Cheeky, but in some ways true, as the sleeping giants that are the Buckeyes emerged this postseason, rolling Tennessee (42-17) and No. 1 Oregon (41-21) in a brilliant display of both offense and defense. Freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith combined for 290 yards and four touchdowns in the two games, including 161 yards and two touchdowns […]
Cheeky, but in some ways true, as the sleeping giants that are the Buckeyes emerged this postseason, rolling Tennessee (42-17) and No. 1 Oregon (41-21) in a brilliant display of both offense and defense. Freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith combined for 290 yards and four touchdowns in the two games, including 161 yards and two touchdowns in the first half of the Rose Bowl. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly opened up both the playbook and QB Will Howard. Defense did, indeed, lead the way for the Fighting Irish, sacking opposing QB Gunner Stockton four times and notching nine tackles for a loss. Just two Georgia drives went longer than five yards, one of which ending in a fumble and the other a touchdown down 20-3 with just two minutes left.Penn State has a major advantage offensively that Georgia didn’t have last week – its quarterback, Drew Allar, is healthy.
Cotton Bowl: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Texas Longhorns
Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
But now that offense goes against a ferocious defense in Texas. Up front, there may not be a more stout combination of players than the ones on the field for the Longhorns. That unit goes against an Ohio State offensive line down multiple starters, but the reshuffled offensive line has actually held up remarkably well in the CFP.The eight sacks on Gabriel in the Rose Bowl was more than Weeks 3-14 and the Big Ten Championship game combined.So far, we’re eight-for-eight on CFP predictions! Here’s to finishing perfect.
Orange Bowl: Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Penn State Nittany Lions
Should Texas be able to neutralize the Ohio State ground game–a serious possibility given its performance against most run games, aside from facing Thanos himself in Cam Skattebo–the Buckeyes still can fall back on the most dangerous passing attack in the country.
The pick: Ohio State 31, Texas 21Soak it in, college football fans. We have just three games left before heading off into the longest offseason in major U.S. sports. But we’re also down to the top four teams in college football competing in the CFP Semifinals for two coveted spots in the National Championship Game. Ohio State takes on Texas in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl while Notre Dame faces Penn State in the CapitalOne Orange Bowl. Let’s predict who the two finalists will be.
