Which Team Is Most Likely to Make Its First College Football Playoff Appearance?

Is this the year a new face crashes the College Football Playoff party?

With playoff expansion nearing and chaos in the air, the FOX Sports "Big Noon Kickoff" crew is looking beyond the usual suspects.

During a recent segment, the panel made their picks for the team most likely to make its first-ever CFP appearance this season.

Matt Leinart: Miami

"I think the Miami Hurricanes, right now, are the class of the ACC. You could argue at this point, where we sit today, they should be the No. 1 team in the country. To make a playoff, you have to be great at the line of scrimmage. You have to be great at quarterback. They’ve certainly done that. They have a revamped defense. Carson Beck has played himself back into a potential first-round draft pick next year. They only have one ranked opponent left on the schedule. That schedule is shaping up for them to make a run."

Urban Meyer: Texas A&M

"Their last conference championship was in 1998. The last national championship was in 1938. It makes no sense. They’ve got money, they’ve got support, they’ve got facilities. They’ve had good coaches. But Mike Elko has shown that passion. It’s a tough conference, and they have a tough schedule, but I'm picking A&M to get to the College Football Playoff for the first time."

Brady Quinn: Utah

"You can't come out here to Salt Lake and not talk about one of the best defenses in the country. [They have] one of the most dangerous quarterbacks, a dual-threat quarterback in Devon Dampier. And quite possibly the best student fan base in the entire country. I’m going with Utah, breaking through for the first time in the College Football Playoff. I also think there is a chance that both Utah and Texas Tech both get in. The Big 12 only got one in last year. I think they get two in this year. These are the two best teams in the Big 12. They are two of the best teams in college football. This is the best game on the Big 12 schedule the entire year. Soak it in boys."

Chris "The Bear" Fallica: USC

"The Trojans right now are +300 to make the College Football Playoff. When you look at their schedule, they’ve got a road game at Illinois, they’ve got a road game at Oregon, they've got a road game at Notre Dame, they've got a road game at Nebraska, and they’ve got a home game against Michigan. If they go 3-2 against that schedule, a 10-2 USC team, with a defensive line that looks the part, with that receiving core … They might be that fourth team from the Big Ten to make the College Football Playoff."

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