Even though we’re only 24 hours into 2018, we may have already seen one of the best games of the year in the Rose Bowl matchup between Oklahoma and Georgia. While that’s the game that has everybody talking, there was quite a bit that we learned from both of the College Football Playoff Semifinal games.
Georgia’s Defense Doesn’t Live Up to Hype
Heading into New Year’s Day, I was convinced that the Georgia Bulldogs would stifle Baker Mayfield and the Sooner offense because they haven’t faced anything quite like an SEC defense.
However, for much of the first half the Sooners offense made the Bulldogs look like a second-tier SEC team. Georgia wound up being able to make the right second-half adjustments to take down the Sooners in double overtime. You can also put some of that on the squib kick at the end of the first half.
Mayfield Goes Out on Strong Note
Sticking with Oklahoma’s offense, Baker Mayfield’s collegiate career ended on a really strong note. The first-half showed a lot of holes in Georgia’s defense and also showed how multifaceted he can be. Don’t believe what I’m saying? Check out that TD reception in the endzone. No one paid any attention to him and executed a pretty solid trick play.
On and off-the-field antics aside, Mayfield has shown that he can be a solid quarterback in the NFL and is deserving of a first-round pick.
It’s Hard to Beat Saban Twice
The Alabama-Clemson game proved one thing Monday night: it’s hard, if not impossible to beat Alabama and Nick Saban twice. When Saban gets a shot at redemption, he gets into tunnel vision mode and it showed in that performance in the Sugar Bowl.
The Crimson Tide made it look incredibly easy against a Clemson team that some expected them to keep it extremely competitive with injuries hitting the front seven. This team simply knows how to reload and have depth that no other college football team has. Georgia may be on the receiving end of one of those butt whippings next Monday in Atlanta.
It’s Time to Have a Serious Conversation about Expansion
From the moment the final four was announced, it looked likely that the final would consist of two SEC teams. Now that we’re here, it’s time to have a serious conversation about expanding the College Football Playoff to either six or eight teams.
That doesn’t mean they’ll do it within the next couple of years, but they need to begin moving the discussion towards expanding the number of playoff participants within the next five years.
-Clint Domingue