Kirk Herbstreit Reveals His Top 4 Teams Ahead of First College Football Playoff Ranking (Exclusive)

The College Football Playoff Committee is getting ready to release its first set of rankings for the year on Tuesday. And to get fans involved, ESPN and Goodyear gave fans a chance to vote for which four teams should play for a national title through Goodyear Playoff Fan Picks. The fans decided that Alabama (No. 1), Ohio State (No. 2), Clemson (No. 3) and Notre Dame (No. 4) are the best teams in all of college football and the most worthy of playing for the College Football Playoff National Championship. PopCulture.com caught up with ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit and revealed the changes he would make to the fans' top four teams.

"I find it interesting they voted Clemson still at three even though they lost to Notre Dame," Herbstreit said to PopCulture. Herbstreit went on to say that Clemson deserves a spot in the College Football Playoff. However, he thinks Norte Dame is the second-best team in the country. "I personally would have Norte Dame at two because of that impressive win over the No. 1-ranked team at the time Clemson," Herbstreit stated. "A win like that pushes you up close to knocking on the door as No. 1 against Alabama. I would have 'Bama, Notre Dame, Ohio State at three, and I would have Clemson at four."

The fans' voting results can be seen on a big playoff bracket located on the roof of the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, captured by the Goodyear Blimp, which College Football GameDay recently featured. And while Herbstreit disagrees with the fan rankings, it's one of the reasons why he loves college football.

"This is what makes this sport so much fun," Herbstreit said. "It's subjective, it's passion, and it's opinions. It's like a perfect storm, and it's why there's so many fun debates. We want to encourage people to follow the hashtag #GoodyearPlayoffFanPicks, and they can continue to debate this and where teams should be, not just this week but for the rest of the year.

The College Football Playoff Fan Picks won't influence the College Football Playoff committee when it releases its first set of rankings, but it gives fans a chance to be involved in one of the most debated topics in sports. And with the COVID-19 pandemic impacting college football, Herbstreit believes something like this is needed.

"It's a brilliant idea," he said. "2020 has been a very challenging year on so many fronts for the whole country. College football has been no different. You look at these empty stadiums and nobody tailgating around the stadiums. It's been strange, and when you talk to the coaches and players, they have a new-found appreciation for what they're missing with that atmosphere, energy and just having the fans there."