On December 5, the College Football Playoff (CFP) committee released their final rankings for the College Football playoffs. The final teams were the Alabama Crimson Tide, Michigan Wolverines, Georgia Bulldogs, and the Cincinnati Bearcats. 

     Alabama will face the Bearcats in the Cotton Bowl for a chance at competing for a national championship. Michigan and Georgia will battle in Miami, Florida for the Orange Bowl hoping to punch a ticket to the CFP National Championship. Both games will take place on December 31, 2021.  

     Cotton Bowl

Alabama Crimson Tide (12-1):

    The Crimson Tide is looking to repeat as National Champions coming off a very impressive 2020 season. The Tide opened their season looking pretty impressive in their first two games against Miami (Florida) and Mercer. In their third game of the season, they faced an extremely mediocre Florida team and barely escaped with a win. Their next scare came against the Texas A&M Aggies, a team much below their level, and the Tide ended up losing this game off of a game-winning field goal by Aggies kicker Seth Smalls. The Tide seemed to find who they truly are and are currently on a seven-game win streak including an impressive 41-24 win over the then number one team in the nation, the Georgia Bulldogs, in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championship. The Tide is led by Heisman finalist, Bryce Young as Quarterback. Young has thrown for 4,322 yards and 42 touchdowns as well as adding 3 touchdowns on the ground. Breakout wide receiver Jameson Williams has been the true X-factor for this team. Their offense will have to outplay their defense to win against the Bearcats.   

Cincinnati Bearcats (13-0):

     The Bearcats are the first Power Five conference team to make the playoffs in the CFP era ( est. 2015).  They are also the only undefeated team in Division one Football Bowl Division (FBS) this year. The Bearcats handled the Notre Dame Fighting Irish with ease, who many thought would walk away victorious after this regular-season game. The only close games they have been in were against Navy and Tulsa. They won the American Athletic Conference Championship for the second year in a row. The CFP committee has not been very lenient to non-Power-Five conference teams in the past. The level the Bearcats have been performing at left no question as to how deserving they were. The Bearcats’ star quarterback Desmond Ridder has thrown for 3,190 yards and 30 touchdowns and has run for 300 yards and six touchdowns. The defense is led by linebacker Joel Dublanko and defensive back Ahmad Gardner. They are both predicted to be first-round draft picks in this year’s upcoming NFL Draft. Dublanko has accounted for over 100 of the team’s tackles and Arbery has not allowed a touchdown since 2019. The defense is the strength of this Bearcat team and will have the biggest test ahead of them thus far in the season against a high-powered Alabama offense. 

     Final Score Prediction 

     Alabama Crimson Tide- 35

     Cincinnati Bearcats- 17

     There is no doubt that the Bearcats deserved this spot in the playoffs but Alabama is the more talented and coached team. 

     Orange Bowl

Michigan Wolverines (12-1):

     The Wolverines are the first team to start the season unranked and make it to the CFP. They have been one of the most dominant run offenses in the nation this season. The Wolverines dominated in all of their games leading up to the week nine game against Michigan State. The Wolverines took a commanding 30-14 lead against the Spartans in the third quarter. After, Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III put his team on his back and lead the Spartans to a huge comeback win. That was the Wolverine’s only loss of the year. The Wolverines used that as fuel to dominate the rest of their competition. After the Michigan State game, the Wolverines outscored their opponents 163-72. Projected first-rounders David Ojabo and Aiden Hutchinson have been a force in both the pass rush and run game, as they combine for 25 sacks on the season. The Michigan defense has been one of the most consistent defenses in college football. On the offensive side of the ball, they have arguably the best running back duo in the country with Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum. Haskins is the back who will run through you and Corum is their speed back.

Georgia Bulldogs (12-1):

     The Bulldogs have been the most dominant team overall this season. They have one of the best defenses college football has seen in years. Their first loss came to Alabama in the SEC championship game, 41-24. The Alabama passing offense found a way to pick apart the Bulldogs defense. The Georgia defense has been very consistent leading up to that game. Nakobe Dean and Channing Tindall are two of their most productive defensive players, and they are both first or second-round talent. The Bulldogs have no true standout players, they have athletes who are put in situations to succeed. Their offense feeds off of the success of the defense, however they don’t have many star players on the offensive side of the ball besides their running back Zamir White. The Bulldogs will look to use this game as fuel for their upcoming game against the Wolverines. 

     Score Prediction 

     Michigan Wolverines- 24

     Georgia Bulldogs- 21

     The Bulldogs don’t have a dominant quarterback in Stetson Bennet and Michigan’s elite defense will be too much for them. I believe Georgia’s defense will keep them in this game until the final minutes. 

     The playoffs will be very entertaining to watch as history is destined to be made for many of these programs. Stay tuned for a preview of the CFP Championship after these games conclude.