College Football Playoff Championship 2015: Odds and Predictions for Semifinals

There are varied opinions on the College Football Playoff field, but it's hard to deny the fact that the committee created two exciting matchups in the semifinals.

With Alabama, Oregon, Florida State and Ohio State, fans can watch four top programs with coaches who know what they're doing and plenty of elite players ready to make an impact in the NFL before too long. Although fans of TCU and Baylor are not happy with the outcome, the rest of the country should be excited.

The big question now is which two teams can survive and advance to play for the national championship. Although any squad is capable of surprises, here are predictions for the two semifinals both straight up and against the spread, courtesy of Odds Shark.

Rose Bowl: Oregon (-9.5) vs. Florida State

Oregon fans might be the happiest people in the new playoff situation because the Ducks would likely be the odd man out in the BCS days. This would almost be a travesty based on the way they have been playing lately.

Since losing to Arizona, Oregon has won eight games in a row while scoring at least 40 points per game in each. The latest win came against the Wildcats in the Pac-12 Championship Game, avenging the only loss in the year.

Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports notes how dominant the squad has been:

This overall play puts the Ducks in the best position to win a title, according to ESPN Stats and Info:

Of course, this will not be the blowout many are expecting. While Florida State struggled in many of its recent games, it always found a way to come out on top while extending its winning streak to 29 games.

Jameis Winston has had an up-and-down year, but he looked as good as ever with three touchdowns and no interceptions in the ACC Championship Game win over Georgia Tech. Jalen Ramsey—who will be extremely important defensively with his ability to cover the majority of the field—is not scared of anyone:

With the talent on the roster and the mental strength to win games in any situation over the past two years, the Seminoles will at least keep this game close enough to cover the spread.

Still, Oregon is just too dynamic offensively behind Marcus Mariota with Royce Freeman and Byron Marshall also making big plays. This will be enough to come through with a win in a high-scoring battle.

Prediction: Oregon 45, Florida State 38

Sugar Bowl: Alabama (-9) vs. Ohio State

Everyone who has followed college football over the past few years can't be surprised to see Alabama ranked No. 1 in the country, but Ohio State coach Urban Meyer summed up this year's team:

The Crimson Tide are known for their running ability, which is as strong as ever behind T.J. Yeldon and Derrick Henry. However, the difference is the expanded passing game with Blake Sims throwing the ball to Heisman candidate Amari Cooper.

If you used to be bored watching Alabama, that is no longer the case.

At the same time, Meyer's thoughts about the Tide defense are right on as well. Safety Landon Collins leads a tough group that ranks fourth in the nation with just 16.6 points allowed per game.

This will create quite a challenge for Cardale Jones, who is making his second career start in this game after the injury to J.T. Barrett. As Bleacher Report's Adam Lefkoe noted, the Buckeyes were just as dominant with the backup quarterback under center:

The problem is that Alabama has the big men up front capable of slowing down Ezekiel Elliott, who is the real key to Ohio State's offense. A lack of a run game will put a lot more pressure on Jones to make plays, which is likely to cause problems for such an inexperienced player.

Nick Saban's team has played and beaten some of the best teams in the nation, and the Buckeyes will be the next victim on the list.

Prediction: Alabama 27, Ohio State 14

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for the latest breaking news and analysis.