Ohio State Buckeyes
Final Four
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The college football season is almost over, and that’s a tough pill to swallow.
The good news, though, is that the last three games are absolute blockbusters—the College Football Playoff semifinals and the championship.
This year’s Final Four brings together some of the biggest names in the game: Notre Dame, Penn State, Ohio State, and Texas.
Before I jump in, let’s take a second to consider that all four teams that received a first-round bye were soundly defeated in the last round. It begs the question as to whether we will see changes to the 12-team playoff format in the future, but that will be another article for another day.
Here’s what I expect as these last four heavyweights fight for the national title.
Orange Bowl: No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 7 Notre Dame: When: Thursday, January 9th, 7:30 PM EST (ESPN). Where: Miami Gardens, Florida.
Penn State has had a wild season. They cruised through the Big Ten schedule before running into an Oregon buzzsaw in the conference championship.
Still, the Nittany Lions bounced back big-time in the playoffs, crushing SMU and Boise State. Their defense is terrifying, led by star edge rusher Abdul Carter, who’s expected to play despite getting banged up last game.
On offense, Penn State is all about consistency, they don’t hit a lot of home runs—think steady singles and doubles, not grand slams.
Notre Dame’s road to the playoffs had its bumps too. They lost early to Northern Illinois (yeah, really), but since then, they’ve been locked in, rattling off 10 straight wins.
Their ground game is a powerhouse, even after losing two NFL-caliber linemen from last year.
Defensively, their secondary is a brick wall, but their run defense has had some cracks, especially with injuries piling up.
This matchup is all about defense. Both teams are loaded on that side of the ball, and neither offense has been lighting up the scoreboard lately.
Penn State’s defense feels more complete, but Notre Dame’s run game is a real wild card. It’s going to be a grind.
Expect a defensive slugfest. The over/under is set at 45.5, and it’s hard to see these teams blowing past that.
Penn State might have a slight edge thanks to their depth and defensive balance.
My Prediction: Penn State 24 Notre Dame 17
Cotton Bowl: No. 5 Texas vs. No. 8 Ohio State: When: Friday, January 10th, 7:30 PM EST (ESPN). Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas.
Ohio State has been on a tear, looking every bit like the best team in the country during the playoffs.
They steamrolled top-seeded Oregon, putting up 500 yards of offense while their defense shut the door.
Freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is already playing like a superstar, and running back TreVeyon Henderson is a scoring machine. Their offensive line, once a concern, has turned into a strength at the perfect time.
Texas hasn’t had the same kind of dominance. They barely survived Arizona State in double overtime, and their defense seemed to run out of gas late in the game.
The Longhorns’ offense has had trouble finishing drives all season, and their red-zone struggles could be a problem against Ohio State, whose defense is elite at shutting teams down inside the 20.
The key here is whether Texas can keep up with Ohio State’s explosive offense. The Buckeyes are firing on all cylinders, and their defense is just as good.
Texas has a strong defensive front, but if they can’t sustain drives or put points on the board, it could be a long night.
Ohio State should have the upper hand. Their offense is rolling, their defense is suffocating, and Texas hasn’t shown they can hang with a team this good.
The Buckeyes are favored by six points, and it wouldn’t be a shock if they cover that easily.
My Prediction: Ohio State 38 Notre Dame 21.
No matter who makes it to the championship game, this year’s playoff has been a thrill ride. Injuries, endurance, and execution will decide it all.
Ohio State looks like the team to beat, but don’t sleep on Penn State’s defense or Notre Dame’s ground game. Even Texas, with their inconsistencies, could pull off a shocker if everything clicks.
The National Championship Game will be played on Monday, January 20th at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Down To Two
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The first round of the College Football Playoff was played this past weekend. Let’s take a look and recap what happened.
No. 1 LSU and No. 4 Oklahoma played the first game, The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta, Ga.
The Tigers (14-0) demolished OU (12-2), 63 – 28. Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow was spectacular, passing for 493 yards and seven touchdowns. He also ran for a TD.
“We go into every game thinking nobody can stop us,” Burrow said.
LSU scored 49 points in the first half. Justin Jefferson scored all four of his touchdowns in the first half and finished with 14 catches for 227 yards.
Tight end Thaddeus Moss, son of Hall of Famer Randy Moss, had 99 receiving yards and a touchdown.
LSU offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger learned shortly before kickoff that his daughter-in-law, broadcaster Carley McCord, was among five people killed in a plane crash in Louisiana. The small plane went down shortly after takeoff for what was supposed to be a flight to Atlanta for the game.
Head coach Ed Orgeron delivered the news to Ensminger, who was seen with tears running down his cheeks but stuck to the task at hand.
“What a tremendous, tremendous LSU Tiger,” Orgeron said after the game. “He called a great game tonight.” Coach O gave him the game ball.
No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Clemson was a battle of two unbeaten teams. The Playstation Fiesta Bowl was played in Glendale, Arizona. Clemson won a close game, 29 – 23.
I’m not sure how the defending champion Tigers are being overlooked but they feel disrespected by it.
The Buckeyes (13-1) jumped out to a 16-0 lead in the first half. They responded to a Clemson rally to retake the lead 23-21 in the fourth quarter.
The Tigers (14-0) needed four plays and 1:18, with Lawrence completing all three of his passes and mixing in an 11-yard run. The sophomore quarterback, who has never lost a college start, passed for 259 yards and two scores. He also ran for a career-high 107 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown late in the first half.
OSU drove the ball to the Clemson 23-yard line, but Justin Fields was intercepted by Nolan Turner with 37 seconds left.
“Everybody kept saying we didn’t play nobody, that we blow out teams. Tonight showed what we can do,” Clemson receiver Tee Higgins said. “We showed everybody we got fight in us.”
The Buckeyes played well on offense. Fields threw for 320 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. J.K. Dobbins ran for 174 yards and a touchdown.
“I told Ryan, that Ohio State team, what an unbelievable game, their quarterback, their back, those guys played their hearts out,” Swinney said. “But in the end, our guys showed what they’re made of. They’ve got the heart of a champion; they’ve got the eye of a tiger.”
The semifinals played out the way I expected. The best two teams won and they will play the national championship game in New Orleans January 13.
This is basically a home game for LSU but don’t count Clemson out.
Play It Off
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
We are in the sixth year of the College Football Playoff.
The top four teams have been picked and I think this is the first year where the committee had an easy decision selecting all of the teams. We are going to preview the playoff games.
Both games will be played December 28. No. 1 LSU (13–0) versus No 4. Oklahoma (12–1) in the Peach Bowl.
The Tigers return to Atlanta after trouncing No. 4 Georgia in the SEC Championship. LSU is led by the clear Heisman Trophy front-runner Joe Burrow.
Burrow is the best quarterback I’ve seen at LSU in the past 25 years. This program is notorious for having poor QB play, so they are really enjoying this because I do not think they will be in this position again anytime soon.
Burrow has thrown for over 4,700 yards, 48 touchdowns, 6 interceptions with a 93.7 QBR (2nd).
Running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire has rushed for nearly 1,300 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also has 50 receptions for 400 yards so he makes plays all over the field.
Receivers Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase both have over 1,200 receiving yards with double digit TD’s.
The Tigers are ranked 32nd nationally in total defense.
This is Oklahoma’s third straight playoff appearance and they are looking for their first win.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts transferred from Alabama, so he’s played against LSU the last three seasons. He won’t be intimidated and their defense is not as good as they previously were.
Hurts is the epitome of a dual threat, passing for over 3,600 yards, 32 touchdowns, 7 picks and a QBR of 90.6 (4th). Hurts also ran for more than 1,200 yards, 18 TD’s and he averages 5.7 yards per carry.
CeeDee Lamb is his top target and big play threat. OU is 24th in total defense.
This game should be high scoring and both offenses should play well. Hurts has a bad habit of turning the ball over and I don’t see this game being any different. That will help LSU win by double digits.
No. 2 Ohio State (13–0) plays No. 3 Clemson (13–0) in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Az.
Both teams are led by highly recruited quarterbacks from Georgia. They were also finalists in the 2017 Elite 11 with Justin Fields finishing first and Trevor Lawrence finishing second.
Fields has thrown for almost 3,000 yards, 40 TD’s, 1 interception and his QBR is 92.4 (3rd). I must admit I’ve been labeled an ‘OSU hater’ by a friend of mine because I give an honest opinion of Fields and last year Dwayne Haskins.
I watch the Buckeyes regularly and notice that quarterbacks typically throw short passes like slants, screens and crossing routes. The receivers get massive yards after catch, which makes the QB’s stats look good.
Running back J.K. Dobbins has rushed for over 1,800 yards, 20 TD’s and he averages 6.5 ypc. The defense ranks second in total D.
Clemson is the defending national champion and they have been disrespected all year. Lawrence played poorly for the first month of the season with several multiple interception games. He finished the year with 8 picks but he improved.
Receiver Tee Higgins and running back Travis Etienne are going to be first round picks in this year’s draft. The Tigers defense is the best in the nation in total defense.
This should be a close game but Clemson will win. The Tigers of LSU and Clemson will meet in the national championship.
Jason Bishop Show With Kipp Branch February 16
College Football Playoff Predictions
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It is time again for the college football playoff and this year’s games I think will be pretty good.
Let’s start with the teams.
1. Alabama: The Crimson Tide are in my opinion are a professional team playing at the college level. I really think the Tide could give The Cleveland Browns all they could handle. Jalen Hurts is an amazing dual threat QB. I can’t believe it took Nick Saban most of fall camp to name him the starter for 2016. Saban is the best coach in football and Alabama is the favorite to win the playoff.
2. Ohio State: The Buckeyes led by Urban Meyer have been a dynasty for years now. They won a classic against Michigan to get into the playoff. The loss to Penn State cost Ohio State a shot at the Big 10 Championship, but the committee put them in despite that. It is all about money folks. OSU produces mega bucks and TV Ratings.
3. Clemson: The Tigers are back for the second year in a row with a QB that should have won the Heisman. This offense can put up yards and points like a pinball machine. Can Clemson muster up enough defense to win it all this year?
4. Washington: The Huskies lead by QB Jake Browning have been very impressive this year. I like this team and think they deserve to be here. We on the east coast will be shocked when we see how good these Huskies are.
Predictions:
Alabama vs Washington in The Peach Bowl in Atlanta.
Washington will fly across country to meet the Tide in Atlanta; a place Alabama has spent a lot of time in over the past decade. Alabama has a monster defense with first round picks everywhere, and Washington has a really good offense that can put up points. The difference in this game will be Jalen Hurts and the Tide offense. The Huskies will test Alabama but in the end Alabama rolls 35-24. Bama has too many weapons.
Ohio State vs Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona. Both fan bases have travel a good distance to get here. I am actually looking forward to watching this game.
Ohio State averages 480 yards (21st-best in FBS) and 42.7 points (ninth-best in FBS) per game. Clemson averages 506 yards (13th-best in FBS) and 40.2 points (15th-best in FBS) per game. The Tigers’ specialty is the passing game (332.6 yards per game) while the Buckeyes are better at running the ball (258.3 yards per game).
On defense, Ohio State is fifth in the country, allowing opponents just 282 yards per game to go with just 14.2 points per game (third in FBS). Clemson finished ninth in the FBS in yards allowed (314 per game) and 12th in points allowed per game (18.4)
When it is all said and done I would take Deshaun Watson over any player in the country and think Clemson is a team of destiny. I did pick this team to win it all in the preseason and I think the Tigers get past Ohio State 38-28.
This will set up a huge rematch with Alabama.
I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas.
