Clemson vs. Oklahoma: Odds and Score Prediction for Orange Bowl 2015
The College Football Playoff is finally here.
The festivities kick off with the Orange Bowl between Oklahoma and Clemson—the first playoff game for each school in the second year of college football's tournament.
Here's a look at the vital game information for the Orange Bowl as well as a preview of the matchup and a prediction on who will advance to the title game.
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| Thursday, Dec. 31 | 4 p.m. | No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 4 Oklahoma (-3.5) | Sun Life Stadium, Miami, Fla. |
Despite being the only undefeated FBS team and the obvious choice for the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, Clemson enters the Orange Bowl as a 3.5-point underdog to Oklahoma, according to Odds Shark.
The somewhat surprising spread is a result of Oklahoma's dominant performance down the stretch.
Since their upset loss to Texas in early October, the Sooners have rattled off seven straight victories, racking up over 500 yards of total offense in each contest.
Clemson hasn't faced an offense with Oklahoma's firepower, but the Tigers don't come into this matchup untested.
They picked up victories against three of the College Football Playoff committee's top 10 teams (Notre Dame, Florida State and North Carolina).
The biggest storyline in this matchup over the past few days has been the suspension of Clemson wide receiver Deon Cain and two others.
Cain finished tied for third on the team with 34 receptions as a freshman this season, so he isn't necessarily a critical piece of Clemson's offense. However, his loss takes away from the depth at a position that already isn't at full strength.
Clemson's leading receiver, Artavis Scott, is coming off early-December knee surgery, and he likely won't be playing at 100 percent during the Orange Bowl.
According to ESPN.com's Andrea Adelson, during Orange Bowl media day Tuesday, Scott stated, "I could have let it heal, but I don't have time for it to be healing."
With a healthy Scott, the Tigers offense can get by without Cain, but if Scott were to reinjure the knee or be severely limited during the game, Cain's absence could prove to be costly.
Despite the injuries and suspensions, Clemson enters this game with a roster loaded with NFL talent—the type of talent Oklahoma hasn't faced all season.
The most noticeable difference between Clemson and the Sooners' Big 12 opponents is on the defensive side of the ball, where Clemson has NFL talent at all levels with stars such as Shaq Lawson, Mackensie Alexander and Jayron Kearse.
Oklahoma likely won't be able to move the ball against Clemson's defense the way it sliced up the likes of Texas Tech and Oklahoma State.
Final Prediction: Clemson 38, Oklahoma 31
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