The College Football Playoff Semifinals will take place on December 31. At 3 p.m. ET, the Washington Huskies will face the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Peach Bowl, while the Clemson Tigers will face the Ohio State Buckeyes at 7 p.m. ET in the Fiesta Bowl. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Alabama -16.5
Washington +16.5
Ohio State -3
Clemson +3
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Washington
The Crimson Tide are the only undefeated team of the CFP finalists and are coming off a dominant victory over the Florida Gators in the SEC Championship Game.
Alabama is paced by what is by all accounts the best defense in the country. The Crimson Tide are first in the nation in total yards allowed per game, rushing yards allowed per game, and points allowed per game. Even with the loss of Eddie Jackson, this defense is extremely difficult to beat and the best unit is a defensive line that is unparalleled.
Jalen Hurts has added an additional dynamic to this team that it hasn’t had in the past. His ability to make plays happen with his legs gives Alabama a run-pass option that makes them more unpredictable on offense.
Alabama will face a Washington team that has been special this season under Chris Petersen. The Huskies have put forth their best season in 25 years and Jake Browning’s progression has been a big reason why. Browning threw for 3280 yards and 42 touchdowns this season with only 7 interceptions against. He should be in New York as a Heisman finalist, but would settle for a win over the Tide.
Washington has a fantastic defense as well. The Huskies are in the Top 10 nationally in both total defense and scoring defense. Having Budda Baker in the secondary makes it a very difficult proposition to pass on the Huskies.
No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Ohio State
The Tigers have had to rely on DeShaun Watson throughout the season as the running game has struggled to reach the same heights that it did in 2015. That has meant that Watson has had to throw the ball more in order to keep the Tigers winning, at the expense of his numbers.
Watson has tossed 15 interceptions this season and he is no longer the consensus choice to the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft. However, there is no question that he is the best quarterback in the playoff. Watson may make mistakes, but no quarterback has a higher ceiling as evidenced by him almost leading the Tigers over the Tide in last year’s national championship game.
Ohio State had some major question marks coming into this season, but the Buckeyes had enough talent to still be one of the best teams in the country and make the playoff with a young, inexperienced cast.
The running game has played a major role in the Buckeyes’ success this season. Ohio State has pounded the ball on the ground reliably and finished the year with Mike Weber, JT Barrett, and Curtis Samuel combining to run for over 2600 yards and 26 touchdowns.
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It’s hard to see any way in which Washington will be able to knock off Alabama. In many ways, the Huskies are Alabama-Light and they just don’t have the talent across the board to win battles with the Crimson Tide.
In the later match-up, the Buckeyes are the favorite due to the perceived strength of the Big Ten and Urban Mayer’s pedigree, but Clemson has a lot of advantages. The Tigers have a stout defensive line that can stuff the run and Watson can test the secondary like no Big Ten quarterback can. Don’t be surprised to see a rematch of last year’s title game.
College Football Playoff Semifinal Odds: Crimson Tide 30, Huskies 13; Tigers 35, Buckeyes 31
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