College football playoffs. Josh Mehay | Contributor
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Game Times |
| Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic: Clemson (2) v Notre Dame (3) Dec. 29 at 4 p.m.Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl: College Football Playoff National Championship: |
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Poll Results |
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Oklahoma – “Oklahoma’s quarterback Kyler Murray is explosive and very talented, he is the Heisman winner this year and with a strong offense he can win games. College football is not about defense, offense is the biggest part and when you have two big offenses going against each other it’s going to be about who scores more in the end, and Oklahoma can do that.” Alabama – “Alabama has a history of winning, they have more of a winning situation than Clemson. I mean Clemson is really good too, but Alabama has a better coach, everybody wants to go to Alabama to play football, when you are talking football Alabama is the big dog in football.” Clemson – “Clemson could keep up with Alabama in points, they also have the best d-line that could put pressure on Bama. They could maybe do like Georgia, they are a good football team and the only one besides Alabama that has a chance. The rematch and then the upset, Clemson wins this one.” Notre Dame – Despite all the love for the Fighting Irish and all the National Championship picks for them, no one wanted to go on record as to how or why they would win. “It is just their year” and “just a feeling” were a few of the statements made. |
By Josh Mehay
Contributor
Alabama
For the Tide it is business as usual. They head into the College Football Playoff with another 13 win season. There is no debate on whether they are the best team in the nation. They have made the SEC gauntlet look easy, again.
Defense wins championships, and no one plays defense like they do in Tuscaloosa. The offense is what will put this year’s Crimson Tide over the top and it starts with Tua Tagovailoa. Tua put up huge numbers in limited time and knows how to win. The offense is firing on all cylinders and for now, no one has been able to stop them. Add in the best coach in the history of College Football in Nick Saban and you have your favorite.
Georgia exposed the Tide’s weakness, if you can get to Tua, you can disrupt him. I don’t think any of the four have a chance to get that kind of pressure. Can anyone match Georgia? No.
Clemson
Early season was a mess for Clemson. They were almost knocked off by Syracuse and Texas A&M. They had a quarterback controversy, then a key injury at the position. The bright side is that it looks to be figured out and the Tigers have been beating weak opponents candidly.
Clemson has a great defensive line that can pressure on the quarterback. They also have great athletes on both sides of the ball that can and will make plays. The Clemson running backs are the best in the country. The offensive line anchored by Mitch Hyatt has given Lawrence a clean pocket all season and can open holes for the halfbacks.
Clemson drawbacks are big ones. They have played a weak schedule and have struggled at times. They also have a true freshman, Trevor Lawrence, starting as quarterback. It is worth noting the controversy surrounding head coach Dabo Swinney, that he may be leaving Death Valley soon.
Notre Dame
The Fighting Irish finished with a 12-0 record with a close win in Southern California. They have played close games all season, even with teams like Ball State. Like their next opponent, they too made a quarterback switch in season that seems to have paid off.
The Irish are not the best in the country for any position group. They do not have the elite athletes of the teams ahead of them. They do know how to win. They have heart and dedication to the program. The interesting thing will be to see how they respond to the big stage. They do have similar opponents to Clemson with better results, but the team has more questions than answers.
Notre Dame has played the weakest schedule of any of the playoff teams, according to ESPN. They have not shown they can score and win a shootout. History has shown us that teams coached by Brian Kelly tend to collapse late in the season, could this be the year it doesn’t happen?
Oklahoma
The Sooners punched their ticket to the College Football Playoff by avenging an early season loss to Texas in the Big 12 Championship game. They played many close games this season but nearly all were shootouts. If you love offense and 50 plus points, you will love Oklahoma.
They have a high-flying offense that can put up points in bunches, quickly. They are loaded with both talent and depth at the offensive skill positions. The Sooners lost Baker Mayfield who went #1 overall in the NFL draft, but Kyler Murray hasn’t missed a beat. The receiving corps lead by Marquise Brown could very well be top in the nation.
The interesting question for the Big 12 Champs is; Can they put up points on a defense like Alabama? The worrisome part of picking Oklahoma to win it all is their lack of defense. Oklahoma will have to match their opponents scoring in order to have shot at the title.
