College Football Playoff 2015-16: Stat Projections for Top Players in Semifinals

Bowl season is just around the corner with the culmination of two weeks of postseason play coming in the College Football Playoff. 

In semifinal games designated for the Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl this year, the top four teams will duke it out for a trip to the national championship game where some of the country's best talent will be on display. 

Here is the schedule and matchups for the two semifinal games on New Year's Eve:

Orange Bowl (4 p.m. ET): No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 4 Oklahoma

Cotton Bowl (8 p.m. ET): No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 3 Michigan State

Let's take a look at how some of the top players might fare in their respective semifinal matchups:

Deshaun Watson vs. Oklahoma (Orange Bowl)

Clemson's quarterback was a runner-up for the Heisman Trophy after a monster season that saw him throw for over 3,500 yards and rush for an additional 887. 

Four times this season, Watson passed for over 275 yards and rushed for over 100 in a single game as he led the Tigers to the top spot in the CFP rankings. He's also found ways to win against some of the toughest teams in the nation:

Opponent	Defensive Rank	Comp/Att	Yards	TD	INT	Rush Yards	TD
Louisville	13th	21/30	199	2	2	54	0
Notre Dame	38th	10/21	84	2	1	93	1
Boston College	1st	27/41	420	3	2	32	1
NC State	19th	23/30	383	5	0	54	1
Florida St.	15th	28/42	297	1	0	107	0

Facing an Oklahoma defense ranked 31st in the nation, the Sooners are allowing a little over 350 yards per game this season. They are stingy against the pass, allowing 2,418 yards through the air. Quarterbacks against the Sooners have an efficiency rating of 108.03, per NCAA.com, ranked 12th in the nation. 

However, they haven't played a quarterback the likes of Watson. When playing some of the best offensive schools in the nation in Baylor and TCU, Oklahoma avoided lining up against Seth Russell and Trevone Boykin, both of whom were out with injuries. 

It would have been a decent gauge to see how Oklahoma would handle Watson by how they played Boykin, as he holds the same sort of athleticism, though without the same kind of arm.

The Sooners will have a tough time trying to hold Watson down as he is just one of a few weapons Clemson holds, like running back Wayne Gallman, who will require plenty of attention. 

Watson Stat Projections: 24-of-37, 289 Passing Yards, 75 Rushing Yards, 3 Total Touchdowns

Derrick Henry vs. Michigan State (Cotton Bowl)

One of the most unpleasant sights for a defender has to be Alabama running back and Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry running at you full speed.

The upright-running, tackle-breaking, deceptively speedy rusher broke Herschel Walker's SEC record for yards in a single season with 1,986 on an Alabama team that is appearing in its second straight College Football Playoff. 

A large reason why the Crimson Tide are back is because of Henry, who accounted for over 35 percent of the team's total offense this season. He has rushed the ball 339 times this season, including 46 and 44 attempts, respectively, in his last two games. Starting quarterback Jake Coker has attempted just 338 passes.

ESPN takes a look at some of his best moments from this season:

The quality of the opposing defense or the result of the game didn't matter; Henry was going to put up big numbers. He rushed for over 100 yards nine times and over 200 yards four times (including 271 against Auburn). 

But Michigan State has the seventh-best run defense in the nation, averaging a little over 113 yards per game this season—which normally would mean that Henry might have a tough time in the Cotton Bowl. Yet, Henry took on the fourth-best rushing defense in the nation in Wisconsin to open the season and all he did was thrash them for 147 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries. 

Alabama is going to put the ball in Henry's hands, especially with a trip to the national championship on the line, and Henry is going to have a Henry night. 

Prediction: 33 Rushes, 195 Yards, 2 Touchdowns

Stats courtesy of ESPN.com