Jan. 8 – College Football Playoff National Championship Presented By AT&T
#2 Alabama (12-1) vs #1 Georgia (13-1) – 8 p.m. ESPN – Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta
It’s an all SEC national title final after the two conference powerhouses Alabama and Georgia took care of Clemson and Oklahoma. Alabama avenged losing the national title last year to Clemson and shutdown the Tigers offense consistently to enter the national title game again. The Tide methodically followed their game plan of sound field position, good ball security and tough defense. They controlled the line of scrimmage throughout and played flawlessly to stay in command from their opening score. It’s the same formula that the Crimson Tide has historically used to consistently win, especially in big game situations. It worked again and they are back in the national championship despite not playing in the SEC title game.
College Football Semi Final Playoffs
#3 Georgia 54 #2 Oklahoma 48
#4 Alabama 23 #1 Clemson 6
Photo – QB Baker Mayfield – Oklahoma
Georgia made an amazing comeback vs Oklahoma to overcome a game long deficit. Freshman QB Jake Fromm had a super clutch performance to makeup for another incredible effort by Heisman Trophy winner QB Baker Mayfield to win in double OT. The Bulldogs’ ground game was once again a dominant factor with seniors Nick Chubb and Sony Michele both pounding the ball, in addition to big plays. They kept Mayfield and the potent Sooner offense on the sidelines nicely through the second half of the game. Mayfield was unstoppable with laser like accuracy and keen decision making. This game can go instant classic off numerous clutch big plays. The Sooner defense must take the blame here as they failed to play sound defense in any respect. Poor tackling allowed Georgia to keep every drive alive and cut the margin to a one score game.
Both clubs, Alabama and Georgia enter the national title game with one loss. The only undefeated team in the nation is Central Florida who beat Auburn on New Years’ day. Ironically, Auburn beat both Alabama and Georgia during the regular season. They lost to Georgia in the SEC title game, which knocked them out of the top four clubs and semi-finals. Central Florida is one of the great stories of the year. HC Scott Frost remained with the club through the bowl season, despite signing as the new Nebraska coach in December. Frost was a star QB and safety there in the ‘90s and an ideal fit for the Cornhuskers who hopes to rebuild their program under Frost’s direction. The UCF perfect performance will bring shouts of a new 8 team playoff system, similar to when TCU was excluded a few years ago despite an unblemished record.
