Dan Mullen has the boldest College Football Playoff prediction

Nov 20, 2021; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Florida Gators head coach Dan Mullen on the sidelines against the Missouri Tigers during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Former Florida coach Dan Mullen is trying his hand at analyst work in 2022, and he seems to believe that bolder is better in that department.

Mullen joined ESPN as a college football analyst following his exit from Florida, and as part of his new job, he shared his preseason predictions for the College Football Playoff. Alabama and Ohio State were relatively safe picks, but Mullen went off the beaten path by putting NC State and Utah in his field.

Utah came in seventh in the preseason AP poll, so you can at least sort of justify that. It’s a bit tougher with the 13th-ranked Wolfpack, who would presumably have to go unbeaten — including a win at No. 4 Clemson — in order to have any hope of making the field. Regardless of that fact, Mullen is clearly a believer.

Mullen’s predictions are unlikely and unconventional, but if any of them work out, he can certainly say he called it. Of course, Florida fans will probably be skeptical that he’s ahead of the curve here knowing how his tenure with the Gators ended.