College Football Bowl Season Recap

Long overdue, but here's how I did on my bowl predictions:

1. Hark! The Houston Cougars win

Tom Herman made a statement in his first year at Houston, and that statement was: watch out for the Cougars.  Houston dominated Florida State through the first half, and held on to win 38 - 24 in a game that wasn't even really that close.  The victory resulted in a

2. On the first day of '16 OK State will surely see a victory over coach Freeze

The only thing Oklahoma State saw was Chad Kelly scoring touchdowns. The Rebels rolled to a 48 - 20 victory in the Sugar Bowl, which should help erase memories from last year's self-destruction against TCU in the Peach Bowl.

3. Do you see what I see?  Fifteen, fifteen, gashing Notre Dame; With another two hundred in a game;  With another two hundred in a game

Zeke had a big game, but it wasn't quite enough to make this prediction good.  A depleted Notre Dame defense just had no answers when it came to slowing down #15 or #16, as the Buckeyes moved the ball with relative ease all game long.  They found some success on offense, especially with star Joey Bosa ejected from the game for a targeting call in the first quarter.  It was a disappointing end to a stellar career, but I couldn't disagree with the call (whether or not the rule is good as it stands is another matter and not one I want to delve into at the moment). Still, Ohio State cruised to a big win, 44 - 28.

4. I'm dreaming of a Hawkeye bowl win, just like the ones I used to know;  Where the linemen clash and the running backs dash, to score long touchdowns against their foe

I was indeed dreaming, as it was clear very early on that Iowa stood no chance against Stanford. It was particularly evident every time Heisman runner-up McCaffrey touched the ball (which was often).  He set numerous Rose Bowl records as the Cardinal demolished the Hawkeyes, 45 - 16.  The one area that Iowa was victorious, however, was during halftime. Stanford's marching band was an embarrassment that didn't even belong on the field.  Forget the fact that they seem to try to offend someone every time they get the spotlight (this time they went after farmers in Iowa); I was simply offended by how bad they were.  They sounded awful and were about as organized as a group of escaped mental patients.  While I was disappointed by how poorly Iowa's football team represented the Big Ten, it was nothing compared to the shame Stanford and Pac-12 supporters should have felt after seeing the trash they put on the field for halftime.

5. You better watch out, you better not cry;  You better not pout, I'm telling you why; Florida's gonna score a touchdown

Yep, they did it!  What a victory for the Gators. They proved the doubters wrong, even though they lost... 41 - 7.  It was a moral victory?

College Football National Championship Recap

We already know how the title game turned out.  But what about my bold predictions?

1. Alabama defeats Clemson by two or more touchdowns

It was even closer than I expected, as the Tigers were able to move the ball pretty consistently against a stout Alabama defense.  Clemson held a 3-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, but a huge final 15 minutes for the Crimson Tide offense ended up swaying things in favor of Nick Saban's team.  Alabama scored 24 points in that last quarter, helped by a surprise on-side kick as well as a kickoff return for a touchdown.  Final score: 45 - 40.

2. Watson rushes for season-high yardage

The Clemson QB found success running and throwing against Alabama, but it wasn't quite enough.  And he really didn't come close to a season-high rushing total, with 73 yards.  But really it was special teams and a few blown coverages that doomed the Tigers.

3. The winner's margin of victory won't be as big as Buckeyes' in 2014 title game

As I predicted, it was much closer than the '14 championship game.  Clemson scored with 12 seconds left to pull within one score of the Tide, but failed to recover the ensuing on-side kick, and likely wouldn't have had enough time to score again even if they had gotten the ball back.

4. Derrick Henry goes off against Tigers, accumulating 200+ yards on the ground

He was very productive, particularly in the first half, but didn't quite reach the yardage for this prediction.  There are still plenty who think McCaffrey should have won the Heisman, I'm sure, but it's time for people to move on, whether they agree or not.

5. Fans express joyous support of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

There was no SEC chant in the stadium, probably because the Alabama football team has been good enough in recent years that they don't need to hide behind conference fandom like fans of other SEC teams do. But make no mistake, the SEC chant was heard loud and clear by anyone brave enough to venture into comment sections of sports websites in the hours and days following the title game.  I'm giving myself half credit on this one.
EDIT: Upon further review, I'm giving myself full credit for this one

National Championship record: 2 - 3
Overall record: 25.5 - 54.5

College Football National Championship Bold Predictions

1. Alabama defeats Clemson by two or more touchdowns

I went with the underdogs in round one of the playoffs, but I think the favored Crimson Tide come away with the title by a comfortable margin.  It should be a bit more competitive than both the semifinal games, with the contest staying close into the fourth quarter.  But a late Alabama touchdown gives them the win and another national championship to add to their resume.  Final score: 34 - 20.

2. Watson rushes for season-high yardage

 

 

The one thing the Tigers have going for them are the well-documented struggles of Alabama's defense when facing mobile quarterbacks.  The Clemson QB ran for a season-best 145 yards against Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, after posting previous highs against North Carolina and South Carolina in the two preceding games.  I think he tops all his performances with another big day on the ground.  He'll find some success passing, too, but ultimately it won't be enough to take down Alabama.

3. The winner's margin of victory won't be as big as Buckeyes' in 2014 title game

Ohio State dominated Oregon in a way that I don't think either team will be able to match in this year's championship.  While I expect Alabama to win in impressive fashion, they won't look as good as the Bucks did a year ago.

4. Derrick Henry goes off against Tigers, accumulating 200+ yards on the ground

You can bet that the Alabama running back is hearing the whispers (and obnoxious yelling) saying that he shouldn't have won the Heisman.  I think all the talk of McCaffrey being robbed motivates Henry to possibly his biggest game of the year, as he runs all over Clemson.

5. Fans express joyous support of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

 

 

Why wouldn't they?  In the SEC's own words, they "protect investors, maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets, and facilitate capital formation."  Sounds good to me.  And we can always count on fans of southern football programs to have abundant knowledge of complex economic principles and the ways that government agencies positively impact their lives.  At least, that's the conclusion I'm drawing based on the fact that we often hear chants of S-E-C ringing through the stadium during football games involving southern teams.  I think we might just hear some chanting on Monday as well.  Let's go market regulation!

College Football Playoff Semifinals Recap

The title game approaches, but first let's see how I did with my predictions for the semifinal round:

1. Clemson knocks off Oklahoma to stay undefeated

It was close at halftime, as the Sooners went to the locker room with a 1-point lead.  But the Tigers came out strong in the second half, shutting down Baker Mayfield and going on to score 21 unanswered points.  Deshaun Watson had a brilliant performance, as I expected, as Clemson won 37 - 17 and punched their ticket to the national championship game.

2. Michigan State triumphs over Alabama

Yeah... not quite.  The Spartans looked over-matched from start to finish.  They just couldn't seem to get anything going against a very good Alabama defense.  They had an opportunity to score before halftime before the game got out of hand, but an interception ended the drive and gave the momentum back to the Tide.  It was all downhill for MSU after that, and Alabama ended up winning 38 - 0 to setup a title game clash with Clemson.

3. CFP semifinal winners score at least 30 points fewer than last year's Ducks and Bucks

This one looked pretty good early on, as Clemson and Oklahoma were locked in a 17 - 16 battle after the first half of the Orange Bowl.  Even after the Tigers ended up winning with a score of 37 points, the prediction still had a pretty good shot with a 10 - 0 Alabama halftime lead in the Cotton Bowl .  But the Tide's four touchdowns in the second half of their victory was just enough to ruin this prediction, as Alabama and Clemson combined for 75 points in their wins, just 26 fewer than the semifinal winners of 2014.

4. Spartans hold Heisman winner Derrick Henry under 100 rushing yards

The one bright spot for Michigan State is that they were able to contain Henry even after Alabama built up a big lead.  However, their suspect secondary was torched all night by Tide QB Jake Coker.  While it didn't end up impacting the final outcome of the game, this prediction's success does lend credence to the popular notion that maybe Christian McCaffrey deserved the Heisman over Henry.

5. Orange Bowl announcers don't mention last year's 40 - 6 Russell Athletic Bowl blowout

They brought it up, if only to remind us that these weren't the same teams from a year ago.  The outcome was slightly better for Oklahoma this year, though the result was still a loss, and possibly a more painful one as it kept the Sooners from playing for a national title.

Playoff semifinals record: 2 -3
Overall record: 23.5 - 51.5