The College Football Playoff is finally here!

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Matt Linder

After the month long wait, filled with bold predictions and tongue twisting bowl games, the main event is finally upon us.  In just two days, the top four teams in the nation (don’t ask Ohio State fans) will clash in the College Football Playoff’s semi-final games.  Let’s preview the matchups and predict the winners of this round and the National Championship.

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The first game on Monday (5:00pm) is a battle between two opposite styles.  The #2 Oklahoma Sooners have a high-powered aerial attack led by Heisman winner Baker Mayfield.  On the other side, the #3 Georgia Bulldogs are propelled by the two-headed beast in the backfield of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel.  Georgia’s game plan will be to run the football, eat up clock, control the time of possession and keep the Oklahoma offense off the field.  The Sooners rush defense is only ranked 41st in the country, allowing 144.2 yards per game.  If the Bulldogs can exploit that weakness, they may be able to pull off the upset.  Conversely, even though Georgia’s pass defense is ranked 2nd in the nation, only allowing 158.3 yards per game, I do not expect them to shut down Baker Mayfield.  The passing attacks in the SEC cannot compare to Oklahoma’s combination of speed and precision.  In a win or go home game, I am going to bet on the Sooner’s senior Heisman winner over the Bulldog’s true freshman quarterback, Jake Fromm.
Prediction - Oklahoma: 31   Georgia: 24

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Monday’s second game (8:30pm) is a rematch of last year’s National Championship game.  The #1 Clemson Tigers look to defend their crown against the #4 Alabama Crimson Tide.  Unlike the early game, this matchup is between two similar styles.  Both teams rely on running the ball and playing excellent defense.  Clemson is coming off an impressive performance against the Miami Hurricanes in the ACC Championship Game, albeit about a month ago, while Alabama has not played since their loss to Auburn on November 25th.  The Tigers defense is lead by a revolving door of stud defensive lineman, including Clelin Ferrell, Austin Bryant, Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence.  Since Alabama played an extremely easy schedule, they will be unprepared for Clemson’s athleticism on both sides of the ball.  The Crimson Tide are known to struggle against mobile quarterbacks and Clemson’s Kelly Bryant is an extremely elusive runner.  Although Alabama barely squeaked into the playoff, they are actually favored against Clemson.  I trust the Tigers to upset Alabama since they are healthier and have more top NFL talent.
Prediction – Clemson: 17        Alabama: 13

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Based on my predictions in the semi-final matchups, I have #1 Clemson facing off against #2 Oklahoma.  This should be a compelling matchup because of the electric speed both teams possess.  Like Georgia, Clemson is a run first team that will likely try to slow the game down and keep the explosive Sooner offense off the field.  There is a clear gap between the two quarterbacks, Kelly Bryant only threw for 13 touchdowns all season compared to Mayfield’s 41.  However, Clemson’s defense is probably the best in the country and they will make it difficult for the Heisman Trophy Winner.  Although the Tigers have a vaunted defensive line, Oklahoma has one of the best offensive lines in football.  I think the big guys up front will give Mayfield enough time to find his dangerous arsenal of receivers and will open up some holes for the emerging running game, led by Rodney Anderson.  I think Mayfield will make one big play late in the game to capture Oklahoma’s first national championship since 2000.
Prediction – Oklahoma: 27 Clemson: 20

It has been a long, yet eventful college football season.  In the year of the blue bloods, let’s see which program earns the title of “best team in college football.”  New Year’s Day should be fun!

If you have any questions, comments or criticisms feel free to reach out to me at mattlinder2@gmail.com