College Football Bowl Projections 2018: Michigan falls out of playoff in Week 13
December 29
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Oklahoma
College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl
4 or 8 pm ET, ESPN – Miami, Florida
Oklahoma leaps into the projected field this week, and what a juicy matchup this would provide if the Sooners are able to knock off Texas, and Alabama takes care of their business against Georgia. The Heisman Trophy race has come down to Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa and Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray, with the two quarterbacks putting together two of the strongest seasons for their position over the last 20 years. Imagine them getting the chance to duel it out for a spot in the National Championship Game. Both Tua and Murray put on shows this week, with the former accounting for six touchdowns against Auburn, and the latter four touchdowns against West Virginia.
There’s a venue change this week with a new team in the projected playoff field. For weeks, Alabama was projected to play in the Cotton Bowl, and they would if Ohio State ended up as the No. 4 seed, but the committee will not put the No. 1 seed at a geographical disadvantage, and putting Alabama in Dallas against Oklahoma would be doing just that. As such, expect if this is the matchup for the game to be played in Miami at the Orange Bowl.
No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Notre Dame
College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
4 or 8 pm ET, ESPN – Dallas, Texas
Clemson struggled some early, but ultimately rolled to a 21-point victory over rival South Carolina on Saturday night. One thing of concern was the Tigers’ defense allowing a 500 yard passing day from Jake Bentley, which isn’t likely to be a big concern against Pittsburgh in the ACC Championship Game next weekend, but could provide a blueprint for a team like Alabama, Oklahoma, or Ohio State in the playoff, all of which boast quarterbacks capable of making you pay for any slight imperfection. Clemson faces Pitt next weekend in Charlotte, with the Panthers being all that stands in the way of Dabo taking the Tigers to a fourth consecutive playoff.
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Notre Dame fell behind 10-0 against hapless USC, but the Irish battled back with 24 straight points to come away with a 24-17 victory to finish off the regular season at 12-0. They faced adversity, but once again Ian Book delivered when it was needed the most as he finished with over 350 passing yards. With no conference championship to worry about, the Irish now sit and await their playoff fate. The Irish are the first team to lock up a playoff spot, with the only thing left up in the air being their seeding.