Bowl Predictions 2017: Projections and Odds for CFP Final and Top Matchups

After endless debate on the subject, the College Football Playoff is set as the Clemson Tigers, Oklahoma Sooners, Georgia Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide will compete for the national championship.

The top three teams appeared fairly clear after conference championships were decided Saturday and Clemson (ACC), Oklahoma (Big 12) and Georgia (SEC) all won in impressive performances.

Ohio State defeated Wisconsin and handed the Badgers their only defeat of the season to win the Big Ten title, and many thought the Buckeyes would get the final spot over the Crimson Tide and Pac-12 champion USC Trojans.

However, the committee was charged with putting the four best teams in the playoff tournament and not the four most deserving teams. The Crimson Tide had been the No. 1 team in the nation before losing on the road to Auburn November 25, and they played competitively despite losing that game.

Ohio State lost two games this season, including a 31-16 home defeat to the Sooners and an embarrassing 55-24 defeat on the road at Iowa. A 31-point loss to a team that did not make the Top 25 may have been decisive in the eyes of the committee.

Ohio State is ranked fifth, and Big Ten runner-up Wisconsin is sixth in the latest CFP rankings.

The two CFP semifinal matchups include top-ranked Clemson taking on No. 4 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, while second-ranked Oklahoma will meet Georgia in the Rose Bowl. Both of those games will be played January 1.

The winners of those two games will meet at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta January 8 for the national championship.

Alabama is a 1.5-point favorite over the Tigers, and the Sooners are 1.5-point favorites over the Bulldogs, according to OddsShark.

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The handicapping resource has Alabama as a plus-167 favorite to win the national title, followed by Clemson at plus-255, Oklahoma at plus-305 and Georgia at plus-350. A $100 wager on Alabama would return a profit of $167 (plus the original bet) to a successful bettor.

The oddsmakers' early take on the two games indicates Alabama's strength as a participant. The Crimson Tide have been to the championship game in each of the last two years, beating Clemson once and losing in the other matchup. They meet again in the playoffs for the third consecutive year. 

Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts triggers the Crimson Tide attack, and he has thrown for 1,940 yards with a 15-1 TD-to-interception ratio along with eight rushing touchdowns. Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant has thrown for 2,678 yards with 13 touchdowns, and he has also run for 646 yards and 11 touchdowns. Running back Travis Etienne has a team-high 744 yards and 13 rushing TDs.

Oklahoma has perhaps the best offense in the nation, and the Sooners are led by Heisman Trophy front-runner Baker Mayfield. The quarterback has completed 71.0 percent of his passes and has thrown 41 TD passes along with five interceptions. The Bulldogs will try to counter Mayfield's big-play ability with a powerful defense that limited Auburn to one touchdown in the SEC title game.

Other New Year's Six bowl matchups include USC (11-2) vs. Ohio State (11-2) in the Cotton Bowl December 29, Washington (10-2) vs. Penn State (10-2) in the Fiesta Bowl December 30, Wisconsin (12-1) vs. Miami (10-2) in the Orange Bowl December 30 and UCF (12-0) vs. Auburn (10-3) in the Peach Bowl January 1.

Predictions

Look for Alabama to take advantage of its invitation to the CFP and find a way to defeat Clemson. These two are becoming the top rivalry in all of college football, and Hurts will get the job done in the fourth quarter and help the Crimson Tide advance to the national championship game.

Oklahoma and Georgia are likely to engage in a high-scoring game in the Rose Bowl. Georgia has the ability to limit the Sooners from time to time, but Mayfield and the Sooners' passing game is simply too explosive. Look for Oklahoma to win by at least a touchdown and get to the title game.

USC will outlast Ohio State in what could be the highest-scoring bowl game of the year, while Penn State should outlast Washington and come away with the victory in the desert.

Miami will take advantage of its home field and hand the Badgers their second straight defeat, while Auburn will end UCF's season with their only loss of the season.