Peach Bowl 2016: Washington vs. Alabama TV Schedule and Live Stream
Only four teams are left standing in hopes of playing in the CFP National Championship on January 9. The 2016 Peach Bowl featuring the nation's No. 1 team, Alabama Crimson Tide, and the fourth-seeded Washington Huskies has the potential to be a very high-scoring affair, as both teams boast offenses that scored an average of at least 40 points per game during the regular season.
While the Crimson Tide are two touchdown favorites (-14) over the Huskies, according to Odds Shark, that won't trouble the underdogs at all, as they have been playing with something to prove all season long.
Let's take a quick look at all the game information you'll need in preparation for the first of two College Football Playoff games on New Year's Eve.
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Game info, TV and live stream
Date: Saturday, December 31
Time (ET): 3 p.m.
Location: Georgia Dome, Atlanta
Watch: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Game preview
With so much football happening this weekend, whether it be collegiate or professional, there's so much to be thankful for as the new year approaches. One of which is getting the opportunity to see how Huskies quarterback Jake Browning reacts to the toughest defense he's ever faced in the Crimson Tide.
Alabama's defense surrenders just 11.8 points per game to its opponents, which is the best in the nation. Washington knows how to put points on the board, scoring 44.5 points per game, which ranked fourth-best in the nation during the regular season.
It's unlikely that the Huskies will be able to put up those types of numbers against Alabama, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see a shootout between these two teams.
Browning has had an exceptional season, and with the exception of a couple games, he should've been named a Heisman finalist.
Throwing for 3,280 yards with 42 touchdowns to just seven interceptions, Browning is one of the best signal-callers in the nation, and he gets the chance to prove it against one of Nick Saban's best defensive units that he's had in the past few years.
For Alabama, they just have to do what they do best, and that's control the game on each side of the football.
When Alabama wants to run the ball and control the clock, its offense is very difficult to stop. To stop a dangerous offense like Washington's, keeping them off the field is Saban's best bet.
Establishing a strong run game mixed in with some play-action passes with some rollouts from freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts should be the bread and butter for the Crimson Tide against a fundamentally sound Huskies defense, which only allows 17.2 points per game to its opponents.
Prediction
The Huskies aren't going to roll over in this one. They'll use the underdog label to put up a fight against the Crimson Tide for the majority of the first half until Alabama's pass rush becomes too much for Browning to handle, causing turnovers and incomplete passes.
From there, Alabama will continue to march down the field in the second half and control the tempo of the game, en route to a convincing victory that covers the 14-point spread.
Even with the loss, it will still be a remarkable turnaround season for Washington and head coach Chris Petersen, who will ride this wave of momentum into recruiting and next season. This won't be the last time that the Huskies will be featured in the College Football Playoff, and against most teams, they would be considered the favorite going into a playoff matchup.
But for this year, they're going up against a juggernaut in Alabama, who just don't make that many miscues.
Prediction: Alabama defeats Washington 41-24.
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