College Football Playoff 2016: Simluated eight-team bracket
By John Buhler
Orange Bowl: No. 2 Clemson Tigers vs. No. 7 Oklahoma Sooners
The Capital One Orange Bowl would have the ACC Champion playing the Big 12 Champion at a neutral-site in Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. No. 2 Clemson would pick the Orange Bowl as their national quarterfinals venue of choice. Meeting them in South Florida would be Big 12 Champion No. 7 Oklahoma Sooners.
This would be a rematch of the 2015 Orange Bowl, which was a national semifinals game during last year’s College Football Playoff. Clemson would defeat Oklahoma en route to the 2015 National Championship Game against Alabama. The Tigers were unbelievable last year, but the gap may have closed between them and Oklahoma.
This Orange Bowl would feature two of college football’s very best quarterbacks in Clemson’s Deshaun Watson and Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield. These two signal callers finished three-four in the 2015 Heisman Trophy race last year. Expect this game to be decided by one score.
Oklahoma will be the better team in the 2016 Orange Bowl because the Sooners have been on fire since their 1-2 start to the season. Clemson only has one loss, but hasn’t been blowing as many teams out as it did last season. The Tigers defense isn’t as stout and Mayfield lifts Oklahoma late with a touchdown to send the Sooners to the Playstation Fiesta Bowl.
Pick: Oklahoma 38, Clemson 31