College Football Rankings 2014: Playoff Championship Predictions After Last Poll
The guessing is over. The debating most certainly is not.
The college football playoff is set, and SportsCenter on Twitter posted the schools lucky enough to make the cut:
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
It's a disappointing day at TCU and Baylor—and a disappointing day for the Big 12 in general. But despite the heartbreak that comes when deserving teams get shut out of the playoff, it's also a great day for college football, as the four teams that made the tournament promise to offer an exciting playoff.
Below, you'll find the playoff schedule and a prediction for each game.
Schedule
| Playoff Semifinal Rose Bowl | Thursday, January 1 | 5 p.m. | Oregon vs. Florida State | ESPN |
| Playoff Semifinal Sugar Bowl | Thursday, January 1 | 8:30 p.m. | Alabama vs. Ohio State | ESPN |
| National Championship | Monday, January 12 | 8:30 p.m. | TBD | ESPN |
All contests will be live streamed on WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app.
Sugar Bowl: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Ohio State
Nick Saban vs. Urban Meyer. Blake Sims, the senior quarterback who spent time as a running back and scout-team quarterback, vs. Cardale Jones, Ohio State's third-string quarterback thrust into the starting gig after injuries to Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett. The nation's fourth-stingiest defense in points allowed vs. the nation's fourth-best offense in points per game.
Oh baby, this one is going to be good.
Alabama might just be the most balanced team in college football. Sims and Amari Cooper lead a dangerous passing attack that has flourished under offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin. Cooper may be a Heisman finalist—he absolutely should be, at least—but Sims is really the story after throwing for 3,250 yards and 26 touchdowns this season.
"I don't know that I've ever seen a player go through any more than Blake went through for four years, and never once did he ever not do whatever he needed to do to help the team," Saban told
Ezekiel Elliott has rushed for 1,402 yards and 12 touchdowns. Devin Smith and Michael Thomas are a solid one-two punch at receiver. The defense, which has struggled against the run for much of the season, just held Heisman hopeful Melvin Gordon to 76 rushing yards on 26 carries.
The Buckeyes are red-hot. The Crimson Tide are red-hot. This game is going to be brilliant. Ultimately, however, Alabama's balance should be the difference in a game that seems destined to come down to the wire.
Prediction: Alabama wins, 35-31.
Rose Bowl: No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 3 Florida State
Had Florida State faltered at any point during a season that saw them survive close call after close call, it likely wouldn't have made the playoff. It didn't falter, however, and its perfect record was the cherry on top of an otherwise shaky resume.
The defending champions and custodians of a 29-game winning streak haven't faced a team as good as Oregon, however. Not even close.
Led by likely Heisman-winner Marcus Mariota, the Ducks have won eight straight and have beaten six of their last seven opponents by 20 or more points. They score a whopping 46.3 points per game (third in the nation) and average 546 yards per game (also third in the nation).
Where Florida State has generally survived the competition, Oregon has annihilated them.
Florida State fans will argue, of course, that the Seminoles never lost a game—while Oregon lost to Arizona 31-24 in early October. But that feels like a distant memory, especially after Oregon demolished the Wildcats in a rematch at the Pac-12 championship, 51-13.
Jameis Winston and company always seem to find a way to win, however. Joe Schad of ESPN joked about that very habit:
Still, it's hard to imagine Oregon keeping things close enough for the Seminoles to steal this one in the end. The Ducks have kicked things into a higher gear. By the time Florida State gets going, this one will be out of reach.
Prediction: Oregon wins, 42-24.
Championship Game
Outside of Tallahassee and Columbus, a matchup between Alabama and Oregon is the one most people likely want to see. And why not?
It would be the nation's most balanced team vs. the nation's most explosive team. It would feature arguably the two best players in the country in Cooper and Mariota. And it would have a coaching legend in Saban vs. Mark Helfrich, a coach building his own legend in the shadow of Chip Kelly.
In the end, these teams are both talented enough that picking one must be based on a hunch. SEC traditionalists might argue that Alabama will beat up on Oregon, but the Ducks have been better defensively than they are given credit for (and this Crimson Tide team is more finesse than we've seen in years past, anyway).
In the end, it's never a bad idea to take the team with the best quarterback. When that player also happens to be the best player in college football, period, it makes the decision easier. This game will be tight. It will be fun. It will be one to remember.
And it will be won by Oregon.
Prediction: Oregon wins, 27-23.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
