Welcome to the College Football Playoff Edition of SEC Football Predictions. These predictions will be for College Football Playoff games taking place New Year’s Day.
When determining which team has an advantage in a bowl game, the variables are much different than when previewing a regular season game. Stats and tendencies are useful for regular-season games, but rendered pretty much useless for bowl games. Questions like, “Which team has something to prove?” or “Who has more players looking ahead to the NFL Draft?” are as effective as any stat or regular season precedent.
All Times Eastern | Utilizing College Football Playoff Selection Committee Rankings.
Monday, January 1, 2018
Rose Bowl Game Presented By Northwestern Mutual – CFP Semifinal
#3 Georgia (12-1, SEC Champions) vs #2 Oklahoma (12-1, Big 12 Champions)
5:00 PM ET | ESPN | Pasadena, CA
- 5 – Interceptions thrown by senior Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield.
- 41 – Touchdowns thrown by Baker Mayfield.
- 3 – Games in which freshman Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm has thrown for at least 200 yards.
- 46 – Yards rushing for Georgia against Auburn in the first game at Auburn.
- 238 – Yards rushing for Georgia against Auburn in the rematch at the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta.
- 7 – Games played before the Sooners’ leading rusher, sophomore Rodney Anderson, had over 50 yards rushing and greater than 10 carries in a game.
PREDICTION: Georiga 34, Oklahoma 31 (OVERTIME)
Allstate Sugar Bowl – CFP Semifinal
#4 Alabama (12-1, At-Large) vs #1 Clemson (12-1, ACC Champions)
8:45 PM ET | ESPN | Pasadena, CA
- 14 – The highest number of pass completions in one game (Fresno State, Sept. 9) for Alabama sophomore quarterback Jalen Hurts.
- 24 – The highest number of pass attempts in one game (LSU, Nov. 4) for Jalen Hurts.
- 3 – Consecutive years Alabama and Clemson have played in the College Football Playoff.
- 3 – Clemson players with over 600 yards rushing on the season (Freshman Travis Etienne, sophomore Tavien Feaster, and junior quarterback Kelly Bryant).
- 8 – Alabama players averaging at least 5.08 yards per carry.
- 6 – Total margin of victory in the previous two match-ups.
PREDICTION: Alabama 28, Clemson 17
Eric Taylor is a contributor to FBSchedules.com. Follow him on Twitter @EricFromSpfld or contact him via email at EricFromSpringfield–at– gmail–dot– com. Eric sprinkles his talents across the property & casualty insurance sector and the comedy writing world. Luckily, he makes his living doing insurance, but be sure to Like the Facebook page Facebook.com/EricTaylorWritesStuff for updates on other stuff Eric may be writing or doing.
View Comments (21)
I think the only way the college football playoff committee's decision to take Alabama over Ohio State in the college football playoff is anything but laughable is if Alabama keeps the game with Clemson within a touchdown. We knew the SEC was down this year before the bowls, that was proven out by their 2-5 start to bowl season. Putting in a 2nd team from such a mediocre conference over the champion from a conference that finished bowl season 7-1 based on the "eye test" was a bold move. We will see how good those eyes are tonight.
I think the VISION was clear.
BIG can have the BOWL TROPHY.
SEC will bring home another title!
The "down" SEC has two teams playing for the National Title.
How laughable is that?
How mediocre is that?
Face it Little Ten fans... you and the rest of the college football world have a long, long, long way to go to catch up with the SEC>
You nailed it earlier Joe when you mentioned that this may happen, I was wrong. Plus my bowl picks sucked this year as well...lol
Congrats to Georgia and Alabama for their performances Monday night. Proved it is possible to have two top tier teams in an otherwise mediocre conference. Now I just need my Buckeyes to join the SEC so that they can have the luxury of only playing 8 conference games a year, a free pass to lose against one of the two games vs top 10 competition each year and a remaining schedule vs cupcakes.
Georgia played 8 SEC opponents plus at Notre Dame and at Georgia Tech. They don't fit your argument.
I have never argued against Georgia making the playoff. They were 1 loss champions of their conference and played 11 power 5 teams. Unquestionably deserved to be in playoff. I also generally respect how Georgia, South Carolina and Florida schedule in the non-conference as they generally play 2 P5 teams. It's the other 11 teams I take issue with.
I love the OSU doesn't play cupcakes line... Please.
As "down" as the SEC was this year, they were still better, top to bottom, than the Big Ten. Ohio State scheduled Army and UNLV, quality programs no doubt, but Ohio State should beat those teams every single year. They scheduled one tough out-of-conference game. Then OSU has ONE rivalry game... Michigan. Georgia has at least four that are as big these days, with Florida, Tennessee, Georgia and Auburn. Alabama has Auburn, Tennessee, LSU, Mississippi... Seriously, what you Little Ten fans don't seem to understand is that the grind in the SEC is so far above that of the Little Ten... throw records out, they don't matter in some of these games. This spring, the SEC will send more players to the NFL than any other conference and they'll come from all 14 teams. That's what you face week in and week out in the toughest conference in the land. You don't get a Rutgers, Indiana, Illinois, Purdue or Iowa in the SEC. You just don't. So, when the Little Ten gets better, if they get better, then maybe the top of the conference will be ready in games that actually matter. But what you saw with Ohio State was them knowing they should easily beat Iowa, taking them for granted and losing. OSU simply wasn't good enough to play for a national title this year because their conference is pathetic.
Northwestern did beat Kentucky, so the SEC is certainly mediocre. Ohio State had to beat the Commander’s Cup winner and UNLV. They also had to beat Iowa, but lost by 31.
Anybody can beat anybody on a given Saturday. Or Friday. Or Thursday. Or whenever they play games these days which is about every day of the week.
That doesn't make the SEC mediocre or the Little Ten some sort of gauntlet.
And one year doesn't mean much... The SEC has established dominance over a decade or more now. It will take a real fall for them to not be the most dominant conference in the game. More likely what will happen is the balance of power will shift from the West to the East as Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee reload.
Joe, you did watch college football this year, didn’t you? If your argument was the SEC was the best conference this year because it had the top 2 teams in the country, that argument would at least be a fun debate. But saying the SEC is better top to bottom is just plain laughable. The reason I question whether you watched college football this year is if you did, you would realized the Purdue team you made fun of went on the road to beat the 3rd best team in the SEC east 35-3. Purdue could barely make a bowl because of how tough their B10 schedule was. Indiana didn’t make a bowl but still went on the road to crush a mid-tier ACC team. And that Iowa team you make fun of, they have won 8 of their last 10 home games vs top 10 opponents. Sure, OSU shouldn’t lose by 31, but I don’t know that there is a single team in the SEC that would be willing to get off the team bus in Iowa in November, let alone win a football game. Anyway, thanks for the laugh.