen Milroe, linebacker Deontae Lawson, offensive lineman Tyler Booker and defensive back Malachi Moore.

When Nick Saban was the head coach of the Crimson Tide, the program named its captains after the regular season concluded. Different players would be named captains on a weekly basis during the season. However, this decision appears to be another sign of changing times in Tuscaloosa.

In addition to being leaders, Alabama’s captains participate in the coin toss before games. They are also celebrated on the UA campus, as every spring, their hand and cleat prints are immortalized in cement in the shadow of Denny Chimes, along with all of the past captains.

On3’s Grant Grubbs contributed to this report

The University of Alabama Board of Trustees unanimously approved new contacts for five head coaches, one associate head coach and the Crimson Tide’s football general manager Courtney Morgan during Tuesday’s meeting.

Most notably, Morgan’s contract was raised from $500,000 annually to $875,000 in the final year of his contract. According to a report by 247’s Matt Zenitz, Morgan was heavily pursued by USC this offseason. Morgan followed Kalen DeBoer from Washington to Alabama and was on the plane with DeBoer when he landed in Tuscaloosa and plays a vital role in the program’s success off the field.

Gymnastics head coach Ashley Johnston and women’s basketball head coach Kristy Curry both got raises and five-year extensions through 2029 after their teams advanced in the 2024 postseasons.

Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne presented the extensions to the Board of Trustees. Here are the details on the contracts from Tuesday’s meeting:

Courtney Morgan (General Manager, Football)

Kristy Curry, (Head Coach, Women’s Basketball)

George Husack (Head Coach, Men’s Tennis)

Ashley Johnston (Head Coach, Gymnastics)

Glenn Putyrae (Head Coach, Rowing)

Dan Waters (Head Coach, Track & Field)

Jason Jackson (Associate Head Coach, Baseball)