The first round of the College Football Playoff kicks off on Friday, Dec. 19 with a rematch between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Oklahoma Sooners. That great battle will serve as the appetizer before a three-game College Football Playoff slate on Saturday, including Miami vs Texas A&M and Tulane versus Ole Miss.
Let’s dive into our College Football Playoff Predictions, making picks for each game.
Alabama Crimson Tide 20, Oklahoma Sooners 17
Thankfully, the first round of the College Football Playoff begins with what could be one of the few close games. The Oklahoma Sooners should rightfully come into this game confident, as they won in Tuscaloosa back on Nov. 15 in a 23-21 final. Furthermore, the Crimson Tide offense is coming off one of its worst performances in years in the SEC Championship Game, and it now faces an equally dominant defense in Oklahoma’s. Home-field advantage matters here for the Sooners, but it’s worth noting that it took three turnovers from Alabama and a slow start in the fourth quarter for Oklahoma to win by two points. In that same game, the Crimson Tide outgained Oklahoma by nearly 200 total yards (406-212). The Sooners boast the best unit (defense) in all four facets of this game, but we believe Ty Simpson and Alabama’s receiving corps will do just enough to pull out the victory.
Related: College Football Playoff Preview, Alabama vs Oklahoma Predictions
Texas A&M Aggies 28, Miami Hurricanes 24
Interestingly, the first round of the College Football Playoff schedule leads off with the two best games first. Early on Saturday, we get a heavyweight fight between the Miami Hurricanes and Texas A&M Aggies. Miami can point to the fact that it fared better versus Notre Dame (27-24) than the Aggies did (41-40) and both teams easily handled Florida. We expect both quarterbacks will struggle in this one, each turning the football over at least once. What ultimately separates Texas A&M from Miami is the number of quality skill players it has who can take over the game even if Marcel Reed is struggling, which just isn’t the case for the Hurricanes. Plus, the Aggies have the coaching edge and home-field advantage at Kyle Field will absolutely matter in this one.
Related: College Football Playoff Preview, 4 Picks for Miami vs Texas A&M
Oregon Ducks 31, James Madison Dukes 7
Now is where we get to the blowouts in the College Football Playoff. James Madison had an incredible season, but it lost by 14 points on the road to Louisville, narrowly escaped with a home victory over Washington State, and it only led Troy (8-5) by three points entering the fourth quarter of the Sun Belt Championship Game. Oregon is better coached, more physical, much stronger and more technically sound in the trenches, its roster is deeper, and the Ducks’ players are faster from top to bottom. Dan Lanning’s program needs to make a statement, and that can be done with a dominant victory over James Madison, with the Dukes’ offense not scoring until the second half when the game is already out of reach.
Related: College Football Playoff Preview, 4 Picks for James Madison vs Oregon
Ole Miss Rebels 38, Tulane Green Wave 14
No Lane Kiffin, no problem. Back in September, the Ole Miss Rebels hosted the Tulane Green Wave and didn’t allow a touchdown until garbage time, with the Green Wave finishing with just 10 points and 282 total yards. Maybe Ole Miss doesn’t outgain Tulane by nearly 300 yards, as it did in the last meeting, but this is as one-sided of a matchup as it gets. We’ve already seen what happens when these two programs meet up, and the Green Wave will get wiped out again.
Related: College Football Playoff Preview, Tulane vs Ole Miss Predictions
