College Football Playoff : Predictions

   
   At 4:00 PM tomorrow, the second College Football Playoff will kick off with #1 Clemson taking on #4 Oklahoma in the Capital One Orange Bowl. After that game, #2 Alabama will square off against #3 Michigan State at 8:00 PM in the Goodyear Cotton bowl, which will wrap up the semifinal games. Many predictions have been made, and countless hours of film have been overanalyzed to find every nook and cranny in each team. These predictions I'm about to give you will not come from hours of research, but hours of watching the game as a true fan and observer.

Orange Bowl: Clemson 28, Oklahoma 21
Many people believe that Oklahoma will ride Baker Mayfield right to Glendale to win the title, but I don't think that's the case. Clemson reached the number one slot by being a balanced team. Their offense is ranked 11th in the nation, and their defense 7th. Dabo Sweeney has this team winning games on both sides of the ball, as seen in their most impressive wins against Notre Dame and North Carolina. In the game against Notre Dame, the Tigers kept an explosive and playmaking Quarterback in Deshone Kizer in check; one of the reasons they won that game. Granted that game was Kizers 3rd career start, but still, Clemson played them well. The Sooners of Oklahoma have rode to the playoffs on the back of Baker Mayfield, and have not counted on their defense like Clemson has. Clemson is the more balanced team, and with an offense led by the playmaking Deshaun Watson, they will outperform Oklahoma on both sides of the ball.

Cotton Bowl: Michigan State 14, Alabama 10
Alabama is the favorite to win this game, giving Michigan State 9.5 points in the spread. People see Derrick Henry and the Alabama offense as unstoppable; an immovable object. Isn't that what people saw in Ohio State? Michigan State has a defense that wants opponents to run the ball because the Spartan secondary is weak. Alabama is a team that loves to run the ball, and never truly threatens teams with their aerial attack. This Alabama offense mirrors the Ohio State offense, and the Spartans should love this matchup. The game will get even closer when Connor Cook goes under center and tries to pick apart the Tide on Defense. Alabama boasts the second best defense in the nation, and the best defense in the nation, and is almost impossible to beat without big plays. Sparty will need some big play moments from Cook in order to win, which is entirely possible in this game. I see Michigan State taking the cake in this semifinal game.

So for now, I predict Clemson and Michigan State to meet in the College Football National Championship. Once the games are over, I'll be back with my predictions to that game, once the semifinal games have been decided.