College Football Bowl Projections 2018: Contenders make statements in Week 10
December 29
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Michigan
College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
4 or 8 pm ET, ESPN – Dallas, Texas
The “Bama ain’t played nobody” narrative was dealt a devastating blow in Baton Rouge on Saturday night. The Crimson Tide continued its path of destruction, even against the No. 3 team in the country, on the road in one of the toughest environments in college football. Alabama eviscerated LSU, winning 29-0 and clinching the SEC West in the process. The offense has been the story of the season, but it was the Alabama defense that took center stage in Death Valley. Defensively, the Tide appears to be getting better every week, which is bad news for the rest of college football.
Michigan made a big statement in Ann Arbor with a 42-7 win over Penn State. The Wolverines’ defense continued to be an immovable force, holding the Nittany Lions to 186 yards of offense and forcing three turnovers. It was more of the same for the Michigan offense, too, with Shea Patterson acting as more of a game manager, while the ground game did the heavy lifting. The Wolverines rushed for 259 yards on 5 yards-per-carry, led, as usual, by Karan Higdon, who racked up 132 yards himself. Michigan faces Indiana and Rutgers over the next two weeks, a couple of tune-up games prior to the showdown at the Horseshoe.
No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Notre Dame
College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl:
4 or 8 pm ET, ESPN – Miami, Florida
Clemson continued their effortless march through the ACC with a 77-16 trouncing of Louisville. The Tigers are just out here toying with teams at this point, giving touchdown carries to defensive linemen as they go through another mundane bludgeoning of their opposition. Dabo Swinney‘s crew is unlikely to get a serious test until the college football playoff, but next week’s tilt in Chestnut Hill against Boston College could be a tricky road game. A win there would effectively clinch Clemson a spot in the college football playoff, barring a massive upset.
It wasn’t always pretty, but Notre Dame got it done once again, knocking off Northwestern on the road 31-21 in what may have been their toughest remaining game. Ian Book was outstanding, throwing for 343 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the win over the Wildcats.
Who has the best shot to dethrone Alabama?. dark. Next
Brian Kelly appears very close to leading the Fighting Irish to the playoff for the first time. They have home games against Florida State and Syracuse left, as well as a road game against USC to finish off the regular season. The Orange figure to provide the biggest challenge for Notre Dame, but with that game being in South Bend it seems unlikely that they would pull that upset. Notre Dame and Clemson feel like virtual locks to me at this point.