College Football Playoff 2015: How would an eight-team format play out?
By John Buhler
No. 1 Clemson Tigers vs. No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners (Orange Bowl)
The Orange Bowl would look exactly like it does now with the top-seeded Clemson Tigers facing the No. 4 team in the country in the Oklahoma Sooners. Both quarterbacks in this game are likely bound for the Heisman Trophy presentation in New York City and both Deshaun Watson and Baker Mayfield will play a huge part in who wins this game.
Since this game is the only one of these seven hypothetical games that is actually happening, this is proof that an eight-team College Football Playoff could be even more exciting than the already fascinating four-team Playoff.
The Tigers have the neutral site advantage with Clemson, South Carolina being significantly closer to Miami than Norman, Oklahoma. While that may affect some of these Playoff games, it won’t really play a factor in this New Year’s Eve game down at SunLife Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Oklahoma is playing slightly better football than Clemson is at the moment and that will matter in this head-to-head National Semifinal matchup. The Sooners will advance over the Tigers in this not-so-surprising upset to move on to the College Football National Championship at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Interestingly, that would stand as the second time in three weeks the Oklahoma Sooners would play in the Arizona desert. Maybe that would have boded well for their National Championship aspirations in the eight-team College Football Playoff.
Prediction: Oklahoma Sooners 34, Clemson Tigers 21
Next: Cotton Bowl