After a long season, the NCAA selection committee determined the four teams that will compete for the 2016-2017 NCAA Division one National Championship in football. The teams will play in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl and the Playstation Fiesta Bowl for the playoff semifinals on Saturday, Dec. 31, before meeting at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa in the National Championship Game on Monday, Jan. 9.
The University of Alabama was ranked as an expected number one, being undefeated and storming through the SEC. Clemson University jumped up one spot to be the number two seed, by virtue of winning the ACC championship over Virginia Tech. Ohio State University will compete against Clemson in the first semifinal, finishing as the third seed, after only losing one game all season. The number four seed is the University of Washington, who clinched the PAC-12 championship by crushing the University of Colorado 41-10.
Alabama, one of only two undefeated teams this season, is the defending national champion, and claimed their third consecutive SEC championship in their 54-16 thumping of the University of Florida. With the 13th ranked scoring offense and top ranked scoring defense, the Crimson Tide has a great chance to repeat as champions.
Their opponents in the semifinal at the Peach Bowl will be Washington. The Huskies, having the fourth ranked offense and the ninth ranked defense in the country, are very capable of putting a scare into Alabama. Washington is known for having a solid secondary, with Senior Kevin King and Junior Sidney Jones leading at cornerback. Washington is in for their toughest game of their season, one that they will be heavy underdogs for. While Alabama should not sleep on the Huskies, it should be a Crimson Tide victory.
The Fiesta Bowl will see Clemson take on Ohio State. The Tigers repeated as ACC champions, and lost to Alabama in last year’s national championship game. A high flying offense, Clemson had the fifth most passing yards in the country, with Junior Quarterback Deshaun Watson racking up almost 4,000 yards in the air, with 37 touchdowns with 15 interceptions. Watson’s leadership was the key to Clemson’s regular season, and will be the key to any playoff success they hope to attain.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the only non-conference champion in the playoffs this year, and the first to ever make the playoffs. Their only loss this season was a three point loss to the Big 10 champion Penn State on Oct. 22. Lead by head coach Urban Meyer, the Buckeyes make their return to the playoff after missing out last year. Coming out of the best conference in the country, as the Big 10 has three of the top six ranked teams in the country, Ohio State is battle tested. They managed to escape some tough games with a win, something that should come in handy against a tough Clemson team. Look for the Buckeyes to come out on top in what will be one of the most competitive games in recent history.
This sets up a final between the last two national champions. Ohio State defeated Alabama in the semifinals two years ago, but the Crimson Tide has greatly improved on both sides of the ball since then. Expect cheers of “Roll Tide” echoing from Raymond James Stadium as Alabama should beat a tough Ohio State and repeat as national Champions.