College Football Playoff 2016-17: Bowl Schedule, Championship Predictions
We're nearly a full week into the 2016-17 college football bowl season, and we've already been treated to some entertaining, high-scoring affairs.
The third annual College Football Playoff features plenty of talent on the offensive side of the ball and should continue the trend of exciting offensive performances.
As we await the playoff, which kicks off on New Year's Eve, here's a look at the remaining bowl schedule and a breakdown of the two semifinal games.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
| Thursday, Dec. 22 | |||
| Potato | 7 p.m. | Idaho vs. Colorado State (-15) | CSU |
| Friday, Dec. 23 | |||
| Bahamas | 1 p.m. | Old Dominion (-4) vs. Eastern Michigan | EMU |
| Armed Forces | 4:30 p.m. | Louisiana Tech (-6.5) vs. Navy | NAVY |
| Dollar General | 8 p.m. | Ohio vs. Troy (-4) | OHIO |
| Saturday, Dec. 24 | |||
| Hawaii | 8 p.m. | Hawaii vs. Middle Tennessee | HAW |
| Monday, Dec. 26 | |||
| St. Petersburg | 11 a.m. | Mississippi State (-14) vs. Miami (Ohio) | MSST |
| Quick Lane | 2:30 p.m. | Boston College (-1) vs. Maryland | MD |
| Independence | 5 p.m. | NC State (-4) vs. Vanderbilt | NCST |
| Tuesday, Dec. 27 | |||
| Heart of Dallas | Noon | Army (-10) vs. North Texas | ARMY |
| Military | 3:30 p.m. | Wake Forest vs. Temple (-11.5) | TEM |
| Holiday | 7 p.m. | Minnesota vs. Washington State (-10) | WSU |
| Cactus | 10:15 p.m. | Baylor vs. Boise State (-7.5) | BSU |
| Wednesday, Dec. 28 | |||
| Pinstripe | 2 p.m. | Northwestern vs. Pitt (-5.5) | PITT |
| Russell Athletic | 5:30 p.m. | Miami (Florida) (-2.5) vs. West Virginia | WVU |
| Foster Farms | 8:30 p.m. | Indiana vs. Utah (-7.5) | UTAH |
| Texas | 9 p.m. | Kansas State vs. Texas A&M (-2.5) | TA&M |
| Thursday, Dec. 29 | |||
| Birmingham | 2 p.m. | USF (-10.5) vs. South Carolina | USF |
| Belk | 5:30 p.m. | Virginia Tech (-7) vs. Arkansas | ARK |
| Alamo | 9 p.m. | Oklahoma State vs. Colorado (-3) | COL |
| Friday, Dec. 30 | |||
| Arizona | 5:30 p.m. | Air Force (-13) vs. South Alabama | AF |
| Liberty | Noon | TCU vs. Georgia (-1) | UGA |
| Sun | 2 p.m. | North Carolina vs. Stanford (-3.5) | UNC |
| Music City | 3:30 p.m. | Nebraska vs. Tennessee (-3) | NEB |
| Orange | 8 p.m. | Michigan (-7) vs. Florida State | FSU |
| Saturday, Dec. 31 | |||
| Peach | 3 p.m. | Alabama (-15) vs. Washington | WASH |
| Fiesta | 7 p.m. | Ohio State (-3.5) vs. Clemson | CLEM |
| TaxSlayer | 11 a.m. | Georgia Tech (-3.5) vs. Kentucky | UK |
| Citrus | 11 a.m. | Louisville vs. LSU (-3.5) | LSU |
| Monday, Jan. 2 | |||
| Outback | 1 p.m. | Florida (-2.5) vs. Iowa | IOWA |
| Cotton | 1 p.m. | Western Michigan vs. Wisconsin (-7.5) | WMU |
| Rose | 5 p.m. | Penn State vs. USC (-6.5) | USC |
| Sugar | 8:30 p.m. | Auburn vs. Oklahoma (-3) | OKLA |
| Monday, Jan. 9 | |||
| CFP National Championship | 8:30 p.m. | TBD | TBD |
Ohio State vs. Clemson
The Ohio State Buckeyes are a three-point favorite in this matchup, but the Clemson Tigers won't be intimidated by being underdogs. Over the past three seasons, Clemson has been underdogs six times and has won three of the games outright, according to ScoresAndOdds.com.
For Ohio State to avoid the upset, it'll need to get running back Mike Weber involved.
Weber averaged over six yards per carry this season, but Ohio State was reluctant to feed him the ball as often as it used Ezekiel Elliott a season ago. Weber had 15 or more carries in just five games, and he hasn't eclipsed the 15-carry mark since Oct. 22 against Penn State.
In 2015, Ohio State gave Elliott at least 15 carries in all but two games, including six games in which he topped 25 rushing attempts.
Clemson has been vulnerable against elite running backs this season, so the Buckeyes could look to get Weber involved early to establish the running game:
| Dalvin Cook, FSU | 19 | 169 | 4 | W, 37-34 |
| James Conner, PITT | 20 | 132 | 1 | L, 43-42 |
One of the keys for Clemson will be getting pressure on Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett.
Clemson defensive end Christian Wilkins primarily lines up over the right tackle, which means he will often be drawing the matchup with Ohio State's Isaiah Prince, who has often been the weak link on the Buckeyes' offensive line this season.
If Wilkins can help Clemson limit the number of big plays by the Ohio State offense by keeping the pressure on Barrett, the Tigers could advance to their second straight national championship game.
Prediction: Clemson 27, Ohio State 24
Alabama vs. Washington
Jake Browning and the Washington Huskies offense torched Pac-12 defenses this season, racking up over 500 yards of offense in six of their 10 conference games.
However, the Huskies haven't faced a defense quite like the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Alabama held 11 of its 13 opponents under 17 points and under 300 yards of offense and will be the best unit Washington has faced this season.
It's worth noting, however, that Alabama hasn't been tested by many elite quarterbacks.
The most talented quarterback the Crimson Tide faced was Ole Miss' Chad Kelly, who lit up the Alabama secondary while leading the Rebels to 43 points and over 500 yards of offense. That performance by Kelly could provide a blueprint for Washington to follow.
Ultimately it's tough to pick the Huskies to win this game outright, but the 15-point spread doesn't give Washington's offensive firepower nearly enough credit.
Alabama is probably too well-rounded for Washington to pull off the upset, but Browning will put points on the board and should be able to keep this matchup relatively close.
Prediction: Alabama 38, Washington 31
Unless otherwise noted, all gambling information courtesy of OddsShark.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
