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| printyourbrackets.com |
Matt Linder
College Football’s conference entitle weekend was largely a dud, but it was all the same able to generate some controversy. On Sunday, the playoff commission selected together with announced the 4 teams that volition endure competing for a national title: Clemson, Oklahoma, Georgia together with Alabama. There were v major conference entitle games this weekend, but only 4 had playoff implications (Sorry, PAC 12). Let’s recap those games together with catch which teams punched their ticket to the concluding four.
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| Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press |
In the kickoff game of the day, Oklahoma dismantled TCU inward the Big 12 entitle game. The Sooners got out to a large 17-0 Pb later the kickoff quarter, but the Horned Frogs managed to cutting the deficit to a touchdown going into the 2d half. However, Oklahoma quarterback together with Heisman frontrunner, Baker Mayfield, was also much for the TCU defense. The Sooners went on to win 41-17 to claim their tape eighth conference championship. With the victory, earned they earned the #2 seed inward the playoff together with volition play #3 Georgia inward the semi-finals.
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| Getty Images |
The hype surrounding the ACC entitle games was enormous. The defending
national champion Clemson Tigers took on the resurgent Miami Hurricanes, both teams vying for a trip to the playoff. Winner moves on, loser gets bounced from the top four. Unfortunately, the game did non alive upward to its billing. Clemson embarrassed Miami 38-3, earning the Tigers the #1 seed together with a lead a opportunity to defend their crown. Clemson quarterback, Kelly Bryant, had the best game of his immature career, going 23-29 through the air for 252 yards together with a touchdown. He also ran for a 2d score. The Tigers defense forcefulness swallowed Miami’s offense, limiting the Hurricanes to only 224 yards of total offense. The defending champs aspect poised to brand a run at some other title. They volition play #4 Alabama inward the semi-final game.
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| media.al.com |
The SEC entitle did non alive upward to the expectations either. Just similar the ACC entitle game, the winner of this game would lock upward their spot inward the playoff, piece the loser would endure eliminated from contention. On Saturday, inward a rematch of the 40-17 shell downwardly Auburn position on Georgia exactly iii weeks ago, the Bulldogs repaid the favor amongst a convincing 28-7 victory. The Tigers came into the game every bit the hottest squad inward college football game later ii huge wins against Georgia together with Alabama over the past times iii weeks. However, their star running back, Kerryon Johnson, was banged upward inward the SEC entitle game together with could non deport the offensive load. Georgia forced Auburn to larn one-dimensional together with held their challenger to only 259 yards of total offense. The Bulldogs aspect to smashing #2 Oklahoma amongst their efficient passing game together with heavy dry soil assail inward the semi-finals.
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| Michael Conroy/Associated Press |
Of Saturday’s 4 matchups, the Big 10 entitle game was the most tightly contested together with the root of the pick controversy. Ohio State largely dominated Wisconsin, but the Buckeyes, every bit they were prone to produce this season, permit the Badgers hang around. The Wisconsin crime struggled all game to deed the football, but cheers to Buckeyes’ errors, they all the same had a lead a opportunity to win the contest. Although the game did non experience close, amongst exactly nether iii minutes left inward the game, the Badgers had the ball only downwardly half-dozen points. Ohio State held on to win 27-21, but it was non an impressive victory. As a trial of the unconvincing victory over Wisconsin, a squad who’s 12-0 tape against weak opponents proved to endure fraudulent, the commission decided to pick Alabama over Ohio State every bit the #4 seed inward the playoffs.
In my previous college football game article, I idea it was nearly impossible that the commission would pick out an Alabama squad that did non fifty-fifty larn to their conference entitle game over a Buckeye squad that is on a 4 game winning together with exactly won the Big 10. I was clearly wrong. The commission manifestly has an extreme bias toward the Crimson Tide together with feared non putting Nick Saban’s squad inward the playoff. They placed the burden of proof on Ohio State to demonstrate that they were meliorate than Alabama, when it should bring been the other way around. If a squad does non win its conference, they should bespeak a far superior resume than the conference champ that they are supplanting. The Crimson Tide did non catch that criterion. The Buckeyes won their conference together with shell ii top x teams, piece Alabama did non shell any.
Even though I believe that Ohio State should bring been the concluding squad inward the playoff, past times no way are they an unflawed team. Their bad loss to Iowa, inconsistent play throughout the regular flavor together with unimpressive win inward the Big 10 entitle game are all blood-red flags. However, if the commission is putting a non-conference champ (Alabama) over a Power 5 conference champ (Ohio State) exactly because they “think” that Alabama is better, why fifty-fifty croak along score? On Sunday’s pick show, the commission proved that they no longer assist nigh winning games. They demonstrated that the pick of the concluding 4 teams is alone based on their subjective optic test. That is dangerous!
To recap, the playoff consists of the champions of ACC (Clemson), SEC (Georgia), Big 12 (Oklahoma) together with Alabama. The semi-final circular volition endure played on New Year’s Day:
#1 Clemson vs #4 Alabama inward the Sugar Bowl at 8:45pm
#2 Oklahoma vs #3 Georgia inward the Rose Bowl at 5:00pm
Hopefully the playoff games volition endure to a greater extent than compelling than in conclusion weekend’s conference entitle games. Now, all nosotros tin produce is wait. Check dorsum or together with then New Year’s to catch my predictions for this year’s playoffs.
If you lot bring whatsoever questions, comments or criticisms experience gratis to hit out to me at mattlinder2@gmail.com
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