With New Year’s Eve here, we have the best matchups of the bowl season upon us. We fared well in the last two days with our predictions, so here’s our breakdown for the Dec. 31 bowl games.
Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl
Houston vs. Florida State (-7)
The Skinny: This is the regular bowl matchup of David vs. Goliath. The big, bad Seminoles will face off against the upstart Cougars. But don’t be fooled by the names on the jersey. Florida State didn’t beat anyone this season (take a look at their schedule, and if you say Florida is a quality win, then you obviously didn’t watch college football toward the later part of the season). And Houston’s only loss was when their all-world quarterback was hurt. The betting public is favoring Florida State based on name only.
Why Houston will cover: Houston has the commitment from its coach and these guys are good. They steamrolled their way through most of the conference season and Tom Herman has shown to be the best coach at bowl games (see Ohio State’s run last season). The Cougars won’t fear the Seminoles and the AAC showed throughout the season not to back down to any opponents.
Why Florida State will cover: The Seminoles are still the same team that went to the first college football playoff last season. This is a far cry from that, but it’s still a prestigious bowl, and the players likely want to get last year’s bad taste out of their mouth. The Seminoles should be motivated against the Cougars and Florida State will likely run the ball well against Houston. The passing attack should throw in some quality plays, giving the Seminoles a solid edge when they have the ball.
Score: Houston 38, Florida State 35. The Cougars play motivated, and we’re not sold on the Seminoles since they literally haven’t beaten anyone this season.
Orange Bowl
Oklahoma (-4) vs. Clemson
The Skinny: The first of the playoff games pits two teams with plenty of talent. Both teams consistently rank toward the top of the recruiting rankings, so it’s no surprise that either team has made it this far. The Sooners will employ a solid passing attack, and don’t sleep on that defense either. The Tigers will showcase extreme athleticism on defense and won’t be too bad on offense either.
Why Oklahoma will cover: We could make an argument that no team has been hotter than the Sooners in the last few weeks. Oklahoma has gotten things together since losing to Texas in October, and no team has been very close to the surging Sooners. The offense is moving a clip unseen since Sam Bradford manned the controls, and the defense is doing enough to keep the high-rolling Big 12 offenses at bay.
Why Clemson will cover: The Tigers are probably sick of hearing how good Oklahoma has been. The Tigers haven’t been too bad, either. Clemson loves the underdog role and this is definitely in its wheel house. The offense has been solid and that defense is as good as any team in the nation. The athletes will be on full display in this game and they’ll revel in the underdog role.
Score: Clemson 31, Oklahoma 30. The Tigers love being the underdog and will utilize that to their advantage in this one.
Cotton Bowl
Michigan State vs. Alabama (-9.5)
The Skinny: The Big 10 will look to upset Alabama for a second straight year in the College Football playoff. The Tide are once again heavy favorites, but it will have to do it once again against a team focused on the run. Michigan State will look to run the ball and play solid defense…which is exactly what the Tide will focus on doing. Whoever’s better at those phases in the game will survive and advance.
Why Michigan State will cover: The Tide are overrated. The SEC hasn’t been near as good as what many believed and the Spartans will show why that’s true again. The defense will stifle an Alabama offense that hasn’t been tested much this season. The Spartans will take out the running game, forcing Alabama to pass the ball. When that happens, the Crimson Tide will have trouble moving the football. The Spartans can just enough on offense to sneak past the Tide.
Why Alabama will cover: Alabama won’t forget about last year’s debacle against Ohio State. The Buckeyes outclassed the Crimson Tide last year, so that won’t soon be forgotten. Even if the Spartans are successful in stopping the run, the Tide are confident in throwing the football and leaning on that defense. The defense will suffocate the Spartans, making this a game where Alabama doesn’t need many points to pull out the cover.
Score: Alabama 24, Michigan State 13. The Crimson Tide register a late score for a late cover as they advance to the finals.
