Jalen Hurts, Jake Browning, Deshaun Watson, and JT Barrett lead their respective teams into battle today. This is the day college football fans have been waiting for. 128 teams fought for the opportunity, but only four remain.
Alabama (-14) vs Washington; 51
The Crimson Tide have been unbeatable this year and rolled through the competition (see what I did there?). Jalen Hurts has had his turnover problems this year, which should scare the Alabama faithful. Where this Alabama team stands out, like usual, is in the trenches. The physicality of the defensive and offensive lines is unmatched. Hurts has added another dimension into this offense and Lane Kiffin has quickly learned how to use him. The defense is star of the game here. Can this defense stop the high octane Washington offense? Jake Browning will try to beat the Crimson Tide with the deep ball. Look for Browning to zero in on his favorite target, John Ross and take the top off the defense early. I think Alabama wins this game, but I see this game being way closer than the 14 point spread. Take the points and look for this game to come down to a big turnover in the second half.
The Pick: Washington (+14) – 1.5 Units
Ohio State (-3) vs Clemson; 58
The prime time game will be the game to watch. I expect a back and forth battle from these two heavyweights. Look for Clemson to exploit the OSU defense using there plethora of weapons on offense. Expect to see Deshaun Watson turn the ball over 1 or 2 times tonight but be able to persevere. JT Barrett and this OSU offense has looked last the last few weeks of the season. Can this dominate Clemson front seven exploit the weakness in Ohio State’s offense? I expect JT Barrett to spend too much time on the ground today. Barrett will look to get the ball to Samuel in space. The issue is that he may be the only legitimate weapon for him. The Buckeyes have no WRs to take advantage of the Clemson secondary. I expect an absolutely riveting game this evening, but I see Clemson pulling off a slight upset. The Tigers offense will be too much and OSU doesn’t have the offense to keep up. Look for Deshaun Watson to hit his 4th and 5th options throughout the game while OSU spends too much time focusing on Williams and Scott. I couldn’t love Clemson more in this spot as underdogs.
The Pick: Clemson (+3) – 8 Units; Clemson (+130) – 2 Units