College Football Playoff: Alabama vs Ohio State and National Championship Game

This is a rematch of two extremely good coaches with Urban Meyer and Nick Saban. While Ohio State plays in the Big Ten, they have had a tough time getting through. Alabama, a prohibited favorite to always win it, has had a equally tough time getting to this point. Lets look at the keys to the game.

Offense vs Defense

This matchup is going to have two main points: the Line and the receivers. Ohio State's line has 40 sacks, tied for 9th in the country. They are looking at an Alabama offensive line that is weak and can be rushed. If Ohio State can get some pressure on Blake Sims, they are going to have a field day, which cuts down TJ Yeldon's running game and turns him into a wideout, something that can be good if you keep him contained.  We also have to look at Ohio State's O-Line which is going to have to protect Cardale Jones, the 3rd string quarterback for the Buckeyes. And by the way, can we acknowledge the fact that this team, despite being down to a 3rd string QB, is playing like a starter. 

The second point is that of receivers. A question that will be answered early is can Ohio State keep Amari Cooper of Alabama covered and not let him go "Calvin Johnson" on this team. This also goes for Alabama, which has shown in past bowl games that if you have a legit playmaker at receiver, the Crimson Tide has issues covering him. 

Saban vs Meyer

These coaches know each other so well its scary. Remember that for a time, Meyer and Saban was the primetime matchup of the SEC and was something that couldn't be missed. I think Saban will have the upper hand due to having Lane Kiffin as his offensive coordinator, as he is going to find various ways to get the ball down the field and make the Ohio State defense tire itself trying to keep up. Urban Meyer needs to coach up the team to have a hot start as they have found themselves behind early and having to win from behind a lot this season. One thing that Meyer has as a plus is that he led an Ohio State team to shut out Michigan State, in East Lansing, something not easily done. 

Prediction

This game is extremely even matched but to me, this comes down to two people: Cardale Jones vs Amari Cooper. Is Amari Cooper as good as everyone thinks he is and can be a big game threat in coverage, and can Cardale Jones somehow repeat, heck even bring out part of the magic he had when he shot the lights out in the Big Ten Championship? While I think the former will be more likely, I don't think that Cooper can win the game alone, especially if Blake Sims, Alabama's quarterback, is being put under constant pressure. You also have to take into account that Ohio State wants to be known as the best of the Big Ten, and nothing would cement that than beating the SEC Champion, a team that the last time they played in New Orleans, was blown out by Oklahoma, who has a similar offense to Ohio State. 

Winner: Ohio State, extremely close

National Championship: Oregon vs Ohio State

I can't lie, I am not a fan of Ohio State, but I respect them immensely. But when it comes to facing Oregon, I don't give the Buckeyes a fighting chance. While Ohio State has a great defensive front, that becomes mute when you are playing Oregon who has Marcus Mariota, one of these most dangerous players at QB. And just to be fair, even it wasn't Oregon and it was Florida State, Ohio State would still have problems stopping the Quarterback. While it would be a shootout, that is the last thing you want to do when playing Oregon, who lives for the shootout. 

Winner: Oregon

College Football Playoff: Oregon vs Florida State

Starting tomorrow, a new age in college football will be ushered in with the first ever National Championship Playoffs. Four teams, each from different conferences in the Power five grouping ( ACC, SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, and Pac 12) will duke it out to see who goes to Dallas and wins it all. Our four teams are the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Oregon Ducks, the Ohio State Buckeyes, and the reigning, defending, undefeated national champions, the Florida State Seminoles. We are going to breakdown each matchup, and I'll give you my prediction as to who wins.

                                                                 Oregon vs Florida State

Despite this trailer being somewhat epic, the game, in my opinion, shouldn't be a semifinal game and I wish that both teams were playing a team from the other semifinal matchup. This matchup features not just a Heisman winner in Marcus Mariota, but the previous Heisman winner and national champion Jamies Winston. Lets look at some keys to the game.

Offense vs Defense

This game is going to be an absolute shootout. While I believe that Oregon's offense won't have issues with Florida State's defense, the same defense that won nail biters against Notre Dame, Louisville and Miami, will be present. For some reason, every time this team is counted out, they find ways to bring it close and steal one. But the question is can they keep it close enough to not only stop Oregon's offense, but score and win? One thing that might help Florida State's offense is that Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, highly touted cornerback of Oregon, is out for the rest of the postseason. Winston might pick on redshirt senior Troy Hill and the rest of Oregon's defense, which can be flaky sometimes. I believe that one of the lynch pins for this game will come down to Florida State's ability to slow down Oregon's offense. 

Mariota vs Winston

We can window dress this game all we want, but at its core, this game comes down to the last 2 Heisman winners: Jameis Winston vs Marcus Mariota. Remember a couple of years back when it was RG3 and Andrew Luck and the argument with who should be the number 1 draft pick? Yeah well this game will decide that easily. When it comes down to athleticism, I would say that Mariota is better as he can move easy and is an automatic x-factor every time he steps on the field. 

Winston, to me, is a better quarterback, as he has an NFL body and while has shown the ability to move outside the pocket, his game is very reminiscent of Ben Roethlisberger, as he can take a shot and get up for the next down. Mariota's game is somewhat like a more accurate Cam Newton as he can make a play out of nothing, especially seen here. While I believe that Winston more than likely will go number one in the draft, I believe that in this matchup Mariota is going to outshine Winston in this game

Prediction

Speed vs Power, Heisman vs Heisman. While these are two very important matchups coming into the game, I think that this is possibly the most unpredictable matchup in this bowl season. While a part of me wants to say that Oregon is going to steam roll Florida State, one thing negatives that thought: Florida State is undefeated for the second year in a row. Despite all those close games, and Jameis Winston not playing as well as a Heisman winner should, he always finds a way to pull out the win, as long as the game is close. With that being said, I don't think that Florida State is going to pull off a shocker, especially if the Oregon team that played in the Pac-12 championship comes into this game. It won't be a blowout but it will be a 2 score game once the clock strikes zero

Winner: Oregon, by 2 touchdowns