College football bowl projections 2019: Post-Week 1 edition
December 28
No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 4 LSU (CFB Playoff semifinal)
- Chick-fil-A Bowl (4 or 8 p.m. ET, ESPN – Atlanta, Ga.)
Clemson didn’t play perfectly in the opener, with Trevor Lawrence in particular having a less than efficient night. And yet, the Tigers still rolled to a 38-point effortless victory over a conference opponent. There doesn’t seem to be a legitimate threat to Clemson’s autonomy in the ACC, and it should run through the regular season undefeated en route to a fifth straight trip to the playoff.
The second SEC team I see making the playoff is actually LSU, which quietly put together one of the most impressive performances of Week 1. Facing a talented Georgia Southern squad, Joe Burrow and the new-look Tigers offense put up 55 points while the defense, in typical LSU fashion, completely stymied the Georgia Southern offense, holding it to just a field goal in 60-minutes of action.
If LSU can go on the road and beat Texas this weekend, it can likely survive a road loss to Alabama in November and still boast the nation’s top one-loss resume.
No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 3 Oklahoma (CFB Playoff semifinal)
- Fiesta Bowl (4 or 8 p.m. ET, ESPN – Glendale, Ariz.)
Would this Alabama vs. Oklahoma, Tua Tagovailoa vs. Jalen Hurts matchup be the most highly-anticipated and most watched game of the playoff era? The storylines for this one would be almost unbelievable, and yet it already feels like these two schools are on a playoff collision course.
Alabama got off to an unsurprisingly strong start, with Tagovailoa’s typical ruthless efficiency as the Crimson Tide rolled to a 42-3 win over Duke in Atlanta. If Alabama’s young defense continues to grow, then the Tide could be well on its way to a sixth straight playoff appearance.
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As for Oklahoma, Hurts had a nearly perfect debut on Sunday night against Houston. The Alabama-transfer compiled 508 yards of total offense and six total touchdowns as the Sooners defeated the Cougars 49-31. Oklahoma still has plenty of work to do on the defensive side of the ball, but there were some tangible signs of progress for Alex Grinch’s unit that should be encouraging for Sooners fans. If Oklahoma has a legitimate defense, then the Sooners could be hoisting the national championship at season’s end.