Third Annual College Football Playoff Kicks Off December 31st

College football is one of many Americans favorite sport to watch. Three years ago, the game began to evolve. The college football playoff was established in 2014 and has exceeded in expectations that it would be successful since then. The idea was introduced by Tommy Tuberville, an American football coach for multiple college football teams. He expressed how the system was unfair to the other teams who were also undefeated, but were left out of the championship game because they were ranked lower. The college football playoff has made college football more fair without getting rid of all of the bowl games altogether. A selection committee gets together in early December each year and picks teams who will be placed in the playoff based on certain criteria. From there they announce the teams on ESPN.

This year The teams chosen were:  No. 1 Alabama (13-0), No.2 Clemson (12-1), No.3 Ohio State (11-1), and No. 4 Washington (12-1). In the preseason polls, Alabama and Clemson were accurately selected for the No. 1 and 2 spot. Ohio state was projected at No. 6 and Washington was picked to be No. 14. Both Ohio State and Washington proved they could play through the adversity and come out as two of the top preforming teams.

The two Semifinal games will be played in Atlanta, where Alabama will host Washington at 3 p.m., and in Arizona, where Clemson will host Ohio State at 5 p.m. Both games are played on December 31^st. The winner of those two games will move on to the championship in Tampa, Florida on December 7^th at 8 p.m.

My prediction consists of Ohio State shocking the college football world and winning the championship because the team can thrive under tough pressure. They will play with a chip on their shoulders. In order to do this, they will need to get through the power house Clemson Tigers. They will need to shut down their powerful offense. They have to stop Clemson’s elusive QB, Deshaun Watson.  Although Clemson’s offense is powerful, it is pass oriented. The Buckeyes need to take advantage of this and involve a strategy the involves more of a pass preventing defense rather than an aggressive, run-stopping defense.  After getting through Clemson, they would need to beat Alabama in the Championship. Some of Alabama’s strengths are their defensive line, their strong secondary, and talented receiving core. Although they have so many strengths, Alabama does not have a lot of experience in the backfield. Alabama’s special teams have been inconsistent this year. Their up and down kicker has missed many key field goals for them, fortunately they have been able to make up for it on offense. In order to beat Alabama, Ohio State will need to lock-in and prepare for a fight going against the Tide’s defense. They need to lock down Alabama’s receivers.

All of the teams are hungry for the championship title. They are all very talented and have very promising rosters. This year’s playoffs should be a good one folks, tune in to ESPN on the 31^st at 3 p.m. to watch the first semifinal game.