NCAA Football Playoff 2015-16: Full TV Schedule, Odds and Projections

Although the games are still three weeks away, the College Football Playoff semifinal matchups have finally been set.

It should be two good games between the Top Four teams in the country.

The Clemson Tigers and Oklahoma Sooners will test their defenses with high-flying offenses, while the Alabama Crimson Tide and Michigan State Spartans should play some old-school, smashmouth football on the gridiron.

Here is a look at the matchups, TV schedule and some projections for the games:

Date	Bowl	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV	Odds	Spread Pojections
Dec. 31	Orange Bowl	No.1 Clemson vs. No. 4 Oklahoma	4 p.m	ESPN	Oklahoma -3.5	Clemson
Dec. 31	Cotton Bowl	No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 3 Michigan State	8 p.m.	ESPN	Alabama -10	Michigan State
Jan. 11	National Championship Bowl	TBA	8:30	ESPN	N/A	N/A

Orange Bowl: Let There Be Points

Clemson and Oklahoma like to score. The Sooners average 45.6 points per game, while the Tigers put up 38.5. 

ESPN ranks Oklahoma No. 9 in offensive team efficiency, and the Tigers are 13th. In contrast to the Cotton Bowl, Alabama is ranked 22nd and Michigan State 25th.

Since an early-season loss to the Texas Longhorns, Oklahoma has won seven in a row while scoring 52 points per game. Clemson tagged the No. 10 North Carolina Tar Heels for 45 in the ACC Championship Game.

En route to all the points, both teams are chewing up yardage along the way, per ESPN.com's David Hale:

We've established that these teams can score, but what about the defense? Well, they both do that pretty well, too.

ESPN ranks Clemson No. 2 and Oklahoma No. 4 in defensive team efficiency, so it's not a huge difference there. When you throw special teams into the mix, Oklahoma is No. 2 and Clemson is No. 3.

The revenge factor may come into play for the Sooners, who lost to the Tigers in last year's Russell Athletic Bowl, 40-6.

They have already beaten four of the five teams they lost to last season, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Neither team should give up 40 in this game, but there will be plenty of points scored. Oklahoma's offense will be too much for Clemson as the Sooners move on to the national championship game with a close victory.

Prediction: Oklahoma wins, 34-31

Nick Saban Will Beat His Old Team, But It Won't Come Easy

Forget about the 10-point spread in this one. Michigan State lost one controversial game this year, by one point. They held an undefeated Iowa Hawkeyes team to 13 points in the Big Ten Championship Game. 

They aren't losing by 10-plus points. That being said, Alabama is going to win this game.

Head coach Nick Saban was at the helm of the Spartans from 1995-99, and bolted for the LSU Tigers after finishing his final regular season 9-2. He left before the team won its first bowl game in nine seasons.

Mark Dantonio took over Michigan State in 2007 and has won 10-plus games five of the past six seasons.

He's instilled a strong work ethic in his team, and he talked about how proud he was of the Spartans after they won the Big Ten championship, per ESPN.com: "Our football team knows how to win. We can play it out. We don't count ourselves out. When some things aren't going so well, we keep playing as evidence by the game."

All of that is true, but Alabama knows a thing or two about winning as well. Saban has three national titles with the Crimson Tide, and he comes into the game with another strong team.

ESPN Stats & Info provided a stat that proves just that:

ESPN analytics writer Sharon Katz shared via Twitter the FPI gives Alabama a more-than-healthy chance to win the game:

Since an early-season loss to the Ole Miss Rebels, the Crimson Tide have reeled off 10 straight wins and allowed an opponent to score more than 20 points only once.

This is a team built to win a national championship. Michigan State will put up a fight, but Saban and Alabama will come out on top.

Prediction: Alabama wins, 24-20