We are here; the end of the 2019 college football season is neigh. There are massive bowl games coming up and plenty of action that will be exciting and fun outside of the CFP and New Year’s Six games.
So where do we stand? Which teams are in the final top 25 going into Bowl Season?
1 LSU (13-0) 1 SEC 1,535
2 Ohio State (13-0) 2 Big Ten 1,488
3 Clemson (13-0) 3 ACC 1,441
4 Oklahoma (12-1) 6 Big 12 1,364
5 Georgia (11-2) 4 SEC 1,241
6 Florida (10-2) 7 SEC 1,167
7 Oregon (11-2) 13 Pac- 12 1,141
8 Baylor (11-2) 8 Big 12 1,039
9 Alabama (10-2) 9 SEC 1,011
9 Auburn (9-3) 11 SEC 1,011
11 Wisconsin (10-3) 10 Big Ten 944
12 Utah (11-2) 5 Pac-12 909
13 Penn State (10-2) 12 Big Ten 888
14 Notre Dame (10-2) 14 IA Independents 709
15 Memphis (12-1) 16 American Athletic 675
16 Minnesota (10-2) 15 Big Ten 645
17 Michigan (9-3) 17 Big Ten 597
18 Boise State (12-1) 19 Mountain West 500
19 Iowa (9-3) 18 Big Ten 494
20 Appalachian State (12-1) 20 Sun Belt 355
21 Navy (9-2) 23 American Athletic 246
22 USC (8-4) 24 Pac-12 195
23 Cincinnati (10-3) 21 American Athletic 183
24 Air Force (10-2) 25 Mountain West 97
25 Oklahoma State (8-4) Big 12 70
And then there were four.
After Utah a one-loss Utah Utes team that was ranked No.6 lost to the Oregon Ducks in the Pac 12 title game, it opened the door for the Oklahoma Sooners to retake the No. 4 spot and slip into the CFP.
Now we’ll see No.4 Oklahoma vs. No.1 LSU in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta, Georgia. According to the college football picks experts at SBR, the Sooners are coming as 13.5-point underdogs. It makes sense. The LSU Tigers were averaging over 50 points per game most of the season and as of now are still at 48 points per game (47.77) against SEC defenses. Basically, they are an offensive powerhouse that nobody has found a defensive answer to. Defensively, they are allowing just 21 points per game. If we look at the Sooners, they are also potent, with Jalen Hurts running the show. They have smashed the Big 12 for 43 points per game and 24.54 on defense. So, when you look at the numbers, you might wonder why LSU is favored by nearly two touchdowns when their scoring margin is just seven points – more or less.
Well, it’s the level of competition. LSU has smoked some of the best teams in the country. I do think that Jalen Hurts and the Oklahoma offense will make this one interesting, but I don’t think they can play all four quarters with LSU and the Tigers will pull away to win by at least two touchdowns.
The No. 3 Clemson Tigers will clash with the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes in the Fiesta Bowl over in Tempe, Arizona.
I’ll be honest right here and say that I do not believe that Clemson is the No. 3 team in the country. Sure they might beat No. 4 Oklahoma – but perhaps not– but I don’t think they would have made it through any other Power 5 conference without taking a loss. They simply haven’t played anybody this season and still, they almost lost to UNC. I believe they would be severely tested by Oklahoma, Oregon, Florida, Georgia, Wisconsin, etc. I’ll say it outright, Georgia would beat Clemson. They are riding into the playoffs off of the fact that they are undefeated against a bunch of really weak teams Come on… Charlotte, Wofford, Louisville, BC. Their schedule is laughable.
Now they will come in and face Ohio State who has been tested and smashed tough teams that are worthy of big bowl games. The Clemson Tigers are two-point favorites in this affair, but I don’t see them even winning this game, let alone covering any sort of point spread. Yes, Clemson has a ton of talent to put out on the field but they have not been tested all year and are going to be rattled when they collide with a team that is arguably better than them. They are not going to push the Buckeyes around on either side of the ball and I predict that Clemson gets frustrated and makes some critical mistakes that end up costing them the game.