College Football Playoff Championship 2015: Date and Predictions for Title Match
The 2014 college football season began with every team, realistically or not, dreaming of a national championship. As we enter bowl season, that dream is alive for only four teams, and the initial College Football Playoff could not have scripted a more enticing group.
The defending national champion Florida State Seminoles are in the field. The Heisman Trophy winner and the rest of the Oregon Ducks are in the field. The mighty Alabama Crimson Tide are in the field. Finally, the Ohio State Buckeyes, playing the unusual role of underdog with a third-string quarterback, are in the field.
The two semifinal showdowns and eventual national championship game are sure to thrill fans across the nation. Here is a look at the schedule and some predictions for the College Football Playoff.
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2015 Rose Bowl: No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 3 Florida State
When: Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015
Where: Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, California
Start Time (ET): 5 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
2015 Sugar Bowl: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Ohio State
When: Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015
Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans
Start Time (ET): 8:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: Watch ESPN
2015 National Championship
When: Jan. 12, 2015
Where: AT&T Stadium, Dallas
Start Time (ET): 8:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: Watch ESPN
Predicted Title Game Participants
The Rose Bowl is traditionally a clash between the Big Ten and the Pac-12, but it had to settle for the Pac-12 and the ACC instead.
Matching the last two Heisman Trophy winners in Florida State’s Jameis Winston and Oregon’s Marcus Mariota is surely an impressive consolation prize.
The Ducks are seen as the favorites because the Seminoles sneaked past so many overmatched opponents, such as North Carolina State, Clemson, Notre Dame, Miami and Florida, this season. Still, Florida State has not lost in the past two seasons and has championship experience that Oregon does not yet have.
Florida State will have to find a way to slow down Oregon’s high-octane offensive attack, which was led by Mariota’s 3,783 passing yards, 38 touchdown throws, 669 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns this season. Royce Freeman added 1,299 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns as the physical presence alongside Mariota.
That rushing game could be a problem for a Florida State squad that gave up 331 rushing yards to Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship Game.
Florida State should counter with plenty of points of its own. Winston is the marquee name, but freshman running back Dalvin Cook gave the Seminoles an extra dimension down the stretch with 392 rushing yards in his last two games.
Oregon’s defense was also a dismal 103rd in the nation against the pass, and that was with standout cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, who is now done for the season with a torn ACL. That means wide receiver Rashad Greene and tight end Nick O'Leary could have their way against an overmatched Ducks secondary.
With two powerful offenses and a vulnerable Oregon defense (statistically), there will be some firepower in this game. However, the Ducks’ ability to force turnovers will be a major storyline. They were eighth in the country in points off turnovers, while Florida State was an abysmal 116th in the country with 27 turnovers.
A late Florida State turnover will be the ultimate difference in a back-and-forth game. Mariota will take advantage of the short field in the fourth quarter and clinch a spot in the title game.
Prediction: Oregon 34, Florida State 24
As for the Sugar Bowl, Ohio State’s offense, which was fourth in the nation in points per game, will present a challenge to Alabama’s stiff defense, which was fourth in the nation in points allowed per game.
If the Buckeyes are going to pull off the upset, they will need to attack through the air against Alabama’s 60th-ranked pass defense with receivers Devin Smith, Jalin Marshall and Michael Thomas.
A few big plays in the passing game could open up some running lanes for Ezekiel Elliott and the Ohio State rushing attack. Elliott torched Wisconsin for 220 rushing yards in the 59-0 win in the Big Ten Championship Game and drew some praise from Dom Tiberi of 10TV in Columbus:
Still, the Crimson Tide were second in the nation against the run, which means third-string quarterback Cardale Jones may need to make some plays with his arm. That is exactly what he did against Wisconsin, but going up against the Crimson Tide is an entirely different task.
Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide coaching staff have plenty of time to draw up a game plan for a quarterback making his second career start, which is a worrisome proposition for Ohio State fans regardless of how many weapons Jones has at his disposal.
It’s not as scary as facing Heisman Trophy finalist wide receiver Amari Cooper and his 1,656 receiving yards and 14 touchdown catches, though. That is what Ohio State cornerback Doran Grant will be asked to do, although he will likely get some help from his safeties.
Ohio State defensive coordinator Chris Ash discussed the prospects of facing Cooper, via Ohio State’s official Twitter account:
A few big plays downfield to Cooper will open up the rushing attack for T.J. Yeldon and Derrick Henry against a Buckeyes defense that allowed more than 200 yards on the ground to Indiana and Minnesota. Yes, Ohio State shut down Melvin Gordon, but that was partially because Wisconsin found itself behind by so much in the first half and had to go away from the running game.
The Buckeyes will have to pick their poison on defense against a number of future NFL players. That will ultimately prove to be too much in an otherwise close game, especially since Jones has not faced any real adversity yet in his young quarterbacking career and won’t be able to counter in the final minutes.
Prediction: Alabama 31, Ohio State 28
Predicted Championship Game Matchup: Oregon vs. Alabama
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