College Football Championship 2019: Playoff Schedule and Bracket Predictions

The NCAA's College Football Playoff may be a relatively new tradition, but it's an important one. No longer is the national champion decided (entirely) by a room full of distant decision-makers. Now, we get three games to decide which of the four top teams is the best in the country.

This year's final four is full of talent and tremendous stories. We have newly minted Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray and the Oklahoma Sooners, perennial contender Alabama, 2016-17 champion Clemson and the undefeated Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

One of these four will soon become just the fifth NCAA champion under the CFP system.

Here we're going to take a look at the playoff bracket and how we see the semifinals unfolding. We'll also run down the CFP schedule and make our predictions for the first round.

2018-19 NCAA College Football Playoff

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic

Who: No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Notre Dame

When: Saturday, December 29 at 4 p.m. ET

Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

TV and Live Stream: ESPN and WatchESPN

Capital One Orange Bowl

Who: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Oklahoma

When: Saturday, December 29 at 8 p.m. ET

Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Florida

TV and Live Stream: ESPN and WatchESPN

CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T

Who: TBD

When: Monday, January 7 at 8 p.m. ET

Where: Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

TV and Live Stream: ESPN and WatchESPN

Predictions

No.2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Notre Dame

This is the fourth consecutive year in which the Clemson Tigers have made the playoff, and that experience could give them an edge. Notre Dame went 12-0 in the regular season and played in the National Championship back in 2012, but the team has never appeared in the playoff.

As such, there are no players on Notre Dame with playoff experience. There's a clear edge here Clemson can utilize.

"It definitely helps," Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said, per Zach Lentz of TheTandD.com. "We all draw on our own experiences, good and bad, as you go through whatever it is that you are doing. This is our fourth time in a row, and we have been in a lot of big ball games and stuff, so I think we have learned a lot over the years."

What also gives Clemson a notable edge is a fourth-ranked defense that allows an average of just 276.7 yards per game. Notre Dame is a balanced team that doesn't beat opponents by racking up points.

While the Irish have allowed a mere 17.3 points per game, they have also scored 33.8 points per game. That would be a tremendous average in the NFL, but in college, that's good for just 34th in the nation.

Clemson, on the other hand, ranks fifth in the country with an average of 45.4 points per game.

This game isn't likely to turn into a shootout. Both Clemson and Notre Dame will see limited scoring opportunities. The Tigers are better equipped to score touchdowns and leave the Irish scoring field goals.

Prediction: Clemson 35, Notre Dame 26

No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Oklahoma

Sooners quarterback Kyler Murray took home the Heisman over Alabama signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa. Naturally, some Crimson Tide players are going to use this fact as motivation.

The caveat here is that Tagovailoa is dealing with a high-ankle sprain and recently had surgery to aid in its recovery. There's no guarantee he will even be available for the Orange Bowl, though he did recently participate in practice, according to Alex Scarborough of ESPN.com.

If Tagovailoa cannot go, it will hamper Alabama's offense. However, the Tide still have Jalen Hurts, who has seen plenty of playing time in relief efforts this season. He's completed 74.6 percent of his passes for 755 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions. He's also rushed for 4.91 yards per carry and scored twice on the ground.

Alabama will have to take a different offensive approach if it's Hurts instead of Tagovailoa, but it will still have a functional offense. It's more likely that this game will be decided by the Tide's defense and how it fares against Murray and Co.

The Crimson Tide has allowed an average of just 14.8 points per game this season, fourth-fewest in the country. It has also taken away the ball 21 times. Clemson, meanwhile, has turned the ball over 16 times and has a minus-two turnover differential.

The team that can protect the ball while creating turnover opportunities will have the advantage in this one. Alabama is best suited to be that team.

Prediction: Alabama 34, Oklahoma 26