The college football playoffs are upon us. After months of speculation about who would end up in college football’s final four — and another month of trying to figure out what will happen once the actual teams are announced — we’ve reached the point where the only thing left to do is have the teams enter the field and end the debate themselves.
But that doesn’t mean we’ll stop trying to figure it out before kick-off.
Will Georgia become the first repeat champion of the college football The playoff era (and the first program to do so since Alabama in 2011-12)? Will Michigan put last year’s searing loss to Georgia behind them and finish the job this season? What about the TCU? It is the only one of the four teams to make its CFP debut. Will he continue his Cinderella story? And then there’s Ohio State. Will the Buckeyes take advantage of the second chance given to them and bounce back from a second straight loss to Michigan by knocking out the defending champions?
We’ll find out soon enough, but for now let’s try to figure out what will happen in Saturday night’s CFP semi-finals.
Fiesta Bowl 2022: (2) Michigan vs. (3) TOS
Featured Game | Michigan Wolverines vs. TCU Horned Frogs
spread:While there is no doubt that TCU have earned their spot in the playoffs, I make no secret of my belief that the Horned Frogs are the “weakest” of the four teams on the field, at least from the point of view of the power. TCU has played the most one-score games this season out of four. In fact, the Frogs’ six one-score games were more than the other three teams combined (three). Ohio State has not played in any. This is a team that has been in a lot of close games and done the smart things that good teams do to win them.
It’s not a blow to TCU, but it’s a concern as to what might happen when the Frogs come up against elite competition, and that’s what you face once you’re come this far. Although TCU played a stronger overall schedule than Michigan, what you do to the competition you face isn’t considered often enough. Michigan may have played a weak non-conference roster, but they also beat Penn State and Ohio State by a combined 46 points. You can tell TCU hasn’t played anyone as well as these teams this season. Michigan is built similarly to Kansas State in terms of playstyle and philosophy, and we’ve seen how much trouble the Wildcats have given the Frogs this season. The difference? Michigan is much more talented. I can’t trust TCU to track this one. Choose: Michigan -7.5
Total: The choice here is cut and dried. If you expect Michigan to win, they probably will because they will thwart TCU’s offensive attack, leading to an under more often than not. If you think TCU will win, the Frogs will probably have to score at least 30 points and make it kind of a shootout. This means the more is more likely to hit. The Wolverines are the better team and the one that wins a lot more often. Also, since this is a playoff game, expect Michigan to turn conservative if they build a lead and keep the clock ticking like many of their opponents once did. that he took control of a game this season. Choose: Under 58.5
Peach Bowl 2022: (1) Georgia vs. (4) State of Ohio
Featured Game | Georgia Bulldogs vs. Georgia Bulldogs Ohio State Buckeyes
spread: The 2022 Georgia Bulldogs aren’t as good as last year’s national title-winning team, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t still the best team in the country. They pose a particular matching problem for the state of Ohio. The Buckeyes don’t lose games or struggle often, but when they do, there’s a theme. Last season, Oregon had a physical defensive front that caused problems for Ohio State’s offense, pressured CJ Stroud and forced him off the script. Stroud struggles when forced to improvise. Michigan did the same late in the season and again this year.
Well, there aren’t as many defensive fronts in the country as good or better than Georgia, and the Bulldogs’ defense will put pressure on Stroud. The Georgian defense only rank 41st nationally in pressure ratio, but that’s more of a by-product of not having to heat up their opponents often this year. In the big games, Georgia has stepped things up a notch, and they know what it takes to slow down this Ohio State offense. We’ll probably see Georgia blitz more often than they have, putting Stroud in awkward situations. On the other side of the ball, we’ve seen teams like Penn State, Michigan, and Maryland cause problems at Ohio State’s high school. While Georgia isn’t the strongest passing offense in the country, it’s better than most give them credit for and could cause problems. Pick: Georgia -6.5
Total: Will he really pick favorites and underdogs for both games? He is sure! It’s the same situation as the Fiesta Bowl. If you think Georgia wins, it will be a low-scoring affair that will see the Bulldogs snuff out a powerful attack from the Buckeyes. If you think Ohio State pulls off the upset, it’ll probably be because it’s doing to Georgia’s defense what Alabama did to it in the 2021 season. After all, Ohio State is the one of the few teams with the talent at quarterback and receiver to capitalize on potential weaknesses in the Georgian secondary. The problem is, we’ve seen what happens to Ohio State when it comes up against teams that can punch it in the mouth. Choose: under 62
What college football picks can you confidently make this bowl season, and which underdogs will win outright? Visit SportsLine to see which teams will win and cover the spread — all from a proven computer model that’s generated nearly $2,500 in profit over the past six-plus seasons — and find out.
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