College Football Playoff Preview

The Playoff is set. Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, and TCU are the best teams in the country and one of them will be crowned National Champion in January. 


Championship Saturday claimed one final victim before the playoff could be decided. USC needed to beat Utah to win the Pac-12 and to make their first College Football Playoff. They were tied close with Utah for most of the game, but fell behind in the fourth quarter and couldn't catch up, ending up losing 42-27. Caleb Williams and Lincoln Riley will have to wait another year to try and prove the move from Oklahoma to USC would work. 


Now let’s talk about the teams that made it:


1. University of Georgia

Georgia has basically held the number 1 spot in the playoff poll for two consecutive years. Kirby Smart led his Bulldogs into Atlanta for the SEC Championship and rolled over LSU dropping over 50 points. Now their defense hasn't been as dominant as it was last year, but Stetson Bennett is playing the best he has in his career and he’s looking to become the oldest National Championship quarterback winner. 


Their first-round matchup against Ohio State is not the easiest. Ohio State’s air raid-style offense matches up really well against UGA’s defensive backs. LSU was able to break a few big plays downfield with KayShon Boutte, and Ohio State has three receivers that play just like, if not better than Boutte. The Dawgs are going to have to shut down Stroud and their star-studded offense by controlling the clock and running the ball until the buckeyes can’t stop them anymore, just like Michigan did.



#2 University of Michigan

There was a lot of talk about Michigan possibly being the top team in the country after The Game. Nonetheless, Michigan has improved from last year. They have a better offensive line, better QB, and more aggressive play-calling. J.J. McCarthy has completely turned around this Michigan offense, he makes them two-dimensional, and now they have a quarterback who can both run like a running back and throw the ball 50 yards downfield. McCarthy’s ability to escape the pocket and find the open receiver is something that no other QB in this playoff can do. 



#3 TCU

The team of destiny is here. TCU’s perfect season came to an end in a thrilling overtime Big-12 championship, but Max Duggan’s Heisman moment came into the light. The world watched what Duggan could do, we saw him single-handedly bring TCU back into the game against Kansas State. On the last drive of regulation, Duggan decided to tuck the ball and run on almost every play. He finished with over 100 yards rushing and a touchdown. 


Michigan will be a very tough matchup for them. The defensive line needs to play with their hearts on their sleeves like it's the last game of their life. In order to stop Michigan you cannot let them run the ball all game and control the clock. Allowing field goals instead of touchdowns will win them this game. 


#4 Ohio State University

The last team to get in, but do they have the best offense? C.J. Stroud is the best QB in this upcoming draft class with the best receiving core in the country. But now it’s time to face off against the best defense in the country led by Jalen Carter on the defensive line. Ohio State cannot play soft and fatigued as they did against Michigan. Ryan Day has to play a great four-quarters of football, not two. 


The problem with Ohio State in their loss to Michigan was they stopped throwing the ball downfield. If they want to win this game against Georgia they need to keep using their star QB CJ Stroud and throw the ball 50 times this game. 


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