Bowl season is upon us folks! Time to get cozy under your warmest blanket, put on a fire and watch some football as you enjoy the Christmas holiday! There are a lot of great matchups this year and we will get to know more about teams we don’t usually hear about which is one of my favourite parts of the bowl season. It’s great to see the elite teams like Clemson and Alabama play, but I like seeing some of the more unknown schools play, and getting to know some of their superstars. Honestly, I’m just happy to be able to watch some college football for days on end! And for those who say there are too many bowl games and most are pointless…. stick to curling cuz none of us diehard football fans know there is no such thing as too much football!!!
In my preseason article I said the playoff would consist of Clemson, Alabama, Notre Dame, and Georgia. Ok, I’ll admit it I was quite off. I said Georgia would beat Clemson in the championship game. I may still be right about Clemson making the championship game, and I’ll let you know if I think thy’ll make it when I give my playoff picks later on.
Speaking of Georgia, I was quite unimpressed with them this year. I thought a lot of people were sleeping on Jake Fromm at the start of the season and I don’t think he answered the critics very well. The Bulldogs offense never seemed to hit its stride and they relied a lot more on their defense then they did in years past. I think the Sugar Bowl between them and the Baylor Bears will be a great won. I don’t see Fromm struggling in this game but the Bears have some great wide receivers and I think they beat the Bulldogs in a close one. Another game I am anxious to see is the Citrus Bowl between the Wolverines and Crimson Tide. Who would have thought that not only would The Tide not be in the playoff, but be the #13 ranked team at the end of the season? Certainly not me. I see Alabama winning this game by at least two scores.
I have to talk about my Fighting Irish for a little bit so bare with me. They had a respectable season, finishing with at least ten wins for the last three years. Ian Book is a good quarterback but I am not sure I trust him enough to say he can lead us to a National Championship. Notre Dame will play Iowa State in the Camping World Bowl. I think the Irish got a bit disrespected with being chosen to play in this game and I expect them to win this game and lead from start to finish.
Before I give you my playoff predictions I want to talk about something that I have a strong opinion on. I want to talk about players skipping their bowl games in preparation for the NFL. Now, I understand why certain players decide to skip their games. They want to be as healthy as possible when entering the NFL and not risk getting injured before getting drafted. Does that mean I agree with it? Not in the least. I feel like it is an extremely selfish act. Growing up playing sports all my life, I have always been taught to do that is best FOR MY TEAM AND NOT MYSELF. You play the game to win, not for yourself, but for your teammates in priority. These college football guys practice and play with each other for four if not five years and to decide not to play in their final game with their brothers is absolutely inexcusable to me. Believe me, I get that this guys have guaranteed money just making it to the NFL and do not want to risk it, but as a member of a team you have a responsibility and that means playing in all your games when healthy. I seriously believe that the NCAA should consider penalizing players that decide to skip bowl games. I know that not everyone will agree, but I am glad I shared my opinion.
Now time for some playoff predictions!!!! I think LSU will have virtually no problem beating the Sooners. I was not much a believer in Joe Burrow after last season, but now how can you not be? I’ve been so impressed with him and what he’s been able to do. He’s incredibly accurate and is much more athletic than people give him credit. All you have to do is remember his “Heisman Moment” against Georgia, where he escaped getting sacked twice on the same play and then threw a beautiful deep ball downfield which ended up being caught. I got LSU over Oklahoma by double digits.
I expect the Ohio State vs Clemson game to be a much more entertaining one than the fist semi-final matchup. I kept going back and forth about deciding a winner in this one. Both teams have great offenses with 2 reliable QBs. They both have great RBs and a solid defense. I’m picking the Tigers in this game as I’m giving the edge to their wide receivers. Their ability to make contested and difficult catches look easy is why I think the Buckeyes defense will struggle at times. I expect Tee Higgins to have a big game and for the Tigers to win a close one.
I have an all Tigers championship final. This would be an amazing championship game. The defending champs vs an up-and-coming LSU Tigers team with the Heisman winner leading the charge. We saw Trevor Lawrence struggle in the first half of the year but have a bounce back second half. I see Lawrence having a solid game in this potential championship final but making at least one major mistake in the second half. I just have that feeling that the LSU defense will get to Lawrence late in the game. Gimme the Tigers from LSU to beat the Clemson Tigers 34-27 with Burrow throwing 3 touchdowns and giving the Tigers their fourth National Championship title!!
