Former ESPN college football analyst David Pollack said there are four nonconference games early in the 2025 season that could have a definite impact on the College Football Playoff, and one of them involves Oklahoma.
Pollack singled out the Week 2 matchup between OU and Michigan in Norman as having huge implications for both teams, and especially for the Sooners, who face a rugged SEC schedule that includes a gauntlet of six conference games with teams ranked in the preseason Associated Press Top 25.
Former ESPN analyst says Sooners vs Michigan could be early CFP eliminator
Recently on his "See Ball Get Ball" podcast, the former Georgia All-American and former analyst for ESPN's "College GameDay" called the Oklahoma-Michigan showdown -- only the second-ever meeting between the two college football blue bloods -- almost an elimination game in terms of its implication on this year's College Football Playoff.
Pollack said OU-Michigan isn't just one of the biggest games of the early season, but also of the entire season. Both teams are fringe playoff teams, he said, and really can't afford to lose this game without seriously damaging their playoff hope. The fact that the Sooners are playing at home is a big advantage and makes it even more important that they capitalize on the opportunity to play this big game in front of the home crowd.
Three other huge early season games that carry College Football Playoff implications that were noted by Pollock all occur in Week 1. No. 1 Texas is at No. 3 Ohio State on Aug. 30, and later that same day under the lights in Clemson, South Carolina, No. 9 LSU takes on the No. 4 Clemson Tigers. The LSU-Clemson matchup will feature two quarterbacks, Cade Klubnik of Clemson and LSU's Garrett Nussmeier, who are considered top Heisman contenders.
The following day, it will be No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 10 Miami. It doesn't get much better than these four top-25 matchups, all in the first two full weekends of the 2025 season.
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