College Football Championship 2016: Schedule, Updated Odds and Predictions
We are just days away from the start of college football's bowl season and a couple of weeks from the second College Football Playoff.
The playoff festivities kick off on New Year's Eve, with two semifinal games featuring a fun array of storylines.
This year's playoff will feature two of the three Heisman finalists, the most dominant dynasty of the past decade and a team that hasn't won a national title since the 1960s.
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| Thursday, Dec. 31 | 4 p.m. | No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 4 Oklahoma (-4) | ESPN |
| Thursday, Dec. 31 | 8 p.m. | No. 2 Alabama (-9.5) vs. No. 3 Michigan State | ESPN |
| Monday, Jan. 11 | 8:30 p.m. | TBD | ESPN |
Orange Bowl: No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 4 Oklahoma
The fact that Oklahoma is favored in this matchup is mildly surprising, and it may actually say more about the size of its fanbase and where the expected betting money will be placed rather than the matchup itself.
The Sooners closed out the season as one of the hottest teams in college football, scoring 50 or more points in six of their final eight games.
However, the Sooners haven't faced a defense with anything close to Clemson's talent since they played Tennessee in early September, when the Vols held Oklahoma to just 17 points in regulation.
Led by potential first-round picks Shaq Lawson, Mackensie Alexander and Jayron Kearse, the Clemson defense is loaded with talent and should be able to contain the Sooners offense.
The Tigers defense showed off its ability to slow down the high-powered offense of North Carolina in the ACC title game. The Tar Heels entered the game averaging 496 yards of total offense per game, but they were held to just 382 against Clemson—their lowest output of the season.
If Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables, who previously held the same position under Bob Stoops at Oklahoma, can generate the same type of production against the Sooners, Clemson should be able to advance to the championship game.
Prediction: Clemson 31, Oklahoma 28
Cotton Bowl: No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 3 Michigan State
Alabama justifiably enters this game as a heavy favorite, but Michigan State may not be a great matchup for Nick Saban's defense.
While the Crimson Tide defense has been dominant throughout most of the SEC schedule, it's worth mentioning that Alabama cruised through a long list of teams with quarterbacks who were more so liabilities than strengths.
Even the stronger teams on Alabama's schedule, such as Florida (Treon Harris) and LSU (Brandon Harris), did not have the quarterback play to support strengths in other areas.
The one team Alabama faced with obvious NFL talent at quarterback was Ole Miss.
Led by Chad Kelly, the Rebels hung 433 yards of total offense and 43 points on the Crimson Tide defense.
Of course, Michigan State's hopes of repeating Ole Miss' performance hinge on the health of its quarterback, Connor Cook.
Cook missed the Spartans battle with Ohio State due to a shoulder injury and was bothered by it for the remainder of the season.
According to ESPN.com's Dan Murphy, Cook stated he "obviously wasn't 100 percent" in the Big Ten Championship Game, but he hopes to be healthy for the playoffs.
With a healthy Cook, Michigan State should be able to keep this matchup closer than the spread and potentially pull off the upset.
Prediction: Alabama 28, Michigan State 24
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
