On New Year’s Eve, four teams will play in the College Football Playoff. They are the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Georgia Bulldogs, the Michigan Wolverines and the Cincinnati Bearcats. However, only 2 can make the National Championship on January 10. Alabama and Cincinnati will play in the Cotton Bowl, and Georgia will play Michigan in the Orange Bowl. I will be making my predictions for both games, and why I feel the way I do.
Cotton Bowl: #1 Alabama vs. #4 Cincinnati
Alabama is 12-1 and has a legendary coach in Nick Saban. They have the most experience in the CFP and are the reigning champions. They beat (then) undefeated #1 Georgia in the SEC Championship game. Although Cincinnati is undefeated and has had some big wins, they didn’t have much competition in their conference. The Crimson Tide are loaded with talent, including having the Heisman winner, quarterback Bryce Young. I think Cincinnati is going to give Alabama a bit of a test, but in the end, the Crimson Tide take this one.
Prediction: Alabama 31, Cincinnati 14
Orange Bowl: #2 Michigan vs. #3 Georgia
This should be a really interesting game. Michigan has a good offense and Georgia has a dominant defense. I think this is going to be a battle all the way to the end. Although Georgia’s defense played poorly against Alabama in the SEC title game, they looked really good in the regular season, allowing less than 10 points a game. Michigan had a great finish to the season, beating out archenemy Ohio State in the final game of the regular season and beating Iowa in the Big Ten Championship. I think this may come down to the final play of the game, but Georgia will make a goal-line stand and advance to the National Championship, where they would have a rematch of 2018’s national title game.
Prediction: Georgia 24, Michigan 21
Source: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2951803-college-football-playoff-2021-22-odds-schedule-and-predictions-for-semifinals
