College Football New Years Six & CFP Picks/Predictions

After a wild regular season, we head into bowl season where teams try to finish off their season strong, and some are even vying for the National championship.  Here are my picks/predictions:

Lines via Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook

Capital One Orange Bowl
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#6 Michigan (10-2) vs #11 Florida State (9-3) (8:00 PM ET, on ESPN, in Miami Gardens, Florida)

Line is set at: #6 Michigan (-)

My pick: #6 Michigan defeats #11 Florida State 26-17

What to watch for: Michigan's defense.  The Wolverines' defense is very talented, and well coached.  However, they'll face a tough task vs Florida State and Dalvin Cook in the Orange Bowl.  With that being said, I see Michigan's defense playing well enough to get the victory and win the Orange Bowl.

My thoughts on this game: This is an interesting game to see how Michigan responds, and it's interesting because of the matchup between these two teams because both are very well coached and talented, and play a similar type of football.  I see it being pretty close the whole game, but I see Michigan making the big plays to get the victory.

\Photo credit: Rick Osentoski - USA TODAY Sports

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Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl

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#4 Washington vs #1 Alabama (3:00 PM ET, on ESPN, in Atlanta, Georgia)                     

        Line is set at: #1 Alabama (-14.5)                                                              

  My pick: #1 Alabama defeats #4 Washington 38-17                                                             

What to watch for: Alabama's defense.  The Tide's defense will face a tough challenge vs the Huskies of Washington, but this defense can go up against anybody and play well, and I think vs #4 Washington, they'll be well prepared and they'll go out there and execute en route to a CFP victory.

My thoughts on this game: I think this is an interesting matchup between these two teams mainly because of the styles of play, and the coaching matchup.  Both of these teams are very deserving to be in this spot, but obviously only one of them will advance, and I see that team being Bama in a dominate victory.

Photo credit: Marvin Gentry - USA TODAY Sports

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PlayStation Fiesta Bowl 

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#3 Ohio State (11-1) vs #2 Clemson (12-1) (8:00 PM ET, on ESPN, in Glendale, Arizona)

Line is set at: #3 Ohio State (-3)                                                                                

My pick: #3 Ohio State defeats #2 Clemson 24-23                                                        

What to watch for: Ohio State's defense.  Ohio State's defense has been very good this season, but they'll face the toughest challenge they've faced all season with Clemson and Deshaun Watson going up against them.  With that being the case, I feel like Ohio State's defense will be able to come up with enough big plays to barely, barely, pull out a victory.

My thoughts on this game: This game, in my opinion, is the hardest one to pick.  Because both of these teams are very evenly matched, and are well-coached, but I feel the Buckeyes are going to find a way to pull out another close victory to advance to the National championship.

Photo credit: Joshua A. Bickel - ThisWeek Newspapers

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Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic

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#15 Western Michigan (13-0) vs #8 Wisconsin (10-3) (1:00 PM ET, on ESPN, in Arlington, Texas)

Line is set at: #8 Wisconsin (-8.5)                                                                                

My pick: #8 Wisconsin defeats #15 Western Michigan 28-19                                            

What to watch for: Wisconsin's defense.  Western Michigan has a very good offense, but as most know, they haven't played very tough of a schedule and haven't faced a team with the defense or physicality of Wisconsin.  So with that being said, I see Wisconsin being the more physical and bigger team, but I see this game actually being pretty tight in a game Wisconsin wins to win the Cotton Bowl.

My thoughts on this game: These games are always interesting, because of not only the matchup, but also what the situation between these teams usually are.  Wisconsin, a team that was playing for a chance to win the Big-10, and maybe a chance to make some noise on the day that the playoff was announced, will face a 13-0 Western Michigan team from a Group of 5 conference, who knew they weren't going to the playoffs, but will have a chance to play with the big boys and make a statement.  So, it'll be interesting to see how these two teams will come out and play in this game, and I personally think that both will come out prepared in a slug fest type of game, where I see Wisconsin winning.

Photo credit: Jeff Hanisch - USA TODAY Sports

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Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual

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#9 USC (9-3) vs #5 Penn State (11-2) (5:00 PM ET, on ABC, in Pasadena, California)

Line is set at: #9 USC (-6.5)                                                                                            

My pick: #9 USC defeats #5 Penn State 38-28                                                                

What to watch for: USC's athleticism.  I know it's kinda an odd thing to "watch out for"; but USC is one of the most athletic teams in the country.  Guys like Adoree' Jackson, and JuJu Smith-Schuster, can just go off any minute, and as good and well-coached as Penn State is, they just aren't there yet in talent or athleticism to match up with the Trojans, and I see the play-making ability of those guys being too much in the end.

My thoughts on this game: This is a nice, and interesting match up to see.  Mainly because of two reasons: (1) It's nice to see because it's a matchup between two blue bloods.  (2) It's an interesting matchup to see because of who these two teams matched up against in the regular season (USC lost to #1 Alabama, and beat #4 Washington, and Penn State beat #3 Ohio State).  So both of those teams have played very tough opponents, and have been well-tested.

Photo credit: Jevone Moore - Full Image 360

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Allstate Sugar Bowl

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#14 Auburn (8-4) vs #7 Oklahoma (10-2) (8:30 PM ET, on ESPN, in New Orleans, Louisiana)

Line is set at: #7 Oklahoma (-3)                                                                               

My pick: #14 Auburn defeats #7 Oklahoma 28-24                                                       

What to watch for: Auburn's defense.  The Tigers have a very good defense, that is very well-coached.  However, they will face a tough challenge vs the high-powered Sooners offense.  With that being said, I see the defense of Auburn holding the offense of Oklahoma down enough to pull out the victory.

My thoughts on this game: This game is an interesting game because of the matchups.  It's a good defense of Auburn vs a good offense of Oklahoma, and a not so great Auburn offense vs a not so great Oklahoma defense, so that's a interesting situation for this game.  In the end, I just see Auburn being more focused, and prepared in this game especially with Oklahoma's recent distractions.

Photo credit: Shanna Lockwood - USA TODAY Sports

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Enjoy the bowl season!

Here are some other bowl games to watch out for:

#12 Oklahoma State vs #10 Colorado (Belk Bowl)

#20 LSU vs #13 Louisville (Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl)

You can follow me on twitter: @Footballfile

College Football Week 14 Picks/Predictions (Championship Week)

This weekend is a huge weekend for teams trying to make the CFP, and win their conference.  So you better believe that this weekend will be filled with great games, and passion.  Here are my week 14 picks/predictions.

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#7 Colorado (10-2) at #4 Washington (11-1) (9:00 PM ET, on FOX, in Santa Clara, California FRIDAY

Line is set at: #4 Washington (-7.5)

My pick: #4 Washington defeats #7 Colorado 38-35

What to watch for: Washington's offense.  The Huskies have a high-powered, explosive offense.  However, the Buffalos' defense has a knack for forcing turnovers, and that could be a problem for the Huskies.  With those things being said, I see Washington's offense putting them over the top late in the game to get them to 12-1 on the season, and possibly a playoff birth.

My thoughts on this game: This game has huge implications for not just being conference champions, but also getting a playoff birth.  So both of these teams have a lot at stake, and I see Washington being the team to get the win on Friday night in a hard fought game.

Photo credit: Joshua Bessex - jbessex@gateline.com

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#10 Oklahoma State at #8 Oklahoma (12:30 PM ET, on FOX, in Norman, Oklahoma)

Line is set at: #8 Oklahoma (-11.5)

My pick: #8 Oklahoma defeats #10 Oklahoma State 41-37                                                                                                                                                         
What to watch for: Oklahoma's offense.  The Sooners' offense has been great this season, while their defense has not been good at all; so if they want to win this game over a rival in Oklahoma State, they are going to have to put some points up on the scoreboard, and I see them putting enough up there to pull out the victory.

My thoughts on this game: These teams have a very long-shot chance at making the playoffs, but what they do have a chance to do that is not a long shot is make a New Years' Six bowl game, and defeat their rival.  So even though they may not make the playoffs, they still have some important things to play for in this game, and I see Oklahoma playing well enough to get the victory at home.

Photo credit: Kevin Jairaj - USA TODAY Sports

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#15 Florida vs #1 Alabama (4:00 PM ET, on CBS, in Atlanta, Georgia)

Line is set at: #1 Alabama (-24)

My pick: #1 Alabama defeats #15 Florida 31-6

What to watch for: Alabama's defense.  As always the Tide's defense is the main thing to watch in their games, because of the fact they are the best in the country, and the team kinda goes as they go.  Their opponent's offense on the other hand, has struggled a lot recently and I think that makes for a great defensive performance from the Tide en route to a SEC championship victory, and CFP berth.

My thoughts on this game: This is an interesting game because of the fact it's a SEC championship game, without a lot at stake for the SEC getting a team in because most think that Bama will be in regardless, although you shouldn't tell Nick Saban that because like he said, "It's never OK to lose a game".  In terms of the actual game on the field, I see the Tide rolling to a victory that improves them to 13-0 on the season.

Photo credit: John David Mercer - USA TODAY Sports

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#23 Virginia Tech vs #3 Clemson (8:00 PM ET, on ABC, in Orlando, Florida)                        

Line is set at: #3 Clemson (-10)                                                                                           

My pick: #3 Clemson defeats #23 Virginia Tech 27-21                                                            

What to watch for: Clemson's defense.  Clemson's defense which has talent, but has been somewhat inconsistent this season will face a pretty good offense in Virginia Tech's which could cause some problems for them.  However, I see Clemson DC Brent Venables getting his defense ready to play and with the talent they have I see them playing well enough to get the victory.

My thoughts on this game: There is a lot at stake here for the ACC, because a Clemson loss would mean the ACC would in all likely hood get shut out of the CFP.  So this is a big game on that alone, I think Virginia Tech will come out ready to play, and I think they'll give the Tigers a tough game but I see them falling short in the end in a game that will clinch Clemson's playoff berth.

Photo credit: Tommy Gilligan - USA TODAY Sports

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#7 Penn State (10-2) vs #6 Wisconsin (10-2) (8:00 PM ET, on FOX, in Indianapolis, Indiana)

                                                                 UPSET   

Line is set at: #6 Wisconsin (-3)

My pick: #7 Penn State defeats #6 Wisconsin 24-20

What to watch for: Penn State's defense.  I see this game being mostly a defensive of struggle, because both of these teams have great defenses, and you can debate about which defense is better, and their is an argument that Wisconsin's defense may be better if you look at the numbers, and that may be true.  However, I believe that Wisconsin's defense will face a tougher challenge vs Penn State's offense than Penn State's defense will against Wisconsin's offense, and I think that slight difference will make the difference in this football game.

My thoughts on this game: This is one of the biggest games of not only the week, but of the whole year.  The winner of this game could very easily be in the CFP playoff, and it's certain that the loser will not be, so these two teams have a whole lost to play for on Saturday night.  With that being said, I think that it will be a hard fought game that will go down-to-the-wire that Penn State pulls out.

Photo credit: Brett Carlsen - Getty Images

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Enjoy week 14 of the college football season!

Here are some other games to look for:

Ohio vs #17 Western Michigan (FRIDAY)

Temple vs #19 Navy

You can follow me on twitter: @Footballfile

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