BY: Tony LiebertCollege football has already kicked off with Miami taking on Florida right now. Why not preview the rest of the season. Transfer QB Frenzy...
Postseason Predicitions:
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BY: Tony LiebertThis is Alabama and Clemson's fourth consecutive year meeting in the College Football Playoff. The first time was the 2015 National Championship where a Derrick Henry led Alabama rushing attack defeated an inexperienced Deshaun Watson and Clemson 45-40. Both teams met next year in the following National Championship where a veteran Deshaun Watson Clemson team defeated a young inexperienced Jalen Hurts led Alabama squad with a gaming winning touchdown to Hunter Renfrow 35-31. The following year a Jalen Hurts led Alabama team handily beat Kelly Bryant and the Clemson Tigers 24-6. Monday, January 7th - 7:00 P.M #1 Alabama Crimson Tide (14-0) V.S. #2 Clemson Tigers (14-0) Alabama's Offense Then there was this year... Alabama comes in with arguably their best offense in Nick Saban era. The Crimson Tide offense is led by true sophomore Tua Tagovailoa, who is the most talented quarterback that Nick Saban has had at his time with Alabama. What makes Alabama's offensive so dynamic this year is their weapons. Alabama has a three headed monster at running back, led by senior Damien Harris who has 1000+ yards from scrimmage to go along with 9 touchdowns. In the second half of the season the Tide have led more heavily on junior Josh Jacobs who has 800+ yards from scrimmage to go along with 13 total touchdowns. Lastly Alabama utilizes talented sophomore Najee Harris who has 724 rushing yards to go along with 4 touchdowns. This shows how Nick Saban develops talent perfectly, they have a senior with 1000 yards, a junior with 800, and a sophomore with 750. To go along with their monster running backs Alabama may have their best receiving core in the Nick Saban era. The receivers are led by Biletnikoff award winner (Nation's best Wide Receiver) sophomore Jerry Jeudy who has 63 receptions for 1176 yards and 13 touchdowns. They also have sophomore Henry Ruggs III, who has 45 catches for 738 yards and 11 touchdowns, they lastly have talented sophomore tight end Irv Smith Jr, who has 40 catches 667 yards and 7 touchdowns. To go along with their insane weapons they have arguably one of the best offensive lines in the country led by future top 10 pick in the 2019 NFL draft, tackle Jonah Williams. Alabama's Defense To go with their insane offense, Alabama still roles out one of the best defenses in the country. The strength of their defense is the interior of their defensive line. The best player on their whole team in junior defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. The all-american Williams has been the most dominant player in college football this season. He was awarded the Outland Trophy (Best Lineman offense or defense in the country) while having 18 tackles for loss, and 8 sacks. The Tide also have another future first round pick junior defensive tackle Raekwon Davis, who is a massive 6'7" 317 lbs. The Alabama secondary is led by junior All-American safety Dionte Thompson who is also a future NFL first round pick. If anything Alabama only slight weakness is their ability to rush the passer, and Christian Miller who is second on their team in sacks with 7.5 will be out of the National Championship game with a hamstring injury. Alabama will then have to lean heavily on junior linebacker Anfernee Jennings. Alabama arguably has one of their most talented teams ever, and I don't think their dynasty will be ending anytime soon. Clemson's Offense Clemson will have something to say about Alabama defending their title. They may have one of their most talented teams ever as well. The Tigers are led by true freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence who came into the season as the number two recruit in the country. I think the way that Lawrence handled the Kelly Bryant situation, tells you a lot about his character and shows you how special he truly is. Clemson has led heavily on sophomore running back Travis Etienne. Etienne has had 1600+ total yards from scrimmage to go along with 23 total touchdowns. Clemson very similar to Alabama, has a very young and talented group of wide receivers. They are led by sophomore Tee Higgins who has 56 catches for 855 yards and 11 touchdowns. They also have true freshman Justyn Ross who had two touchdowns in their semi-final verse Notre Dame, to go along with 40 catches 847 yards and 8 touchdowns. Lastly the Tigers have senior Hunter Renfrow who has played in all four of the matchups against Alabama, and caught the game winning touchdown the last time these two teams met the National Championship. The Clemson offensive line is led by senior All-American tackle Mitch Hyatt. These are arguably the two of most talented offenses in the country. Clemson's Defense The strength of Clemson's team is their defense and they may have the best in the entire country. They are led by possibly the most talented defensive line in recent history. The star of their line is senior tackle Christian Wilkins who has been a three year starter on Clemson line, and an All-American all of the past three seasons. Clemson also has one of the best pass rushers in the entire country senior Clelin Ferrell. Ferrell has 18.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks this season. Ferrell has been an All-American the past two seasons. Both Ferrell and Wilkins are projected first round picks in the upcoming NFL draft. The Tigers also have senior defensive end Austin Bryant who has been a two year starter and has NFL asspirations as well. Clemson will obviously miss Junior, behemoth, future NFL defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. Lawrence is out of this game due to testing positive for a banned substance. Lawrence is 6'4" 350 lbs and was the anchor of Clemson's interior defensive line, but they do have enough depth so I do not expect this to affect Clemson too dramatically as they showed against Notre Dame. Clemson's defense is rounded out by future defensive back NFL talent, sophomore safety Isaiah Simmons and junior cornerback Trayvon Mullen. Clemson has had statistically the best defense in the entire country this season, and I expect them to show up Monday night against Alabama. Prediction:
I believe that this year's national championship will live up to all of the hype. I expect this game to have a lot of points and a lot of big plays. I expect Clemson's star defensive line to be too much to handle for Alabama's offensive line. Clemson's D-Line will be clearly the best unit that Alabama's O-line has faced all year. I do expect Alabama's three headed monster at running back to be a lot to handle for Clemson's inexperienced linebackers as well. At the end of the day I think Trevor Lawrence and the Clemson Tigers will make one more big play Alabama, and Dabo Swinney will be hoisting up the National Championship trophy Monday night. Clemson: 31 Alabama: 28 BY: Tony LiebertBowl games in college football is quite the controversial sports topic. I personally think that 40 bowl games should be at least cut in half. 6-6 teams should not be playing in the postseason and sub .500 season should not be rewarded and viewed as successful. At the end of the day, college football is all about money and the NCAA and each University could care less about the product on the field so as long as the bowl games keep making money they will always be way too many. It still is football so they will always have me watching as many games as I can. Even though there are far too many games there still are quite a few games that are worth watching. Las Vegas Bowl - Dec. 15 #21 Fresno State (11-2) V.S. Arizona State (7-5) Both of these teams have had under the radar successful seasons. Fresno State won the Mountain West championship against Boise State. And Arizona State has succeeded far past their expectations in Herm Edwards first season. Arizona State’s star wide receiver N’Keal Harry is not playing in this game to prepare for the NFL draft, and some people think this will cause Arizona State to lose against an underrated Fresno State team. I think otherwise I think Herm Edwards will have his team highly motivated for this game and they will be able to pull out a win. Arizona State: 31 Fresno State: 24 Armed Forces Bowl - Dec. 22 Houston (8-4) V.S. Army (10-2) This is another very underrated matchup between two teams that had great seasons. Houston will not have star D-Lineman Ed Oliver who is going to prepare for the NFL Draft. I don’t expect this to affect Houston very much because Oliver has been out of multiple games this season. What I do expect to affect Houston is the loss of their quarterback D’Eriq King in the last game of the season who was having a great season. Army on the other hand has hand one of the most successful seasons in the recent history of their program. The Black Knights only two losses have came against two very talented teams in Duke and Oklahoma who they both played very tough. I expect a very disciplined Army team to be motivated and take down Major Applewhite’s Houston squad. Army: 28 Houston: 10 Camping World Bowl - Dec. 28 #20 Syracuse (9-3) V.S. #16 West Virginia (8-3) Syracuse and West Virginia are playing in the first ranked matchup of the bowl season. West Virginia will be without star quarterback Will Grier, and future NFL offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste. I expect this to affect the mountaineers greatly. West Virginia’s offense has ran through Will Grier the past two seasons and I don’t think that West Virginia's defense will be able to help their lack of offense against the Orange. I really like the culture that Syracuse head coach Dino Babers has brought to Syracuse. The Orange have exceeded their expectations this playing well against Clemson and they would have played better against Notre Dame if their starting quarterback Eric Dungey would not have gotten hurt. I think that Syracuse will come in and pretty handily beat a West Virginia team that had a very underwhelming season. Syracuse: 42 West Virginia: 28 Alamo Bowl - Dec. 28 #24 Iowa State (8-4) V.S. #13 Washington State (10-2) The Alamo Bowl has historically produced very exciting games and has always been one of the most underrated bowl games. I expect this game to be nothing short of that. Washington State has one of the most exciting offenses in the country led by senior quarterback Gardner Minshew who is leading the country in passing yards. Iowa State on the other side is a great up and coming program led by head coach Matt Campbell. Their current roster is headlined star running back David Montgomery who has over 1200 yards from scrimmage to go along with 12 touchdowns. I think Washington State’s high powered passing offense will be to much to handle for the Cyclones and Washington State will come out on top. Washington State: 51 Iowa State: 42 Peach Bowl - Dec. 29 #10 Florida (9-3) V.S. #7 Michigan (10-2) I expect this game to be very low scoring Florida and Michigan have been two of the best defenses in the country this season. Michigan’s defense is led by future first round pick Devin Bush who has been one of the best linebackers in the country this season. The Wolverines will be without D-Lineman Rashaan Gary who is potentially a top 10 pick, and will also be preparing for the NFL Draft, I expect this to not play a big factor in the game, the Wolverines have been without Gary in multiple games this season and has still shown to be an elite defense. The Gators defense is led by linebacker Jachai Polite, and safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, who are both future NFL players. I think the Jim Harbaugh led Wolverines will be very motivated following a tough loss to Ohio State, and I expect them to take down the Gators. Michigan: 21 Florida: 17 Cotton Bowl - Dec. 29 #3 Notre Dame (12-0) V.S. #2 Clemson (13-0) This is obviously one of the playoff semifinals. I don’t think this game will be relatively close. Notre Dame has not been challenged really at all this whole season throughout an easy schedule. The strength of the Irish has been their discipline, they really never make many mistakes led by quarterback Ian Book who has had a 70.4 completion percentage. Clemson on the other hand may be the most talented team in the country I don’t think they have a single weakness on their whole team. They are even very experienced at every position other than their quarterback. The Tigers have played in this big stage before and Notre Dame has not, experience in the big stage has proven help game after game. The only way I see Clemson losing, is if freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence was to have a lot a mistakes, which I don’t see happening. I expect the Tigers to roll in this one. Clemson: 45 Notre Dame: 17 Orange Bowl - Dec. 29 #4 Oklahoma (12-1) V.S #1 Alabama (13-0) This is the other of the playoff semifinals. Many people may think that Oklahoma has no chance at all in this game, I think otherwise. Although I expect Alabama to still win this game I think that it will be closer than people expect. A big factor in this game is if Oklahoma’s star receiver Marquise Brown (the cousin of Antonio Brown) is able to play. If Brown does not play I don’t expect this game to even be close. With Brown Oklahoma is the most dynamic offenses in the country. Alabama is far too experienced, well disciplined, and far too talented to lose this game. Alabama has historically struggled with mobile quarterbacks such as, Johnny Manziel and Deshaun Watson. Kyler Murray is quite the mobile quarterback, and he could give the Crimson Tide some trouble. Although I think Alabama will win this game, I will not be surprised if Oklahoma where to keep it close. Alabama: 41 Oklahoma: 28 Gator Bowl - Dec. 31 #19 Texas A&M (8-4) V.S. N.C. State (9-3) New Year’s Eve has historically been the best time for bowl games so I thought I would include a couple games. Texas A&M has exceeded expectations in Jimbo Fisher’s first season. The aggies are led by talented running back Trayveon Williams who has had 1800 scrimmage yards and 16 total touchdowns this season. I believe N.C. State has had an overrated season. I don’t think their 9-3 record does not resemble their team. They have had one of the easiest schedules in the country, and against their only quality opponent Clemson, they were demolished 41-7. The only way I see N.C. State having a chance is if senior quarterback Ryan Finley were to have a solid performance in his last game in front of NFL scouts before the NFL Draft. I expect Texas A&M to roll in this game. Texas A&M: 38 N.C. State: 14 Redbox Bowl - Dec. 31 Michigan State (7-5) V.S. Oregon (8-4) Even though this game is between two unranked teams that had underwhelming seasons, I still think that it will be entertaining. I am excited to see how Oregon’s quarterback Justin Herbert performs in possibly his last game against NFL scouts. Herbert has the possibility to be the first quarterback off the board in the NFL draft. I will like to see how Herbert performs against a pesky Michigan State team. The Spartans have been widely inconsistent this season and I don’t expect them to play well in this game. I think Herbert will have a great performance in this one and the Ducks will win. Oregon: 31 Michigan State: 10 Citrus Bowl - Jan. 1 #12 Penn State (9-3) V.S. #14 Kentucky (9-3) This year's Citrus Bowl is between two of the most entertaining teams to watch this season. Penn State is led by “College football Great” Trace McSorley. Trace has had a great college career, and I expect him to be very motivated to end out his college career strong. Kentucky may have something to say about that. The Wildcats have been possibly the biggest surprise team this season. Kentucky is led by veteran running back Benny Snell Jr, and veteran linebacker Josh Allen, who may be the best defensive player in the country. I expect this to be one of the more entertaining games of the bowl season, with the Penn State Nittany Lions coming out on top. Penn State: 45 Kentucky:38 Fiesta Bowl - Jan. 1 #8 UCF (12-0) V.S. #11 LSU (9-3) UCF has been one of the better college football stories of recent memory. The Black Knights have shown that they are still the same dominant team in a big win against an underrated Memphis team, without star quarterback McKenzie Milton who they lost to a season ending injury. The very talented LSU defense may be a tough challenge for UCF. LSU is filled with NFL talent led by linebacker Devin White, and cornerback Greedy Williams even though none of their players have announced that they would sit out of the bowl game to prepare for the draft I would not be surprised if they did. Even if LSU is at full strength I expect UCF to win this game. The Black Knights have everything to play for, they need to prove that they can beat any team they play. LSU on the other hand has had an underwhelming season, and expect them to struggle against UCF. UCF: 24 LSU: 14 Rose Bowl - Jan. 1 #9 Washington (10-3) V.S. #6 Ohio State (12-1) This years Rose Bowl is between two teams that had playoff asspirations to begin the season, and struggled to get there. I don’t see any scienerio that Ohio State would lose Urban Meyer’s “Last Game” ever coaching. Ohio State is incredibly talented and led by quarterback Dwayne Haskins who also may be the first quarterback off the board in the draft and has something to prove to the scouts. The only way that the Buckeyes would lose this game is if Washington’s senior led team wants to end their college careers with a bang. The Huskies are led by running back Myles Gaskin, and quarterback Jake Browning. I don’t think these two will be enough to keep up with the Buckeyes. Ohio State: 43 Washington: 31 Sugar Bowl - Jan. 1 #15 Texas (9-4) V.S. #5 Georgia (11-2) This maybe the most lopsided matchup off all the New Year’s six bowls this season. I believe that Georgia has one of the most talented rosters in the country led by running back tandem, De’Andre Swift and Elijah Holyfield. Texas has only shown to have competed in one big game this season which was against Oklahoma early in the season. I think the Longhorns are too inexperienced and still a season away from competing at a high level. The incredibly talented Georgia roster will be too much to handle for Texas in this one. Georgia: 51 Texas:20 I expect this bowl season to be great to watch, and there are some very interesting matchups I am looking forward to watching
BY: Tony LiebertThe Heisman Trophy is the most prestigious individual award in all of sports. The race for the trophy this season has lived up to all of the hype. I will give you my top 10 rankings of how I would vote for the award. My own criteria for a heisman trophy winner includes individual stats, dominant performance, team record, and showing up in big games. 10. Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue (6-6) 103 receptions, 1164 yards, 12 TDs 18 carries, 203 yards, 1 TDs 30 kick returns, 599 yards Rondale Moore is a freshman wide receiver for the Purdue Boilermakers. The main reason that Moore is so low on the list is due to his team’s record. Rondale Moore showed up on the biggest stage, on October 20th the Ohio State Buckeyes traveled into West Lafayette and the Boilermakers did not back down. In the biggest game of Purdue’s season Moore had 12 receptions 170 yards and 2 touchdowns leading to a 49-20 win over the then 2nd ranked Buckeyes. Throughout the season Rondale Moore was one of the most dominant receivers in college football. 9. Christian Wilkins, DL, Clemson (13-0) 46 tackles, 12.5 TFLs, 4.5 sacks, 2 FRs, 2 FFs 3 carries, 3 yards, 2 TDs Christian Wilkins is a senior defensive lineman for the Clemson Tigers. I believe that Christian Wilkins was the most dominant player on the second best team in the country. Wilkins has two "fat guy" rushing touchdowns this year and look at that heisman pose. At times this season Wilkins has looked unblockable. Christian Wilkins has been one of the most dominant defensive players in all of college football this season. 8. Josh Allen, OLB, Kentucky (9-3) 16 sacks, 84 tackles, 18.5 TFLs, 5 FFs Josh Allen is a senior outside linebacker for the Kentucky Wildcats. Allen was the best player on possibly the biggest surprise team in the entire country. Allen is going to be a top 10 pick in the upcoming draft which is much deserved. I believe that Josh Allen has been the most dominant defensive force in all of college football this season. The Kentucky Wildcats would not have had the same success without Josh Allen’s dominance. 7. McKenzie Milton, QB, UCF (12-0) 59.2 completion pct, 2663 yards, 25 TDs, 6 INTs 79 carries, 307 yards, 9 TDs Even though Milton’s terrific season came to a horrific end due to a gruesome leg injury, I still believe he was one of the best players in college football this season. Milton has led UCF to 26 consecutive wins. Without Milton at quarterback I don’t think that UCF has anywhere near the same success. Milton’s great leadership and performance on the field has led to one of the most dominant runs by a non-power 5 school ever in college football. 6. Darrell Henderson, RB, Memphis (8-5) 214 carries, 1909 yards, 22 TDs 19 receptions, 295 yards, 3 TDs ½ passing, 4 yards, 1 TD 10 kick returns, 124 yards Darrell Henderson is the most underrated player in all of college football. He has put up monster statistics on an underrated Memphis team this season. Henderson also played his best game on the biggest stage. In the AAC championship game against UCF, Henderson ran 16 times for 210 yards and 3 touchdowns and also threw a 4 yard touchdown. Darrell Henderson has been the biggest under the radar star in all of college football this season. 5. Will Grier, QB, West Virginia (8-3) 67 completion pct, 3864 yards, 37 TDs, 8 INTs 48 carries, -90 yards, 3 TDs Will Grier has been the most consistent player in the entire country this season. He performed how much of the country expected he would this season. The whole season you could count on Grier for 350 yards and 4 touchdowns. West Virginia’s defense on the other hand you could not always count on. If West Virginia were able to win their big games I would have put Grier higher on this list. Without a signature performance or big win this year Grier was not able to make a serious argument for this award. Will Grier has put together a terrific college career, and has been a consistently great quarterback since his time at Florida. 4. Gardner Minshew, QB, Washington State (10-2) 70.6 completion pct, 4477 yards, 36 TDs, 9 INTs 52 carries, 103 yards, 3 TDs Before this season I don’t think a single person had Minshew on their heisman watchlist. Minshew has put together monster numbers only having one game with less than 300 passing yards. Minshew’s best performance this season was against Arizona when he passed for 473 yards and 7 touchdowns, 5 of which he threw in the first half. Along with Grier if Washington State were to pull out a few more wins I think Minshew has a solid argument for winning this trophy. Gardner Minshew has put together one of the great “out of nowhere” college football seasons. *the following three players are the finalists who were invited to New York* 3. Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State (12-1) 70.2 completion pct, 4580 yards, 47 TDs, 8 INTs 73 carries, 122 yards, 4 TDs In almost any other season I think that Haskins brings home the heisman award. Haskins has put together one of the greatest quarterback seasons in recent memory. He broke Drew Brees’ single season passing touchdown mark in the Big 10, and also led the country in passing yards. Haskins was able to lead Ohio State through all of their off field struggles, and produce a 12 win season and a trip to the Rose Bowl. Haskins is well deserving of a trip to New York for the heisman trophy ceremony. t2. Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama (13-0) 67.7 completion pct, 3353 yards, 37 TDs, 4 INTs 48 carries, 190 yards, 5 TDs Tua has been possibly the most dominant player in all of college football on the most dominant team this season. He has put up monstrous stats without playing in a single 4th quarter the entire season. The reason I have Tua coming up just short is because he didn’t show up in the biggest game of the season. In the SEC championship against then number 4 team Georgia, Tua was 10/25, for 164 yards, 1 touchdown and two interceptions. To win the heisman you have to prove to be dominant the entire season, especially in the biggest games, and Tua Tagovailoa did not do that. 1. Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma (12-1) 70.9 completion pct, 4053 yards, 40 TDs, 7 INTs 123 carries, 892 yards, 11 TDs Kyler Murray has been the most electric player in the entire country this season. Kyler Murray has been the best player in the country on the best offense in the country. Without Murray I believe that Oklahoma has 3 or 4 more losses. He made huge plays when Oklahoma when has needed him most, including overtime against Army, late in the game against West Virginia, and a terrific performance in the Big 12 championship. Murray gets better and better as the goes on and plays his best in the fourth quarter. Murray had possibly one of the most insane statistical performances of the year against Baylor. Murray passed 17 of 21 for 432 yards and 6 touchdowns that is a little over 25 yards per completion, which in total is a 340 passer efficiency rating. Kyler Murray has the highest passer rating throughout a season of all time with 205.7. Murray has also been the only player to average 300+ passing yards and 60+ rushing yards per game throughout an entire season. In every statistical and physical way Murray has had a better season than Tagovailoa and deserves to win the prestigious Heisman trophy. BY: Tony LiebertPac 12 Championship #11 Washington(9-3) V.S. #17 Utah(9-3) This game is virtually pointless to the college football playoff race. The only bowl implications this game has is that the winner will play in a new year’s six bowl. Which in the current postseason format is pointless other than it gives the schools more money which is all college football is about now-a-days. Even though this game is pointless I will still obviously watch it because it is football. Prediction I see Washington have not having much of a problem winning this game. They are far more talented and a very experienced team including a senior class that has been very successful lead by Myles Gaskin and Jake Browning. I expect them to be very motivated to finish their college careers out strong. Utah being in this game just shows how weak the Pac 12 was this season because they haven’t had any signature wins they just beat the teams they were supposed to beat and lost to the teams they were supposed to lose to. And they just simply don’t have enough offensive firepower to keep up with Washington. Washington:38 Utah:20 Big 12 Championship #5 Oklahoma(11-1) V.S. #14 Texas(9-3) This game on the other hand can affect the playoff race dramatically. This a rematch of the Red River Shootout earlier in the season, which Texas took home in dramatic fashion. If Oklahoma were to win this game there is a very strong chance that they will get to play in the Playoff. This game comes in with much more storylines and I am much more intrigued to watch it. compared to the Pac 12. Prediction I expect this game to be a traditional high scoring Big 12 game. Both of these teams are incredibly talented and have very high powered offenses. Kyler Murray may be the heisman front runner and may have the most innovative offensive mind in all of college football Lincoln Riley calling plays for him. Oklahoma’s talented receivers CeeDee Lamb and Marquise Brown will be too much to handle for the inexperienced Longhorns team. I think a very talented Texas team led by Sam Ehlinger who is having statistically one of the best seasons by a Texas quarterback will not be able to keep up with the Sooners. I expect Oklahoma’s much criticized defense will make some big plays and be able to take down the Longhorns. Oklahoma:51 Texas:44 AAC Championship #8 UCF (11-0) V.S. Memphis (8-4) UCF may not be able to make it into the College football Playoff but they still do have a lot to play for. With a win UCF will have won 25 consecutive games, two consecutive AAC championships and two consecutive trips to a New Year’s Six bowl game. An underrated Memphis team will look to spoil UCF’s incredible streak. Prediction Although UCF just lost their star quarterback McKenzie Milton for the season to a gruesome leg injury, I still expect this game to be very entertaining. I think UCF’s team without Milton is still very talented and I expect them to be very motivated to finish the season strong with all of the doubters that they still have. I do think that Memphis will still be able to compete with the Black Knights. The Tigers high powered offense is lead by talented running back Darrell Henderson. I would not be surprised if this game was high scoring as well and I would not be surprised if Memphis pulls the upset. But I think that UCF will pull out the win in a close one. UCF: 31 Memphis:28 SEC Championship #1 Alabama (12-0) V.S. #4 Georgia (11-1) This game has the biggest implications to the college football playoff out of all the conference championship games. Georgia can play their way into the playoff with a win. And Alabama could continue possibly the most dominating college football season of all time with a win. These two teams are arguably the two most talented teams in the country. And I expect this game to live up to all the hype. Prediction Even though I think that Georgia is talented enough to take down Alabama. I still expect Alabama not to struggle and I think they will mow through the bulldogs. I don’t think that there is much analysis needed for this wildly talented Alabama team. I believe this is Alabama’s best team in the Nick Saban era, led by heisman frontrunner Tua Tagovailoa. I believe that the Crimson Tide from their players to entire staff is far too experienced for big games and will come into the game extremely motivated to prove their dominance and I can’t see them losing this game. Even though I just said there is no way Alabama loses this game, I still think that Georgia is talented enough to compete with the Tide. The Georgia Bulldogs are led by sophomore quarterback Jake Fromm, and running back tandem De’Andre Swift and Elijah Holyfield (Evander’s Son). The Bulldogs also have a very strong and talented defense similar to last season. I think this one two punch of running backs in the recent weeks has become as successful as Chubb and Michel from last season. I think that Georgia’s current team’s potential is just as good if not better than last years team. I think the Tide’s experience will lead to them rolling in this year's SEC championship. Alabama:35 Georgia:24 ACC Championship #2 Clemson (12-0) V.S. Pittsburgh (7-5) Again this game is virtually pointless to the college football playoff race. There is no way that a below average Pittsburgh team can even compete with Clemson. My main annoyance in the current postseason system is that divisions should not exist within conferences, they should all adapt to what the Big 12 has done. It makes no sense why they have not done this because if it is all about the money wouldn’t they want to have the two best teams in the conference play, so it would be the most entertaining game. And not a worthless team like Pittsburgh playing a far superior Clemson team. I am obviously still gonna watch this game because it is football. Prediction Being that Clemson is the far better team and Pittsburgh is terrible. I will talk about Clemson and not at all about Pittsburgh. Clemson is led by talented freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence who I recently wrote an article about which you can read by clicking here if you haven’t read it yet. Clemson having a freshman quarterback is an outlier in their team, because the heart and sole of their roster is their defensive line. Who is lead by 3 seniors Clelin Ferrell, Dexter Lawrence, and Christian Wilkins who will all be first or second round picks in the upcoming draft. Clemson also had a very talented running back Travis Etienne who has ran for over 1300+ yards and has 20 total touchdowns on the season. Clemson is far more talented, experienced, and just plain better than Pittsburgh to be challenged in this game. Looking forward, I do think that the Tigers are the biggest challenger to take down the daunted Alabama Crimson Tide. Clemson:63 Pittsburgh:7 Big 10 Championship #6 Ohio State (11-1) V.S. #21 Northwestern (8-4) Ohio State is coming into this game following a huge statement win against their rival Michigan. And Northwestern is one of the hottest teams in the country winning 7 of their last 8 games. If Ohio State wins this game it will add to their resume and improve their chances of making it into the playoff in a season where the Buckeyes play on the field has not been the main talk of the university. Northwestern on the other hand will look to keep their hot streak going and spoil Ohio State’s season. Prediction Ohio State is one of the most talented teams in the country and there is no reason that they should lose this game. They are lead by star quarterback Dwayne Haskins who has recently played his way into the heisman competition. They also have talented running backs Mike Webber and J.K. Dobbins who have combined by 1700+ yards rushing and 15 total touchdowns. The Buckeyes also have a very talented defense led by d-lineman Dre’mont Jones who is a future first round pick. I think that Northwestern is one of the most underrated teams in the entire country. I am a huge fan of the new culture that head coach Pat Fitzgerald has brought to the Northwestern Wildcats. The Wildcats are led by veteran quarterback Clayton Thorsen. Northwestern is a classic Big 10 power running team that runs a very boring offense. This is one of the reasons I think that Northwestern will be able to pull out the upset. Ohio State is coming off a very emotional win, and I think they will be coming into this game way too cocky, and looking ahead to the playoff. I think the Buckeyes will look past a pesky Northwestern team who is far more discipline. Northwestern:31 Ohio State:24 Trevor Lawrence is the most talented quarterback in college football and he WILL be the next great quarterback in the NFL. The best quarterbacks in the NFL are all in the later part of their careers Brady is 41 years old, Roethlisberger is 36, Brees is 39, Rivers is 36, and Rodgers is 34. I don’t think any quarterback under the age of 30 has consistently shown that they deserve to be in that class of great QBs, they have shown they can be but not consistently. There is definitely not one of those quarterbacks that are ready to be the best in the NFL when most of those guys retire. I think that the heir to Brady and Rodgers’ throne will be Lawrence. He has all of the tools he has great arm strength, athleticism, football IQ, and lastly he has the IT FACTOR. High School Trevor grew up in Cartersville, Georgia. Ever since Trevor was in eighth grade it was said that his high school head coaches had a starting spot for him once he entered high school. Once Trevor reached ninth grade he was the starting quarterback for his high school team. He started for all four years of high school. Lawrence became well known nationally when he surpassed current Houston Texans and former Clemson Deshaun Watson’s career high school passing yards record in the state of Georgia with 13,255 yards. Lawrence was obviously recruited by every Division one school known to man came. Lawrence eventually chose Clemson. He came in as the number one player in the country not just number one quarterback number one player. He was ranked as the number one player on almost every platform including ESPN, Rivals, 24/7, and Scout just to name a few Great throwing Intangibles The first time Clemson coach Dabo Swinney watched Trevor Lawrence throw a pass in person it was at a football camp a few years ago, he immediately went into protection mode for his receivers. “We don’t wear helmets, and I was afraid somebody would get hurt,” Swinney said. His concern was justified. Lawrence, recently had a pass clocked at 61 miles an hour, this simply confirms that Lawrence has unreal Pat Mahomes like arm strength. Football IQ To be a great NFL quarterback you have to be smarter than anyone else on the field and I think that Lawrence is. To come in as a Freshman, learn a complex offense like Clemson’s then take the starting spot from senior quarterback Kelly Bryant that had just led Clemson to an ACC championship and the National Semifinal the year before, should tell you enough about how special Lawrence is. To be the number one player in the country and commit to a school like Clemson where he was not guaranteed the starting spot, and go in as a Freshman and win the starting spot should tell you a lot about this guy and his competitiveness. Athleticism Even great pocket passers in the NFL still have to be athletic enough to maneuver within the pocket, and Lawrence definitely is. Lawrence is obviously not as athletic as Michael Vick or RG3 but he is athletic enough. What I mean by athletic enough is that I think you can see in the modern NFL there will become more and more common to run RPO and option plays. To run these plays you need to be athletic. Lawrence recently ran a 4.78 forty yard dash. I think that this shows that Lawrence is athletic enough to run the traditional read option if he needs to, he obviously won’t be as successful running the ball as Vick or RG3, I think that he will be successful enough to keep the defense guessing. If Lawrence can keep the opposing defense guessing I think it would lead to tremendous success. If the defense is always on their heels Lawrence is such a talented passer I would expect him to pick apart any defense he plays. IT FACTOR The it factor is something that is impossible to measure, but all of the great quarterbacks have it. I think Lawrence has it, he just looks like a great quarterback from his flowing long blonde hair, and his 6’5” frame. He just looks like a quarterback and, he just checks off all the boxes. Early in his career there has not been a moment to big for him while he has had the spotlight on him since he was a freshman in highschool. So far Lawrence always looks incredibly calm and he never lets anything bother him. He’s tall, great arm strength, great athleticism, and he has shown that he is ultra competitive and wants to be great. What else do you want from a quarterback. I also really liked how Lawrence handled the whole Kelly Bryant situation,and just went along with his business while not letting the outside noise bother him, this shows a lot about his character. It is hard to explain the it factor, but Lawrence just looks like he was manufactured in a lab to be a quarterback, he never looks like he forces anything, he just looks like he is supposed to be there. Lawrence has no weakness. Trevor Lawrence has the most potential of any young quarterback in college football today, and I think that this will translate eventually into the NFL. He is already so talented and he can only get better from here. I truly believe that Lawrence has the ability to one day be the best quarterback in the NFL. High School Highlights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTfNasYvTts |
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May 2020
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