So the College Football Playoff System really worked this season. The four best teams in the country (give or take an Ohio St), are going to get a chance to prove it on the field, where they should. For the first time in a long time, there will be no argument about who should have been given a chance, and who the real national champion is, almost.
Not to burst the bubble, but I say almost because one of the four teams in the playoff actually got really screwed. Ironically they got hosed by the fact the Big 12 doesn’t have a Title game, and they don’t even play in the Big 12.
You see, because Michigan St played and won their conference title, they moved up the ranking chain to the three seed, a spot that Oklahoma held down until that week. So even though the Sooners didn’t lose, the Spartans win over Iowa moved them past Oklahoma and put them at #3.
Which is where we get to the hosed team, #1 Clemson. The way it was prior to the latest rankings, Clemson would have played Michigan St and Alabama would have played Oklahoma. If you ask me, those seedings present a far more accurate version of the talent of the teams.
But because the Sooners didn’t get to play on Championship Weekend, they moved down and now, the top-seeded Tigers have to face the team I consider to be the best, Oklahoma, in the first game rather than in the Finals as they should have.
The Sooners will be the best team Clemson has faced all season, and I am not sure the Tigers are ready for the punishment Oklahoma can dish out. Add that to the fact that there are four weeks to prepare for this game, and coaching will really come into play. No offense to Dabo Swinney, who has done a great job this season, but I will take Bob Stoops over just about any coach in the country, and with this group he has, it should not even be that close.
Which is why it is so unfair to Clemson. They had a perfect season, and I think they could beat Michigan St. quite handily, and that was the match-up I fully expected. Instead, the Spartans will get beaten by Alabama setting up the matchup of Alabama and Oklahoma in what should be a great championship game.
Stoops vs. Nick Saban is a battle of great coaches, and I think Alabama’s offense will not be able to do anything against a tough Sooners “D”. But Oklahoma has an offense that should be able to do just enough against the Tide’s defense that they will take the national title in a low-scoring affair. You’re looking at a game that will end up with a final score somewhere around 16-10, with the Sooners hoisting the College Football Trophy in the end.