So we’ve arrived. The final College Football Playoff rankings are out, and we have the semifinal matchups set. We are in for a fun postseason.
The Matchups
Semifinal #1: Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (Atlanta, Georgia) - #1 Alabama vs. #4 Washington on December 31st
Semifinal #2: PlayStation Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, Arizona) - #2 Clemson vs. #3 Ohio State on December 31st
Semifinal #1
Here we have the Crimson Tide against the Huskies. In most people’s opinion, Alabama has looked untouchable all season. On the other hand, the Huskies have had their best season in a long, long time under coach Chris Petersen. Alabama is led by their ferocious defense, complemented by a strong rushing attack led by freshman Jalen Hurts. Opposing them, Washington is led by record-setting Jake Browning, who has a strong group of weapons surrounding him, including record-setting receiver John Ross, Myles Gaskin, and Dante Pettis. Washington’s defense is no joke either, with an extremely fast secondary, and a deceptively powerful defensive line.
When we get down to it, nobody expects Washington to put up a fight. Everyone expects Alabama to keep rolling and go right through Washington. Washington’s hope is that Jake Browning can make some throws early and create some momentum for Washington to use their offense to keep them in the game. If Washington can make some plays against that powerful defense, they might be able to hang around.
Semifinal #2
This one looks a little closer to most people. Clemson has had an up and down season, with some big wins surrounded by close games that were baffling, and a truly confounding loss to Pittsburgh. Ohio State has had a great year in a truly tough Big Ten, with their one loss coming in a great upset game against Penn State. Deshaun Watson, who has had an underwhelming year, leads Clemson, along with a great receiver in Mike Williams, and a solid defense (which needs to find some consistency). Ohio State is in a similar situation, with a good defense that needs to step up, and a great offense with JT Barrett. Ohio State also has the best coach in the country in Urban Meyer.
This game could honestly go either way, but I think the coaching talent of Urban Meyer along with the fact Ohio State seems more battle tested throughout this season tips the scales in Ohio State’s favor.
In this scenario that would leave us with a national championship matchup of #1 Alabama vs. #3 Ohio State. Most people would still favor Alabama in this situation, but if JT Barrett made some plays he could keep Ohio State in the game.
Any way this situation plays out, we are in for a great College Football Playoff this year.
