The ratings and projection from Ford are based on the schedule difficulty, essentially stating a team with a higher schedule difficulty needs a lower number of wins to reach the College Football Playoff. Ford has Michigan State having the No. 18 most difficult schedule in the country.

Here are five college football predictions and round-by-round picks for the college football playoffs: There are stars everywhere you look on Clemson’s roster. At quarterback. At wide receiver and linebacker. On both the offensive and defensive lines.

It's August and no games have been played, but that's not keeping ESPN's college football reporters from predicting the 12 schools that will make up the College Football Playoff beginning in December.