College Football Rankings: Complete Predictions for Top 4 Playoff Teams
The College Football Playoff has four teams and two juicy matchups in its maiden voyage to stray away from the controversy that plagued the prior BCS system.
However, Ohio State's move into the Top Four on the strength of a 59-0 rout in the Big Ten Championship Game. The Buckeyes will now take on the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl.
In the other marquee showdown, second-ranked Oregon will attempt to dethrone the defending national champion Florida State Seminoles. That should be a quarterback matchup for the ages between Ducks star Marcus Mariota and his counterpart Jameis Winston.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
But who will take home the top prize when the dust settles after this exciting conclusion to the college football season? Read on for some early predictions as to how the postseason picture will pan out.
Note: Statistics are courtesy of NCAA.com unless otherwise indicated. Odds were obtained from OddsShark.com.
Sugar Bowl: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Ohio State
Similar game plans should be deployed when these two high-profile programs meet. The Buckeyes have had trouble with the SEC in recent years, their win over Arkansas in the 2011 Sugar Bowl notwithstanding.
OSU coach Urban Meyer was at the helm of the Florida Gators team that blew out the Buckeyes 41-14 in the 2007 national title game. Now Meyer has a chance to lead Ohio State back to college football's promised land.
Unfortunately, Meyer and Co. have to go through Nick Saban, who has his Crimson Tide team on the verge of a potential third national title in four years. Both teams boast contrasting schematics on offense yet should stick to running the ball as much as possible.
What the game will come down to is the play under center. Even though Cardale Jones thrived in his starting debut as the Buckeyes blew out Wisconsin, the stakes are even higher now—and he has such little experience.
Cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs is nevertheless confident Meyer will devise a game plan to keep OSU within striking distance.
"One thing I've learned about (Meyer) is that he is brilliant at handling the dynamics of a team and handling whatever comes up during the course of the season," said Coombs, per USA Today's Paul Myerberg. "So whatever is, he'll have a well thought out plan."
On the other side, though, Blake Sims leads the Alabama huddle. The fifth-year senior was 23-of-27 passing for 262 yards and two touchdowns in the Tide's victory over Missouri in the SEC title game.
Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman praised Sims for making the most of his long-awaited chance to start:
Between T.J. Yeldon and Derrick Henry, Alabama might have the nation's most physical running back tandem. Oh, and by the way—Amari Cooper, the best receiver in college football, is Sims' No. 1 target in the passing game.
As hard-nosed of a runner as Buckeyes star Ezekiel Elliott is in his own right, he is the clear workhorse and is facing a Tide front seven that's surrendered just 2.81 yards per carry and three rushing TDs all year long.
It will eventually be on Jones to step up and make some big-time throws. Judging by how well he handled himself in the Wisconsin game, he'll produce at times, but he'll also succumb to Saban's tricky defense and send OSU home.
Prediction: Alabama 35, Ohio State 24
Rose Bowl: No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 3 Florida State
Mariota and Winston are going to jostle for the right to be chosen as the first QB in the 2015 NFL draft, presuming both declare as expected.
While it appears Mariota has the inside track because of his lack of off-field issues, Winston is the more pro-ready commodity between the white lines. Florida State's offense is a complicated pro-style system that Winston executes better than anyone else in the country could.
Bleacher Report draft expert Matt Miller believes both signal-callers will go high in the draft, regardless of the order in which they're chosen:
The Ducks rely more on speed, tempo and spreading defenses out to exploit matchups. That clash of offensive philosophies will certainly make this game interesting, as will the fact that the Seminoles have managed to stay undefeated despite Winston's proneness to turnovers late in the season.
In addition to Mariota's brilliance through the air, as he's accrued 38 touchdown tosses to just two interceptions, he is a lethal runner. He's helped Oregon rank 20th nationally in rushing offense, with the help of a backfield led by Royce Freeman, who has 16 rushing TDs to Mariota's 14.
FSU has a lot of talent on defense, yet it ranks 58th in the country versus the run. That isn't good enough to keep the Ducks' quick-hitting attack off the scoreboard. Thus, it comes down to how well Winston plays.
The sophomore signal-caller did come to life in guiding the Seminoles to an ACC title over Georgia Tech. NFL.com's Gil Brandt observed how Winston was off to a rare hot start after recent disasters out of the gate:
Since Winston has only one truly dependable receiver in senior Rashad Greene and will deal with an opposing defensive front that features DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead, he'll have his hands full.
Based on how the personnel from both sides match up, it isn't outlandish to endorse the Ducks as the 8.5-point favorites they are.
Prediction: Oregon 42, Florida State 27
Championship Bowl: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 2 Oregon
The Crimson Tide have struggled against dual-threat quarterbacks like Johnny Manziel and Trevor Knight, to name a couple, in recent years. Mariota will pose serious problems for an Alabama defense predicated more on assignment discipline and muscle than flash plays.
It will be vital for the Tide to stem Mariota's impact by keeping him off the field, relying heavily on Yeldon and Henry to get it done on the ground.
But unlike the Ohio State game, in which Saban has a ton of time to plan for an inexperienced QB, this is a situation where Mariota is simply too good to be denied.
Oregon's leader has proved himself time and again. Mariota will do all he can to silence any doubters who claim he's such a huge success because of the system he's in. Don't be shocked when Mariota does just that.
Coming off a physically punishing game against Elliott and Ohio State, this is a bad situation for the Tide's defense to walk into. Their legs are going to be a bit heavy, and Mariota, Freeman and the rest of the Ducks playmakers will make them pay.
Securing a win in the national championship would give the Pac-12 some serious clout moving forward, and also make a move toward diminishing SEC bias. While the nation's most reputable conference does deserve its gaudy status, Mariota and the Ducks represent a modernized version of football, a stark deviation from Saban's old-school approach.
Prediction: Oregon 38, Alabama 31
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
