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

1. Oklahoma will run away with victory and earn a trip to the title game

In his first season as a head coach, 34-year-old Lincoln Riley will set himself up for a shot at immortality in Norman. One year faster than his predecessor and former boss, Riley will put the Sooners into the national championship game. Unlike Big Game Bob, though, Riley’s team will have to win a second game to win the title.

15 years ago the Sooners made their only previous trip to play in the Rose Bowl game. Oklahoma manhandled No. 7 Washington State in a 34-14 drubbing. Both teams are ranked higher than they were in that contest, and the stakes are much higher than they were in the BCS era. But the result is going to look much similar in the end.

There will be a little big more scoring on both sides, but the deficit will look similar. As a two-point underdog, Oklahoma will make a mockery of the spread. The two teams will easily go over a total points line set at 60 points, and the Sooners are going to outpace a solid if still mostly one-dimensional Bulldogs offense.

Next: Predicting all 41 bowl games and CFB Playoff

The Rose Bowl will see one of the best games of the season, as Georgia grabs an early lead and Oklahoma chisels away until they run out of Pasadena with a two-score victory. The Bulldogs will head back between the hedges to wonder what might have been, while the Sooners book tickets to Atlanta to play for a national title on the same field where the Bulldogs won their conference crown.