CFP Quarterfinals Picks, Preview: What To Anticipate in Cotton Bowl, Rose Bowl, Extra

[ad_1] The quarterfinals of the School Soccer Playoff have arrived!

As thrilling as that's, would not it's much more thrilling if these video games have been on campus? The groups that earned the highest 4 seeds ought to get the possibility to play at dwelling within the CFP. I am going to hold saying that the quarterfinals needs to be performed on campus till I am blue within the face. Everyone knows that these video games can be vastly completely different if the upper seed acquired to play at dwelling.

For now, although, the quarterfinals are at bowl video games, and we have 4 matchups I am enthusiastic about this week.

That stated, let's dive into every and provides some picks on who'll win to maneuver on to the semifinals.

Cotton Bowl: No. 10 Miami (Fla.) vs. No. 2 Ohio State (Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. ET) The most important query I've coming into this sport is Ohio State's offensive line vs. Miami's defensive position. There has actually solely been a method OSU has been uncovered in the course of the entirety of the 12 months, and that is the O-line. Indiana did each of these issues within the Large Ten Championship Recreation. It acquired after Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin and compelled some stress on him, and it was in a position to make issues troublesome — significantly in short-yardage and within the crimson zone, on the offensive line. Ohio State had bother changing, and due to that, misplaced the sport and Large Ten title.

So, Miami must duplicate that, and that is the place it is sturdy. It is terrific up entrance. Edge rusher Rueben Bain is a unbelievable participant. Miami is nice up entrance and must be as a way to beat Ohio State. The issue for Miami is that Ohio State has a bonus within the different areas of this sport. Head coach Ryan Day goes to be calling the performs, and he is nice at that. He is one of many nice playcallers I have been round, and he is taking on as outgoing offensive coordinator Brian Hartline acquired a brand new job. Day's taking on the playcalling, and you recognize he will be aggressive.

Sayin is a significantly better participant than Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed, and it is a passing sport that is way more dynamic than what the Aggies put on the market. Once more, that defensive position for the Hurricanes have to be nice. It had higher cease the run, drive the sport on Sayin's arm and get after him. Exterior of that, I feel Ohio State's going to have the ability to transfer the soccer and rating some factors.

Joel Klatt Previews No. 10 Miami Hurricanes vs. No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes The issue for Miami actually comes on the offensive facet. It acquired an enormous sport from operating again Mark Fletcher Jr., however do we predict Miami's going to have the ability to run the soccer towards Ohio State? I do not assume it is going to have the ability to try this in addition to it did towards Texas A&M. The Aggies' clear weak spot on protection was stopping the run, and Miami was in a position to expose that, however that is not a transparent weak spot for the Buckeyes. That is a really completely different defensive entrance than what they noticed towards A&M. They're nice towards the run. They're additionally nice towards the cross. That is the most effective protection in faculty soccer. By the way in which, it is time to begin speaking about them as traditionally one of many nice defenses we have ever seen in faculty soccer. They've solely given up 8.2 factors per sport, which is wild by means of 13 video games.

I've acquired Ohio State successful this one.

Choose: Ohio State 27, Miami (Fla.) 14 (Ohio State -9.5)

Orange Bowl: No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 4 Texas Tech (Thursday, midday ET) This one needs to be good. Oregon head coach Dan Lanning is completely proper — this sport needs to be performed at Texas Tech, and I feel it might be a special sport if it was. The matchup between Oregon's offensive line and the defensive entrance seven of Texas Tech is elite. I can not wait to observe, as a result of Oregon is operating the soccer about in addition to anybody within the nation; in the meantime, the nation's finest rush protection belongs to Texas Tech. Power towards power.

The Oregon offensive line struggled towards Indiana. Does it wrestle right here towards Texas Tech? The query I've for Tech is its cross protection, as a result of Oregon may be explosive when throwing the soccer. We all know that with quarterback Dante Moore, it might probably get the ball down the sphere. That is one of many areas the place Tech hasn't been elite. That does not imply it is not good, nevertheless it is not elite defending the cross.

Oregon, I feel, will really feel prefer it's performed groups pretty much as good or higher than Texas Tech. Bear in mind, it noticed Indiana. It went and performed in a whiteout. It performed towards USC. No disrespect to Texas Tech, however Oregon confronted Indiana, who's the most effective workforce within the nation. Oregon misplaced that sport. However now, it may face Texas Tech and Texas Tech goes to look throughout that discipline and I do not assume it might probably confidently say, "Yeah, we have confronted a workforce that is Oregon's stage." It performed Utah on the street and BYU twice. The very best quarterback Texas Tech performed all 12 months was Sam Leavitt, and that was the one sport it misplaced. Leavitt threw for over 300 yards in that sport for Arizona State.

Linebacker Jacob Rodriguez helped Texas Tech end third in complete and scoring protection this 12 months. Will he and the Crimson Raiders' protection be ok to cease the Geese? (Photograph by John E. Moore III/Getty Photos)

That is the place I am a bit nervous for the Crimson Raiders. Once more, I feel that is going to be a superb sport. I really like these coaches. I really like the funding the packages have made. I really like the defenses. I like Texas Tech's protection a bit of bit greater than Oregon's protection.

Then, it comes all the way down to the intangibles. Oregon's been in tight video games and gained, like at Iowa and Penn State. In the meantime, Oregon additionally misplaced the Rose Bowl final 12 months, and you have to perceive, this has acquired to really feel extra of a starting. It is labored for 12 straight months, three hundred and sixty five days, to get again up to now. That is the place its season begins. That is all it is thought of, getting run out of the constructing within the Rose Bowl towards Ohio State final 12 months.

Is that the identical for Texas Tech? I met with that workforce earlier than the Utah sport and beloved each second of these conferences. It was dedicated, collectively and a very good soccer workforce. That is going to be an unbelievable sport. However I feel, finally, Oregon's potential to win shut video games this 12 months and the truth that it may really feel actually assured about making ready three hundred and sixty five days for this second will assist it win this sport in a detailed one.

Choose: Oregon 30, Texas Tech 24 (Oregon -2.5)

Rose Bowl: No. 9 Alabama vs. No. 1 Indiana (Thursday, 4 p.m. ET) I assumed Alabama performed nice towards Oklahoma within the first spherical. Getting back from 17-0 was fairly spectacular and the way in which it did that. Alabama's a passing workforce, and this can be a workforce that does not run the soccer nicely. That is who Alabama has been and its id. However Indiana has seen some good passing assaults. It noticed Oregon and Ohio State.

I feel Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is an elite participant. After I watch the movie on Simpson, I am blown away by his poise within the pocket and his timing. He is in complete management and his ft are phenomenal. The footwork permits him to play on time. Enjoying on time permits him to throw the ball precisely and assault defenses. He does an distinctive job of it.

Simpson will assault this Indiana protection. It is a distinctive model of protection. Indiana performs a number of zone protection, extra zone protection than nearly anyone else in faculty soccer. But it surely additionally pressures, it is known as sim stress or zone stress, and it does it loads. There is a ton of motion up entrance with its defensive position. One of the simplest ways to explain it to opposing coaches who face Indiana is that it is slippery up entrance and difficult to dam. I haven't got a ton of religion that Alabama goes to run the soccer nicely on this sport. It simply would not run the soccer nicely, nevertheless it'll lean on the passing sport, which is elite.

I feel it may be laborious for Alabama to guard Simpson. That offensive line, even in a sport wherein it gained towards Oklahoma, wasn't taking part in nice. Quite a lot of it's Simpson's potential to elude, play on time and defend himself. So, this Indiana workforce is prone to get some stress on Simpson. Does Simpson nonetheless play nicely? Most likely, as a result of he performs nicely on a regular basis. There's some rain within the forecast, and for a workforce that may't run the soccer nicely, some moisture within the air is rarely signal. I might say that favors Indiana a bit of bit.

Fernando Mendoza is taking part in in his first sport since successful the Heisman Trophy, along with his efficiency in Indiana's Large Ten Championship Recreation victory taking part in an enormous function in incomes that prize. (Photograph by Michael Reaves/Getty Photos)

Now, Stephen Daley, the Indiana defensive lineman who acquired harm within the celebration after the Large Ten Championship Recreation, will not be taking part in on this sport. He is high 5 in tackles for loss. So, that is an enormous loss for Indiana, significantly with a defensive entrance seven that loves to maneuver and get itself into a number of twists and do inventive issues. How Indiana makes up for his absence stays to be seen.

Alabama, defensively, has performed fairly nicely. I do not assume it is an excellent protection, nevertheless it's performed fairly nicely. If you happen to return to early October, it shut out Jap Illinois and held LSU, which was a dumpster fireplace on the time, to 9 factors. Everyone else has scored 20 or extra towards Alabama since early October. Can Alabama grasp on? Indiana's Fernando Mendoza is a significantly better quarterback than Oklahoma's John Mateer.

Mateer actually struggled in that sport towards Alabama. He wasn't on time and did not throw the soccer nicely. He gave a few freebies to Alabama. Mendoza is battle-tested, confronted nice defenses and has been behind on the street within the fourth quarter and gained. I do not assume he will flinch all of it. That is an Indiana offense that did not do loads towards Ohio State, however when it wanted it, it was nice.

I like Indiana to win in a detailed one, in all probability in a basic.

Choose: Indiana 24, Alabama 21 (Alabama +6.5)

Sugar Bowl: No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 3 Georgia (Thursday, 8 p.m. ET) I feel that is the place the air leaves the room for Ole Miss. New head coach Pete Golding is coming in, and Lane Kiffin is gone. There was a little bit of a circle-the-wagons form of second for Ole Miss in its first CFP sport. Georgia is simply taking part in too nicely proper now. It is was Georgia, significantly on the defensive facet.

Georgia has allowed 10 factors or fewer in every of its final 4 video games. It performed two matchup video games — Texas and Alabama — and Georgia beat them each fairly handily. It has 12.0 sacks over the previous 5 video games. It solely had 8.0 in its first eight video games. So, greater than half of its sacks have come during the last month, which implies it is lastly getting after the passer a bit of bit. That ought to assist. Nobody has been in a position to run on Georgia all that nicely, significantly late within the season.

I do assume this can be a little bit of a story of two groups. Earlier within the 12 months, this Georgia workforce was continually in these shut ballgames, one in all them being towards Ole Miss, the place the Rebels scored of their first 5 possessions. Then, Georgia figured one thing out, and that factor was protection. It went again to being Georgia on protection. Now, it is speeding the quarterback, stopping the run and it is extremely troublesome to attain factors on Georgia. It is a nice soccer workforce. It is a significantly better soccer workforce than the workforce that beat Ole Miss earlier within the 12 months.

Kirby Sensible's Georgia protection has been probably the greatest within the nation as of late, with the Bulldogs permitting 10 factors or fewer in every of their final 10 video games. (Photograph by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire through Getty Photos)

I do not know if I can say that about Ole Miss. It misplaced its playcaller. Kiffin will not be there. A part of the explanation why it scored on 5 straight possessions was Kiffin. You're taking that away, I do not like it. If you happen to return to COVID, 2020, Georgia has misplaced two video games to groups not named Alabama. One was to Ole Miss final 12 months with Kiffin calling performs, and the opposite was Notre Dame final 12 months within the CFP.

Like Oregon, Georgia seems like its season begins now. That is why Georgia performs, to probably win a nationwide championship. I feel Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and operating again Kewan Lacy are going to should go off if the Rebels are going to win this sport. I simply do not assume they will try this towards this Georgia protection that is on a mission. This Georgia workforce can completely win a nationwide championship.

I feel Georgia wins and wins handily. It will get a lead early, and you may see it set in on the Ole Miss sideline.

Choose: Georgia 42, Ole Miss 27 (Georgia -6.5)

Joel Klatt is FOX Sports activities' lead faculty soccer sport analyst and the host of the podcast "The Joel Klatt Present." Observe him @joelklatt and subscribe to "The Joel Klatt Present" on YouTube.

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