College Football Playoff Predictions
In early January 2018, the college football playoffs begin when the top four college teams ranked by the College Football Selection Committee compete for the national championship in Atlanta, Georgia. Weekly ranking of the 25 best teams are released by the selection committee.
The current predictions for the playoffs are the University of Alabama Crimson Tide, Clemson University Tigers, University of Miami Hurricanes and University of Oklahoma Sooners. There are two semi-final bowl games that lead to the national championship. The projected first and fourth ranked teams, Alabama and Oklahoma, will play at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana and the second and third ranked teams, Clemson and Miami, will play at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA.
The Sugar and Rose Bowls are two of six playoff bowls that rotate turns being the semifinal bowls. The others are the Orange Bowl in Miami, FL, Cotton Bowl in Arlington, TX, Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix, AZ and Peach Bowl in Atlanta, GA.
This year, the Athens Drive Marching Band will be playing at the Outback Bowl in Tampa Bay, FL. They are competing with 3,000 other high schoolers in a four day event and performing with those students in a mass-band performance at the Outback Bowl halftime show. The performances and competitions also include marching at the Outback Bowl Parade on New Year’s Eve.
The favorites to win the national championship are number one, Alabama. This team is managed by Nick Saban as the have been for the past 10 years. On the field, they are lead by Quarterback Jalen Hurts. Hurts has 11 touchdowns this season and about 2,000 yards. Alabama has won the competition in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2015.
The number two seed is Clemson. They are the reigning champions, as they defeated Alabama in last years championship game. Clemson’s season has been lead by quarterback Kelly Bryant who has seven touchdowns and nearly 2,000 yards. They have claimed the title twice in their history, hoping Bryant can lead them to a third.
Third in the national rankings is Miami. The five time champions are on of the most feared teams of college football. Malik Rosier, quarterback, leads the team with over 2,500 yards and 20 touchdowns. Miami hope to end their championship drought of 17 years.
Lastly, Oklahoma are ranked as the fourth best team in the weekly rankings. Their quarterback, Baker Mayfield, has 3,500 yards, 31 touchdowns and leads the race for the Heisman Trophy. The award for college football’s most valuable player. The team has had a rich history with 46 conference titles including 13 in a row between 1946-1959 and a national championship in 2000
“I think that Oklahoma will win the national championship. The whole team is stacked with talent, not to mention Baker Mayfield, who I feel should win the Heisman. Also, Mayfield plays with fire, which will rub off on the rest of the team as he is a big leader on the team. I think the games will be good competition and will end up being close, but in my opinion Oklahoma will come out on top,” said Sean Herbst, freshman.
