College Football Playoff 2016-17: Predictions, Odds, Schedule for Final 4 Teams
The 2016 college football season is drawing to a close. Bowl games are set to begin, and individual awards are starting to come out. It's not yet time to fret, though, football fans. The biggest event of the collegiate season is still ahead.
We're talking about the College Football Playoff, of course. Beginning on December 31, the four best teams in the country will begin their mini-tournament for the national title. In case you weren't already aware (and if that's the case, where the heck have you been?), the four teams in the playoff are Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Washington.
Today, we're going to take a look ahead at the two semifinal games coming at the end of the year. We will be examining each game individually and making some of our own predictions.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
What: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Washington
When: December 31, 2016
Time: 3 p.m. ET
Line (courtesy of OddsShark.com): Alabama -16
Predictions
There are a couple of reasons why Alabama is considered a huge favorite in this game. It finished the year with a perfect 13-0 record, it has an offense that produces 40.5 points per game and has the nation's top scoring defense (11.8 points per game allowed).
Washington isn't exactly a bad team, of course. It averages 44.5 points per game while allowing just 17.2 points per contest. In our opinion, though, these numbers are skewed a bit by Washington's strength of schedule.
USA Today ranks Washington's strength of schedule 41st in the nation, while Alabama's is ranked 12th. This tells us that Alabama's impressive numbers have come against superior competition.
However, this doesn't mean the Crimson Tide is simply going to run away with a victory here. Our first prediction is that Washington makes things tough on the Tide with its passing attack.
Huskies quarterback Jake Browning has consistently sliced through opposing defenses this season, en route to first-team All-Pac-12 honors. Alabama has shown few weaknesses this season, but the defense has been susceptible to the pass on occasion.
"Don’t forget about Ole Miss’ Chad Kelly," Stewart Mandel of FotxSports.com recently wrote. "The last QB to beat the Tide, on Sept. 19, 2015, came back this season and threw for 421 yards and three touchdowns. It’s been a while since the Tide faced someone as capable as Kelly, much less Jake Browning, Deshaun Watson or J.T. Barrett."
Don't be surprised if Washington finds ways to put points on the board where many teams have failed.
We'll also predict that the Huskies defensive front will make life difficult on Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts early and often. If the Huskies can contain Alabama's rushing attack, they will have a tremendous chance of pulling off the upset on New Year's Eve.
We predict that this game is going to be closer than a lot of people think. Ultimately, though, we do predict that Alabama will come out on top.
PlayStation Fiesta Bowl
What: No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Ohio State
When: December 31, 2016
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Line: Ohio State -3.5
Predictions
As you might expect from a matchup pitting the No. 2 team against the No. 3 team, the Fiesta Bowl is widely expected to be a closer affair.
The Ohio State Buckeyes, who average 42.7 points per game and allow just 14.2, are slight favorites over Clemson. The Tigers average 40.2 points per game and allow an average of 18.4 points per contest.
As is the case with Alabama and Washington, the strength of schedule can give us a bit more insight into the quality of these two teams. USA Today ranks Ohio State seventh in strength of schedule while ranking Clemson 34th.
Our first prediction here is that Ohio State's defense, which is third in the nation in points allowed, will set the tone for the game early. This could tilt the game in the Buckeyes' favor, as Clemson has grown accustomed to putting up points with frequency. The Buckeyes, coming off an overtime victory against Michigan, are a bit more used to grinding out victories.
Our next prediction for this game is an obvious one. The Tigers will go as quarterback Deshaun Watson goes. Watson is a supreme college talent and was recently named the nation's top quarterback for the second year in a row.
However, Watson has also shown a penchant for turnovers this season. He has thrown 15 interceptions in 2016 and has four games with multiple picks. It's difficult to imagine Clemson coming out on top here if Watson is struggling.
This brings us to our overall prediction for the game. We do indeed believe that the Ohio State defense will cause Watson to make some game-altering mistakes. We would expect a high scoring game here with a late score or forced turnover shifting the game in Ohio State's favor.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
