LSU's Will Campbell and Harold Perkins, Clemson's Barrett Carter, and Georgia's Carson Beck, Malaki Starks, and Tate Ratledge have been named first-team preseason All-Americans by ESPN. Georgia is favored to win the national title in the newly expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, with Ohio State and Georgia dominating preseason predictions and receiving the majority of first-place votes in the AP Top 25 and CBS Sports preseason superlatives. The new playoff format aims to reduce controversy by including the five highest-ranked conference champions and seven highest-ranked remaining teams.