College Football Playoff preview: Keys to
Alabama-Notre Dame, Clemson-Ohio State
ESPN,
by
Mark Schlabach
Original Article
Posted By: Dreadnought,
12/20/2020 1:06:44 PM
The 2020 College Football Playoff matchups are set, and here's an early look at the two semifinal games that will be played on New Year's Day.
We have an early preview of the TV times, betting lines, most important players, key matchups and X factors for each team when No. 1 Alabama faces No. 4 Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Capital One and No. 2 Clemson plays No. 3 Ohio State in the Allstate Sugar Bowl to determine who will advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T in Miami on Jan. 11.
Reply 1 - Posted by:
Blue Hen1 12/20/2020 1:29:25 PM (No. 637250)
Bet the house on Alabama
10 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
earlybird 12/20/2020 1:29:41 PM (No. 637251)
State of California health officer turned down request for limited Rose Bowl Game attendance in the real Rose Bowl - so that players’ families could attend - so it will be played in Arlington, Texas. Absurd.
5 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
Geoman 12/20/2020 1:31:00 PM (No. 637253)
The playoff committee must be a bunch of democrats, deciding the playoff teams consistent with a pre-determined narrative. The committee might as well go ahead and tell us who they will crown national champion. Ohio State and Notre Dame only qualified for a matchup in the Entitlement Bowl.
12 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
earlybird 12/20/2020 1:46:54 PM (No. 637259)
Those of us who have been close to the Rose Bowl Game for decades regret the decision to drop the old now-Pac12 vs Big10 rivalry and join the national championship nonsense. The old regional bowl games were great fun. The national championship is a disaster.
11 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
Geoman 12/20/2020 1:58:11 PM (No. 637266)
Re: #4 - I'm closer to Cotton and Sugar but who can forget the enthusiastically articulate Keith Jackson teeing up "the Granddaddy of them all?"
6 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
SALady 12/20/2020 2:00:33 PM (No. 637267)
Don't get me wrong. This season has been a disaster, and no matter what happens, it will have a giant "*" after the final results.
But if Notre Dame got their butts handed to them on a platter by Clemson, and #5 Texas A&M kicked butt in their last game, why is Notre Dame in the playoffs?!?!?!?!? You can't even justify it by whose fan base will travel better, since that won't be allowed. Potential TV ratings??? I don't know. Unfair as sin??? Definitely!!!!!
22 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
markhooton 12/20/2020 2:14:17 PM (No. 637273)
As a proud graduate of the University of Alabama, I am scared to death of playing Clemson again; Notre Dame, not so much. They are however, much better than several years ago when we cleaned their clock.
Roll Tide
5 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
montwoodcliff 12/20/2020 2:19:56 PM (No. 637278)
Yes No.1, and you can add the wife, kids and grand kids to that bet. It will be the same result as when they last met in 2012, I think. Look for Alabama and Clemson to meet for the championship.
5 people like this.
Is it Jimbo Fishers fault that the Aggies only played 2 teams with winning records?
0 people like this.
If these are the four teams selected then the NCAA should use the pandemic excuse to eliminate the 4-team playoff this year and get straight to the championship game between Bama and Clemson. ESPN is all giddy because Ohio State is in, but only because they're Ohio State did they receive a waiver to play for their own conference championship after playing just 5 games in a moribund Big Ten Conference. Schlabach is lost at sea comparing this match-up to last year's Fiesta Bowl. It'll be more like the 2016 Fiesta Bowl: Clemson 31, OSU 0.
Notre Dame shouldn't be in the playoff, either. Neither should they be in the ACC, but they needed a conference to take them in this year so they could play football and make money. We always hear that it's about who's playing great football at the end of the year and that's clearly A&M over these interlopers. Notre Dame didn't play great football at all this year, even in their mediocre (and hopefully, temporary) conference. As for the Sugar Bowl - we've seen this movie before, too (Alabama 42, Notre Dame 14 in the 2013 BCS Championship Game), but it'll be even worse this time around.
7 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
edgar 12/20/2020 2:41:41 PM (No. 637290)
Does the FBS use Dominion voting machines? How is ND included in the top 4?
18 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
bamapreacher 12/20/2020 3:08:18 PM (No. 637296)
Unfortunately Alabama has lost Landon Dickerson to what could be a really bad knee injury. No team exemplifies "next man up" better than 'Bama but it's still a significant loss at a bad time. Roll Tide.
4 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
montwoodcliff 12/20/2020 3:14:48 PM (No. 637299)
Notre Dame was selected because they get the highest TV ratings. It's that simple.
8 people like this.
I don't care.
7 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
Annie Xango 12/20/2020 4:21:02 PM (No. 637326)
GO BUCKS!!!!!!!!!!
2 people like this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
Luke21 12/20/2020 4:45:44 PM (No. 637329)
Notre Dame backed in. They only beat Clemson the first time because Trevor Lawrence didn't play. Ohio State got to play whenever they wanted, but is such a big Democrat sports reporter favorite it didn't matter. Alabama looked like garbage last night and has too many injuries. I'm a Tide fan. That leaves Clemson for another title. Last time Dabo was merciful and ran out the clock. Clemson could have score 90 on Alabama. Texas a and M should have gotten the fourth spot.
3 people like this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
jimboscott 12/20/2020 5:19:44 PM (No. 637337)
The committee should have looked at Ohio State as a 6 win team. Period.
They should not be in the playoffs. Clemson will reveal them for what they are.
3 people like this.
Reply 18 - Posted by:
snakeoil 12/20/2020 6:37:44 PM (No. 637355)
With both Clemson and Notre Dame the ACC has 2 of the 4 slots. Had Southern Cal not lost they would have had the same record as TOSU and have made it. Have no idea what will happen. The Ohio State University played more like A Ohio State University and barely beat the only two decent teamed they played. Bama put 52 points on Florida but Florida put 46 on them. The only team to beat Clemson badly was LSU and they are history. Bet on Clemson. BTW, the reason the Rose Bowl won't be played is entirely due to Governor Nuisance.
0 people like this.
Reply 19 - Posted by:
CallMeHank 12/20/2020 6:56:26 PM (No. 637361)
So this year the winner of the Rose Bowl will be presented with . . . ? . . . The Yellow Rose of Texas? So Crimson Tide mixes with Yellow Rose, and the result is Clemson Orange? Looks like an omen.
1 person likes this.
Reply 20 - Posted by:
Lawsy0 12/20/2020 7:01:27 PM (No. 637365)
Just look at them. Pretending all is well and will go on and on and on and on. Nope.
1 person likes this.
Reply 21 - Posted by:
ussjimmycarter 12/20/2020 9:01:22 PM (No. 637409)
Just put Norte Dame in EVERY YEAR...FOREVER! No way do they qualify on the field! Iowa Hawks will play them any time anywhere! Bunch of dandy’s!
1 person likes this.
Reply 22 - Posted by:
Fasteddie 12/20/2020 11:32:06 PM (No. 637443)
Agree that there's no way ND belongs in the playoffs after getting their rear ends handed to them by Clemson. Picked because of their name.
4 people like this.
Reply 23 - Posted by:
Philipsonh 12/21/2020 6:50:25 AM (No. 637518)
I am a N.D. fan. They do not belong in the playoffs after the Clemson debacle.
1 person likes this.
Reply 24 - Posted by:
walcb 12/21/2020 8:15:24 AM (No. 637598)
Not to worry. Ohio State will be crowned the winnersince they will not be able to play because of the Rona on their team. Just give it to them.
0 people like this.
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