Today is the start of the 8th annual College Football Playoff. The Alabama Crimson Tide, the Michigan Wolverines, the Georgia Bulldogs, and the Cincinnati Bearcats all have been selected by the committee to participate in the CFP. Who will be the two teams that go on to Lucas Oil Stadium to play in the 2022 National Championship game? Let’s take a look and preview both of these matchups.
#1 Alabama Crimson Tide (12-1) vs Cincinnati Bearcats (13-0) (Cotton Bowl)
The Alabama Crimson Tide are in a familiar position once again. The Tide have now made it to their 7th CFP which is the most out of any team. Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Bearcats have done something that no other Group of Five team has done. They’ve made it to the dance. For Bearcats fans this is a momentous occasion to be able to make it this far. The Bearcats were ranked 8th in the preseason polls but have overcome the odds to be able to go up against a vaunted Alabama team. What should we look for in this Cotton Bowl matchup? Let’s take a look.
Jameson Williams vs Sauce Gardner:
The individual matchup that I’m looking forward to most in this game is between Alabama WR Jameson Williams and Cincinnati DB Sauce Gardner.
Gardner has been the epitome of a lockdown corner this season. According to PFF, Gardner has allowed a 0.0 passer rating in single coverage. Gardner has only allowed 5 catches for 42 yards all in single coverage.
Meanwhile, Williams has had a fantastic first year with the Tide as the team’s WR1. Williams led the SEC in receiving yards (1,445 yards) and receiving touchdowns (15). Williams is a big play waiting to happen as he’s yet another Alabama wide receiver with track star speed who can win at all levels of the field.
This matchup I think is super crucial to the outcome of this game. With John Metchie being out for the Tide, Williams is going to be relied upon quite a bit to make plays for quarterback Bryce Young.
One of the knocks on Gardner is the competition that he’s played up until this point. This is his chance to prove the doubters wrong and put on a DB clinic in this game. Gardner was asked about the matchup against Williams to which he said, “I’m going to just do everything that y’all see me do on film, and that’s going to help me get the job done.” If Gardner can win most of his reps against Williams, then Bryce Young will be forced to look elsewhere.
To put in perspective how crucial both Williams and Metchie are to the Alabama offense, they both have over 1,100 receiving yards with the next closest guy being Slade Bolden who only has 333 receiving yards. Someone is going to be asked to step up regardless, but how much will they have to? It’ll all depend on how well Gardner can contain Williams.
Can Desmond Ridder Carry The Bearcats?
Desmond Ridder is in for the biggest game of his football life. Ridder is certainly no slouch. Ridder holds a 44-5 record as the Bearcats starting quarterback. Ridder holds the school record for most passing TDs with 87 in his Bearcat career. He and the Bearcats have only lost 1 game since the end of the 2019 season. He’s been at the forefront of this Bearcats offense. Ridder I think is going to need to play his best football. If you look at the Peach Bowl last season against another highly regarded SEC team in Georgia, the Bearcats lost on a last-second field goal and made it close. Ridder’s output saw him have 206 passing yards and 2 touchdowns on 64.9% passing.
This Alabama team has a more explosive offense than that Georgia team. Ridder is going to need to keep up and have a better outing than that game last year. I think we’ve seen Ridder play very well this season. The Notre Dame game earlier on the season which was the Bearcats' biggest win of the season saw Ridder have 297 passing yards along with a couple of TDs. Alabama's defense’s strength is their ability to stop the run. They are 3rd in the country in rushing yards allowed per game. It’s going to be tough sledding for the explosive RB Jerome Ford for the Bearcats to get a lot going so Ridder is going to have to be asked to be the one to win this game for the Bearcats.
It helps that Alabama’s starting DB Josh Jobe is trending towards being out for this game due to having foot surgery earlier in the month, so it will be key if guys like Alec Pierce, Tyler Scott, and Tre Tucker can step up against these Alabama DBs to help Ridder out.
Can The Bearcats Somehow Contain Will Anderson Jr.?
The Bearcats offensive line is going to have their hands full with, in my opinion, the best defensive player in all of college football, the 2021 Bronko Nagurski award winner, Will Anderson Jr. Anderson leads the country in tackles for loss (29) and in sacks with (15.5). He’s been a force this entire season. The 29 tackles for loss puts Anderson 5th all-time in a single season. He has a chance to break the record. He’s proved to be so effective and can wreck a game by himself. The Alabama defense ranks 3rd in total sacks while averaging a staggering 3.54 sacks per game. Cincinnati’s offensive line hasn’t particularly been great with opposing pass rushers, they sit 37th in the country in least total sacks given up on the season.
This is a tall task for the Bearcats but this Alabama pass rush can be stopped as we’ve seen before this season. In Alabama’s only loss on the season to Texas A&M, the Aggies didn’t allow a single sack to the Crimson Tide defense all game. The other Alabama guys like Phidarian Mathis and Dallas Turner are capable of getting after the quarterback as well, but Anderson is the engine that gets this defense going. He will be hard to stop and can win this game by himself.
Prediction:
Will Anderson leading up to this game was quoted as saying, “I feel like we're the underdog in this game. All year, we've been disrespected…..we love it. It just fuels us up even more. We know what type of team we have." Now Cincinnati is the clear underdog in this game, but the fact that Alabama feels like that they are the underdog, is a scary proposition for any team. Nick Saban has these guys in the right mindset as they don’t see Cincinnati as a warm-up game to the National Championship. I loved what Luke Fickell has done with the Bearcat program and I think that them getting this far is a win for the Group of Five. I do feel like there is some pressure for the Bearcats to make this a close game in order for the committee to not be afraid to put these non-Power 5 schools in the CFP. But regardless, I think Alabama is going to be too much for this Bearcat team. They come out on top and win by a comfortable margin.
Alabama over Cincinnati (45-20)
#2 Michigan Wolverines (12-1) vs Georgia Bulldogs (12-1) (Orange Bowl)
After disappointment after disappointment for the Michigan Wolverines and Jim Harbaugh, they finally have made it to the dance. Nobody could have predicted that they would finally overcome the hump and get this far. Michigan wasn’t even in the top 25 in the AP preseason rankings, but here they are. They have a tall task at hand however, the Georgia Bulldogs stand in their way who despite losing the SEC championship game to Alabama, have beaten 4 ranked teams this season. In those 4 victories, Georgia outscored their opponents 111-26. What should we look for in this Orange Bowl matchup? Let’s take a look.
The Battle Of The Trenches
The no-doubt biggest storyline is going to be who wins the line of scrimmage battle. This is going to be a physical football game. I think both of these teams are the two best teams in the country at imposing their will on opposing teams.
Michigan’s Offensive Line vs Georgia’s Front Seven
The Michigan offense runs through their rushing attack and their stellar offensive line. Michigan is 10th in the country in rushing yards per game (223.8 RPG). Meanwhile, the Georgia defense’s strength has been their ability to stifle the opposing team's rushing attack. Georgia is 2nd in the country in rushing yards allowed per game (81.7 RPG).
Michigan boasts a dynamic duo at running back who has proven to be fantastic this season. Hasaan Haskins and Blake Corum both have combined for 2,227 rushing yards along with 31 rushing touchdowns. The running game is what gets Michigan’s offense going. It helps out quarterback Cade McNamara be able to make plays when he has to. They will have their hands full.
Jordan Davis for Georgia is their most impactful defensive player. He is at the forefront of this rush defense and he is the main reason why it is as good as it is. Davis is a behemoth of a man. He stands at 6’6 and weighs a whopping 340 pounds. Although his individual stats may not stand out, it can’t be understated how crucial he is to the Georgia defense. The Georgia defense takes a hit when he is not on the field. Davis can draw double teams on essentially every play which frees up his teammates to get one on one matchups. Davis has a high motor and is a guy who moves quickly for someone his size which is a problem for anybody. The Michigan offensive line has some size in the interior of their offensive line which is a plus, but they may need to run more outside runs to avoid Davis. However, they may be in just as much trouble.
It’s not just Georgia’s defensive line with Davis that’s scary. It’s their athletic linebacking core led by Nakobe Dean that can stop the Michigan running backs from doing such types of runs. Dean is a projected first-round NFL draft pick this upcoming draft and that’s for good reason because of his athleticism to stop running backs from getting to the second level along with his coverage skills.
Haskins and Corum have their hands full in this game as well as the Michigan offensive line. I would give the advantage to the Georgia front seven when it comes to stifling the running game. When it comes to the pass rush of Georgia getting after McNamara, I’d give the advantage to Michigan’s pass blocking. Michigan has only given up 10 sacks all season which ranks 2nd in the country while Georgia’s pass rush is still very good as they are ranked 8th, but Michigan has been able to build a wall for McNamara this season which I suspect they should continue to do so in this game.
There’s a reason why the Georgia defense has given up only 9.5 PPG (1st in the country). They have all of these playmakers on their team while Kirby Smart has done a fantastic job coaching up this defense.
Georgia’s Offensive Line vs Michigan’s Defensive Line
The Georgia offensive line has been very good this season as well. Although their rush attack hasn’t been amongst the best in the country, they, just like Michigan, have built a wall for their quarterback Stetson Bennett. Georgia is tied for 3rd in the country in sacks allowed with only 11 sacks given up on the year. But they have a fierce challenge ahead of them when they face the best pass rush duo in the entire country. Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo could both very well be two top 10 picks in this upcoming NFL draft class. Both have combined for 25 sacks and 27.5 tackles for loss. Tackles Warren McClendon and Jamaree Sayler are going to have their hands full. Kirby Smart praised both Hutchinson and Ojabo. “Those two guys just are tremendous….you can tell they push each other. They go against a really good offensive line every day in practice, so those guys are really good competitors, and they’re a huge challenge for our offensive line.”
I would give the advantage to both Hutchinson and Ojabo. Now if Georgia can at least contain them to where they both don’t wreck the game, then I would consider it a win on that end for Georgia. But if these two are dominating, Georgia’s offense is going to struggle all day to get anything going.
Cade McNamara or Stetson Bennett? Who Performs Better?
There is no denying that both of these quarterbacks are going to have their hands full in this grueling football game. Both of these defenses are going to get theirs in this game and it will come down to who wins the line of scrimmage battle, but it’s also going to come down to these two quarterbacks.
Both quarterbacks I think are probably just around the same in skill level. They both aren’t asked to do a lot other than to just manage the game and not turn the ball over. If I were to pick one that I think will have a better outing, it’s going to be Bennett. I think Bennett has more weapons at his disposal than McNamara. TE Brock Bowers has been sensational as a true freshman with his 11 touchdowns which is tied for the most in school history in a single season. Sensational WR George Pickens is beginning to become healthier and healthier and up to speed after tearing his ACL earlier this offseason. He can prove to be a huge X-factor in this series because if he returns to form, watch out. Bennett had his fair share of struggles in the SEC championship game, but Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken has full confidence in his quarterback to get the job done. “There's no doubt in my mind we can win the national championship,” Monken says. “There's no doubt in my mind we can win it with Stetson Bennett."
Prediction:
This game like I said will be a physically imposing game. It’s going to mainly come down to the line of scrimmage battle. Both teams have their strengths in the trenches, but I am going to lean Georgia to win the line of scrimmage battle and win this football game. Because their rush defense has proven to be so effective all season long, they will win that battle which completely limits what Michigan’s offense can do. The rushing attack for Michigan is everything to their offense. On Pombo & Peter’s Picks this week, I had said that the final score to the game would be 28-23. But I am going to change my prediction to a final score of 21-10 with Georgia winning the game. I trust the Georgia offense to put up more points than the Michigan offense while Georgia’s defense bounces back in a big way in this one.
Georgia over Michigan (21-10)
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