Bleacher Report Expert Picks for College Football Playoff Semifinals

Soon.

The 2015-16 College Football Playoff starts Thursday, New Year's Eve, at 4 p.m. ET with the Orange Bowl between No. 1 Clemson and No. 4 Oklahoma. Following that game at 8 p.m. ET will be the Cotton Bowl between No. 2 Alabama and No. 3 Michigan State. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN.

As one would expect, there is no shortage of storylines. Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield might consider himself the most disrespected former high school recruit ever and will let anybody willing to ask why hear for themselves.

That's not all. Michigan State, whether it officially wants to or not, has been deemed the great underdog against Alabama. Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press, via ABC News, most notably pushed the story of the Spartans' 3-star players versus the Tide's 5-star players. 

All the angles are fun to talk about, but we'll get to watch actual football in earnest. Before the semifinals kick off, it's time for Bleacher Report Lead Writers Michael Felder, Barrett Sallee, Adam Kramer, Ben Kercheval and Greg Couch to make their picks. 

B/R

Four of the five experts picked Alabama to roll over Michigan State with Sallee noting, "Alabama will never be threatened by Michigan State." 

Kramer was slightly more understated, but said confidently, "Now that he's healthy, Alabama running back Kenyan Drake will play a bigger role in the Cotton Bowl than people think. He changes that offense entirely." 

For the Orange Bowl, Kercheval noted: "The subtle difference-maker in this game will be Clemson running back Wayne Gallman. Oklahoma running back Samaje Perine gets a lot of attention, but Gallman is a tough inside runner and the Sooners have struggled with power-running games before. When Clemson needs to grind out a win, they'll rely on Gallman." 

For Bleacher Report's entire bowl predictions, click here. The updated standings for this year's expert picks can be viewed in the table below:

Michael Felder	Barrett Sallee	Adam Kramer	Ben Kercheval	Greg Couch
70-41	76-35	79-32	65-46	70-41

*Standings through games of Jan. 2, 2016

Who do you think will win this year's playoff semifinals? Make your voice heard in the comment section below.