CollegeFootballPlayoff.comIf you are a fan of College Football or a Football fan , there will be 2 College Football Playoff Semifinal games this Saturday.
Let’s start with the first game
Peach Bowl: LSU VS Oklahoma – 4:00 pm est
The Line originally open for LSU as -10 point favorite , now it has gone up at -13. This is the 2nd Highest spread ever in a CFP Semifinal , when 1st ranked Alabama was a 13 point favorite over NO.4 Washington in the 2016-17 CFP , Alabama won that game covered that spread , Last Season , Alabama was favored by 14.5 against Oklahoma. Alabama won that game but failed to cover that spread.
Let’s take a look at LSU:
If LSU beats Oklahoma on Saturday , it would be their sixth victory over a top-10 opponent this season and its third over a top-five ranked team. The Tigers had the 16th-toughest strength of schedule in the nation and their winning margin is 26.6, with just two of their victories coming by single digits – over Auburn and Alabama.
LSU Passing game has been their bread and butter this season averaging 386.8 passing yards per game, led by senior QB and Heisman Trophy favorite Joe Burrow. LSU defense is Ranked 27th with 21.2 points per game allowed. And LSU Secondary defense has allowed 221.7 passing yards per game, though opposing run games have struggled with just 119.6 rush yards per game.
Now Let’s look at Oklahoma:
There is no Question that this Oklahoma team can put points up on the board averaging 43.2 points per game, scoring fewer than 30 points in just one contest, a 28-24 win at home over TCU on November 23rd.
Oklahoma’s defense is ranked 49th in college football by yielding 24.5 ppg, giving up more than 30 points on four occasions and those 4 teams were Houston , Kansas State that gave Oklahoma their 1st and only lost during the regular Season 48-41 , IOWA State at 13th Ranked Baylor.
Prediction:
I do have LSU Winning this football game , both QBs should be able to move the football and Play Defense. And the Total is 75 which is too high for a number in this game.
The Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State vs Clemson – 8:00 pm est
Ohio State:
Ohio State trailed Wisconsin 21-7 at halftime but outscored the Badgers 27-0 in the second half to claim a 34-21 victory in The Big Ten championship game.
They finished the season by finishing first in the nation by scoring 48.7 points per game while ranking in a second-place tie for fewest ppg allowed at 12.5. They also had the fifth-toughest strength of schedule in college football.
Quarterback Justin Fields had a great season in his first year as a starter, throwing for 2,953 yards with a remarkable 40 touchdowns to just one interception while RB J.K. Dobbins collected 1,829 yards with 20 Touchdowns while carrying the ball 283 times.
This will be the first time that Ohio State has been an underdog this season after the Buckeyes compiled an average winning margin of 36.2 this year.
Clemson:
Clemson almost loss to UNC in week 5 led by Head Coach Mack Brown but bareilly survived an upset 21-20 , Since then , Clemson outscored their opponents 415-78 in the next eight games. The biggest knock on Clemson is that it played just the 77th-toughest strength of schedule and faced only two ranked opponents – No. 12 Texas A&M and No. 23 Virginia.
The Tigers have surrendered the fewest points per game in the nation at 10.6 and allowed more than two touchdowns just once this season, in the UNC game.
Meanwhile, the Clemson offense topped 40 points in 10 of its 13 games, led by quarterback Trevor Lawrence and his two favorite receivers, Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross. Junior running back Travis Etienne reached 1,500 rushing yards for the second straight year.
Prediction:
I have Clemson winning this game against the Buckeyes as both love to put points on the Board but the real question will be who play mistake free on Defense and not give away too many yards on Defense.
You will see LSU and Clemson facing each other in the National Championship Game.
You can Follow Shawn Stewart on Twitter and Instagram @Sports4Stewart