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The long wait between championship weekend and kickoff of the College Football Playoff is nearly over. The holiday season is coming to an end, and there’s no better way to celebrate than enjoying the four best teams in the country battling each other on Saturday.
It’ll be the games within the games that determine which two teams advance to the championship bout. The individual matchups between season-long difference-makers can quickly swing an outcome.
Whether it’s a coaching duel, trench battle or skill-player clash, the playoffs are filled with intriguing showdowns, despite three of the teams repeating their appearances from 2017.
Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray is looking to best the performance Baker Mayfield gave last season, except he’ll be against Alabama’s Deionte Thompson instead of Georgia’s Roquan Smith.
A late-developing story this week will affect Clemson and Notre Dame, as Tigers star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence tested positive for a banned substance, per ESPN.com’s Dan Murphy. This will have a trickle-down effect that we’ll cover from all angles.
Even the head coaches are in the spotlight.
Let’s dive into the most intriguing matchups to watch in the college football playoff.
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There’s certainly not a higher-profile player in this game than 2018 Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray. The explosive Sooners quarterback edged out Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa to earn the award, and he’ll have the chance to beat him once again.
Though it’ll take a full defense of 11 to stop Murray, the main man tasked with slowing him on the Alabama defense is rangy safety Deionte Thompson. The talented junior is a rare deep, single-high ballhawk who covers for the occasional mistake that occurs within the Tide’s secondary.
Thompson and the defense may not be further motivated by Murray’s Heisman award, but they’re well aware that he is the most dynamic quarterback they’ve faced this year, per Charlie Potter of 247Sports.
Murray enters the game with the highest Total QBR since its conception in 2004, and has added an average of 68.6 yards per game on the ground. He’s exactly the type of quarterback that has beaten Nick Saban‘s teams in the past. He’s a precise, explosive passer, and a terrific threat when he tucks the ball and runs.
Thompson will have to erase big-play opportunities and be quick to support the run game with proper chase angles. The Tide’s defense has been stellar, forcing nearly as many interceptions (14) as touchdowns allowed through the air (17). If they can hold Murray to anywhere near a 1:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio, their expectation of winning should come to fruition.
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It remains to be seen exactly what the effect of Dexter Lawrence’s failed drug test will be as far as how his replacement will perform in the likely event he misses the game. But even without Lawrence in the lineup, the Clemson Tigers’ front four are terrifying and can swing a game’s result.
Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book has been a revelation for the offense, thanks to his ability to keep the offense in rhythm and hit tight passing windows. He has enough arm strength to threaten defenses on every route pattern, and his accuracy has been especially impressive for a player who was on the bench until their Week 4 blowout of Wake Forest.
Book’s numbers are impressive as well. He’s averaging 8.8 yards per attempt and totaled 2,468 yards on 70.4 percent passing, and he has a 19-to-six touchdown-to-interception ratio. His passing prowess has also led to the breakout of running back Dexter Williams, since defenses must respect Book’s talents.
But the Irish must keep Book upright to have a chance to win this battle. Book sustained a painful rib injury against Northwestern in November, and a re-aggravation would be costly. That boils down to senior center Sam Mustipher, senior guard Trevor Ruhland, and sophomore guard Aaron Banks doing their jobs.
The Tigers defensive line of Clelin Ferrell, Christian Wilkins, Austin Bryant, and Xavier Thomas is a dangerous and large group of talent. Clemson finished second in tackles for loss (121), third in sacks (46) and boasted the most combined sacks and tackles for loss in the country (167).
The Fighting Irish’s offensive line must play its absolute best to withstand the pressure. The unit finished 27th in sacks allowed (19) and 44th in tackles for loss allowed (68) on the season, so it’s been decent but unspectacular this year.
It comes down to Book’s ability to identify potential leaks and blitzes from revered defensive coordinator Brent Venables, as well as if he can create plays off-script when needed. The line must persevere, but Book’s ability to withstand the inevitable pressure and deliver catchable passes will determine the team’s competitiveness on offense.
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With all due respect to the many great coaches in the country, and both Dabo Swinney and Brian Kelly, the showdown between Nick Saban and Lincoln Riley will have coaches around the nation on full alert.
Saban’s known for his defensive genius for good reason, and his resume speaks for itself. Riley’s quickly ascended into the NFL’s eye as the next great offensive coach, thanks to his ability to maximize his playmakers.
How Saban tries to slow an offense that routinely busts coverages with creative route combinations and next-level speed will be teaching tape. That is, of course, unless Riley is the one to crack Saban’s pattern-match and expose its rigid rules and requirement for individual decision-making.
The two schematic geniuses will have the spotlight on them. Riley must prove as masterful as Saban is at managing the clock and situational play. In last year’s playoff game against Georgia, Riley became notably conservative in the second-half despite having Baker Mayfield. He must avoid that pitfall, should a similar situation present itself.
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When the Clemson offense hits the field, it will be relying on former Tennessee transfer and current star receiver Tee Higgins to create big downfield plays. The Tigers’ leading receiver with 802 yards and 10 touchdowns, Higgins has benefited significantly from Trevor Lawrence’s emergence as starting quarterback.
The duo helps open up everything else for the Tigers offense, including underneath routes for slot extraordinaire Hunter Renfrow and speedy tailback Travis Etienne. They’ve overwhelmed offenses with their explosive threats on the ground and through the air all season, leaving the Fighting Irish in a difficult spot as they search for answers to slow this unit.
More than likely, it’ll be Notre Dame star cornerback Julian Love who pulls the daunting task of covering the 6’4″, 200-pound Higgins. The 5’11”, 193-pound Love is an excellent talent in his own right, owning the storied school’s career record in pass break-ups despite only being a junior.
Love is at a size disadvantage, but his quick feet and ball skills can overcome the discrepancy. His technique and leaping ability allowed him to be named a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award for being one the elite cornerbacks in the country.
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The Oklahoma-Alabama battle is full of future NFLers who will square off head-to-head. One of the most important matchup of the day is Oklahoma’s All-American wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown against Alabama’s 5-star freshman corner, Patrick Surtain II.
The two couldn’t look more different if standing next to each other. Brown stands just 5’10” and 168 pounds, while Surtain is 6’2″ and 202 pounds. But the elusive Brown is arguably the most electric and dynamic playmaker in the country, due to his elite acceleration and deep speed. If Surtain misses with his press technique, Brown can quickly find his way to the end zone.
Making things more interesting is Brown’s foot injury. He’s been marked as questionable, according to Tyler Palmateer of the Norman Transcript. Oklahoma still has CeeDee Lamb and Mykel Jones to threaten the defense, but Brown’s presence stretches secondaries to their limits as part of the trio.
Surtain told Charlie Potter of 247Sports that learning head coach Nick Saban’s playbook was his biggest adjustment, but he has since been comfortable. His physical presence looms large as the right cornerback, and his mental sharpness has been on display, even in Saban’s intense pattern-matching scheme.
Whoever gets the best of this matchup could end up being the MVP of this game, considering the expectations for how much Oklahoma will have to score to earn a win.
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One of the most dominant individual trench players in the nation this season has been Notre Dame defensive tackle Jerry Tillery. The massive 6’7″, 305-pounder has been the motor that keeps the Fighting Irish among the top defenses in the nation.
The senior tallied a career-high seven sacks as the Irish moved him from nose guard in 2017 to the more traditional three-technique tackle position. The results have been inarguable, as Tillery’s burst and strength have allowed teammates Khalid Kareem and Julian Okwara to earn favorable matchups as well.
He’s going to be a handful for the experienced, bulldozing interior offensive line of Clemson.
The Tigers have the collective talent on paper to at least draw even against Tillery, with all three of their interior blockers landing on the All-ACC team. Center Justin Falcinelli and guard Sean Pollard ended up on the Second Team, and left guard John Simpson made the Third Team.
Clemson had the most effective rushing game in the nation for good reason, not only due to the talent of Travis Etienne, but also the combined run-blocking from this trio. If they wash out Tillery, Clemson will win comfortably. If they’re unable to slow his penetration, we’re going to have an interesting game on our hands.
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The Crimson Tide will have their stable of running backs face off against Sooners tackling machines Kenneth Murray and Curtis Bolton. This could be the positional battle that decides the Orange Bowl.
If the Sooners cannot effectively slow the trio of Damien Harris, Najee Harris, and Joshua Jacobs, the chances are slim they’ll be able to score with Alabama. The Tide pulverized defenses with the second-best rushing attack on a per-play basis, finishing with an average of 6.67 yard per rush. Oklahoma ranked 50th, allowing 4.03 yards per carry.
Oklahoma’s defense has been justifiably maligned all season long, but linebackers Kenneth Murray and Curtis Bolton have done their parts in limiting the damage. The two combined for 273 tackles on the year, and they were a big reason why Oklahoma was even mediocre against the run.
Because the Tide have a deadly passing game with Tagovailoa, the Sooners have to sell out to stop one or the other, and still try to contain big plays in the other area. We’ve seen the Tide win championships with a nonexistent passing game but not an ineffective running game.
Oklahoma should try to make this game a shootout and rely on Murray to win that battle. It’s not a foolproof strategy, but its personnel is better suited to be successful in slowing the run and forcing Tagovailoa to pass more than he wants.
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The Notre Dame offense will have to take advantage of every single resource it has in order to overcome what can only be characterized as a devastating Clemson defensive front.
Notre Dame’s primary receiving threat, Miles Boykin, doesn’t have an easy draw when he faces Third-Team All-ACC cornerback A.J. Terrell. This is a matchup of two large, physical specimens who can win with either speed or length.
Boykin has flourished with quarterback Ian Book after two years of limited opportunities. The senior leads the team in receptions (54), yards (803), touchdowns (eight) and yards per catch among receivers with more than seven catches on the year (14.9). He dominated Stanford and Virginia Tech in the middle of the season, and he turned in an additional five touchdowns after those two breakout performances.
He’ll be facing a stout secondary, but it’s one with vulnerabilities. The Tigers have only logged six interceptions and 10 passes defensed within their secondary, so it’s not a threatening group of playmakers beyond the front seven.
That’s where Terrell must answer the call and be a lockdown corner on Boykin when they match up. Terrell measured 6’2″, 179 pounds, but he ran an impressive 4.54 40-yard dash and leapt 37 inches at Nike’s The Opening Finals. The 6’4″, 212-pound Boykin posted similar numbers in his class.
Terrell will have to use his length to disrupt Boykin at the catch point. Both have solid speed, but Terrell must prove he can play the ball and not lose the battle of physicality with the heavier Boykin.
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