College Football Playoff Open Thread

Here we are. The second annual college football playoff kicks off this afternoon with the Orange Bowl at 4 PM on ESPN (and WatchESPN if you're not bunkered down on your couch, you poor soul), pitting Clemson versus Oklahoma. The Sooners are installed as a four point favorite, which strikes me as surprising. I don't know that the Sooners have faced a quarterback as dangerous as Deshaun Watson, and I'm not certain they're prepared to stop one. I'm taking the Tigers in this one.

The second half of the semi-finals kicks off at 8 PM (also on ESPN) as Alabama and incoming Georgia head coach Kirby Smart take on Mark Dantonio's Michigan State Spartans. Alabama is the prohibitive favorite to win not only this game but the whole darn playoff. Michigan State got a few lucky breaks to get this far. But then you can say that of most every team that makes it this far with a chance to win it all. I still like the Crimson Tide in this one. But Sparty may only be a couple of bounces of the ball away from pulling the upset here. If you like to watch large men collide with great force and prefer scores low enough that your 3 year old can count them on his fingers and toes, this one should be fun. So let's kick back and spend some time in Dawg fan virtual fellowship while we wait for the chief accountant of them all, the TaxSlayer Bowl. Until later...

Go 'Dawgs!!!