Rose Bowl 2018: 5 bold predictions for Oklahoma vs. Georgia semifinal

5. Oklahoma will win the battle at the line of scrimmage

In College Football Playoff games, we have seen teams win and lose games in the trenches. All season long, the Oklahoma offensive line has been among the best in the country. Left tackle Orlando Brown, a first-team All-America selection, led a veteran line for the Sooners. That group will be tested on New Year’s Day by a Georgia front seven. Led by linebacker Roquan Smith, the Bulldogs were good at keeping plays in front of them.

Smart’s defense wasn’t necessarily the most destructive up front in the country, though. The Bulldogs ranked 63rd nationally with two sacks per game and 62nd nationally with six tackles for loss per game. Oklahoma’s offensive line is good enough to give Baker Mayfield plenty of time to find downfield receivers and to open holes for the Sooners backfield.

Meanwhile, in the opposite direction the lines will also play a major role in determining who moves on to the national championship game. Oklahoma’s defense was even worse than the Bulldogs at getting into opposing backfields to generate losses. They also struggled on the back end, but it will all come down to which team manages to generate better leverage on the line.

Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, the redshirt senior at the Jack position for the Sooners, will be the catalyst for whether Oklahoma can win the battle in the trenches on defense. Okoronkwo should manage to get at least one sack of Jake Fromm at the Rose Bowl, which will help open space up for others to break through the line of scrimmage.