Kirby Smart is the head coach of the Georgia football team. There is a time and a place for it. The coach tried. The coach of the Alabama football team found a megaphone and used it to make a case for his team to play in the College Football Playoff. He said to look at the top four through a different lens. He asked if we would be favored in the game or not. The committee did not change their minds. It's not a part of its criteria. The meeting is not in Las Vegas. It would not be possible to leapfrog Ohio State. Alabama will not be in the semifinals for the second year in a row. The Frogs are the first team from the Big 12 to make the playoffs. For a chance to meet for the national championship, the Ohio State and Michigan teams will play each other in the semifinals. Georgia is trying to become the first repeat champion of theCFP era. The first look at the semifinals. Georgia and Ohio State are ranked first and fourth, respectively.
CFP Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
When: Saturday, Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. ET
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
How to watch: ESPN and ESPN App
Opening line via Caesars Sportsbook: Georgia by 7
Georgia was the most complete team in college football this year. In its biggest games, it was very good. 11 Oregon opened the season with a win over a ranked team. In the first week of November, Tennessee defeated then-No. The LSU team is in the SEC championship game.
The chance to stay close to home and play in Atlanta for the third time this season is the reward for the top seed in the playoffs. The quarterback didn't know if it was the turf or the humidity in the stadium. We play really well here.
Ohio State is well- traveled. After a 45-23 loss at home to Michigan, the Buckeyes were given the nod by the playoff committee over Alabama, which wanted to get into the top four.
There is a clash of styles in the game, just the second of the schools in their history. Georgia has a strong running game and is complemented by a veteran quarterback. The best receiver in college football is Marvin Harrison Jr., who plays for Ohio State. The defense has a lot of work to do.
Georgia's defense should be bad again. It would have been difficult to repeat last season's success if it hadn't lost five first-round picks. It's possible that the most talented player on that defense from a year ago came back. He has shown what a game-wrecker he can be after dealing with nagging injuries. He had 24 tackles in the past six games. Carter is big and strong enough to plug the running lanes and fast enough to rush the passer.
The offense of Georgia is effective. There is a three-headed monster at running back. Whether he's in the pocket or running, Bennett is a threat. He has mismatches at both the tight end and the position he plays. Who is the go to receiver? The deep threat is not known. He has 51 catches and five touchdown, but those aren't really eye-catching numbers, and he's undersized at 6 feet. Rosemy-Jacksaint and Bell have two touchdown
The formula for Georgia's win is easy to understand. The line of scrimmage was created by Kirby Smart. Start from the outside. During the regular season, Carter and the defensive line smothered the running game with an average of 2.97 yards per rush, sixth lowest in the FBS. The offensive line protects the quarterback with seven sacks and the running game is eighth best in the country. Throw in a savvy veteran quarterback (Bennett) and an All-America tight end (Bowers) and you have all the ingredients for a national championship game.
The key player was the quarterback, C.J. Stroud, who had a Heisman-type season until the Michigan game. The quarterback threw for 349 yards and two touchdown in the game. There were injuries to the running backs and freshman Dallan Hayden had just two carries. If Ohio State isn't fully healthy at running back, then it's more important than ever that former LB Chip Trayanum gets most of the carries. The loss to Michigan was a big blow to the team, but he can make up for it in the playoffs.
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Marvin Harrison Jr. is a great wide receiver. He has made a lot of ridiculous catches this season. Harrison is vital to the offense because of the injuries to the ground game and the absence of a receiver. Ohio State should be able to hang with any of the other semifinalists if he can provide a reliable target.
The defense has to limit big plays to win. It has done a good job of limiting big plays all season, but it showed some weaknesses against the Wolverines, who were able to score multiple long touchdown passes. The offense has shown it can put points on the board, but the defense needs to play its best game yet in order to win.
The No. 2 Michigan and the No. 3 TCU are the top ranked teams in the country.
CFP Semifinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
When: Saturday, Dec. 31 at 4 p.m. ET
Where: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
How to watch: ESPN and ESPN App
Opening line via Caesars Sportsbook: Michigan by 9
Instead of facing Ohio State in the semifinals, Michigan will take on the third ranked team.
After losing to Kansas State in the Big 12 title game, the Frogs are coming off of a loss in the Big Ten title game.
Both teams have made it to the semifinals of the playoffs, but neither has made it to the final.
Jim Harbaugh is the coach of the Michigan football team.
In Michigan's win against Ohio State, the running back had two touchdown runs. The performance of Edwards will be important with Corum out.
Michigan has been a second half team all season, with a plus- 186 point differential. Over the past decade, that is the second-highest margin for any team. The Wolverines have been able to wear out their opponents in every game and have not shown any signs that they will slow down. Strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert has been praised by Jim Harbaugh for his second-half surge.
The way Michigan wins is if they can establish their running game and control the clock as they have all season, and mix in some big plays through the air from quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The team has been dubbed a "smashfest" by McCarthy, and they like beating their opponents up front. The ideal scenario for Michigan would be to have success on the ground first and then hit the air.
The Frogs came up just short for the first time in six of those scratch-and-claw games this season on Saturday against Kansas State. In a late comeback win on the road at Baylor, when he led two fourth-quarter scoring drives, he was unflappable. His 25 career rushing touchdown are in the top 10 in school history, and he has thrown for over 3000 yards and 30 touchdown in his career. In the regular season, the Frogs fell behind by 17 to Oklahoma State and 18 to Kansas State. He is a leading contender for the award.
There is a factor called X factor. The junior receiver is a big-play threat but has been hobbled for much of the season. In the fourth quarter at Texas, when the game was on the line, he made a key third-down catch, and in the last minute against Kansas State, he made a huge catch. He was able to rest against Iowa State in order to be prepared for the playoffs. During a two-game stretch against Oklahoma State and Kansas, when he was healthy, he had 22 catches for 386 yards and two touchdown. He caught four passes against Kansas State. It would be a huge boost if that threat came back.
The Frogs have used thunder and lightning to keep their opponents off balance. The Frogs had 17 plays of at least 50 yards this season. The completion percentage on passes of 20 or more yards downfield is third in the country and tops in the country. Miller ranked third in the Big 12 with 650 yards after contact after rushing for more than 1,000 yards. If the Frogs can stay patient and pound away with Miller, they will be able to open up the field for their players.
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