8-team simulated College Football Playoff: Who wins?
No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 8 USC
Clemson vs. USC kicks off the College Football Playoff matchups. It’s Sam Darnold vs. the Tiger defense, which makes for an intriguing matchup, at least on paper.
What goes against Darnold, is his turnover-prone play. No one questions his arm talent but he placed the ball in the opposition’s hands early and often. Most of those 12 interceptions came in the first handful of games, however, with nine in the first six games. There were just three in the final six games.
Clemson’s defense may bring those early-season memories back. It’s the best unit Darnold would have faced in the 2017 season, one that shut down some of the nation’s top offensive attacks. The ability is there to rattle this potential first-overall pick and close out Ronald Jones in the backfield, something that should be done in a quarterfinal matchup.
It’s hard to look past what happened to Miami as well, once considered a top-two team in college football. This was a 38-3 decimation. There were similar games to this against elite opponents.
This won’t be an all-out offensive game like previous showings for these teams but something close. The Clemson defense should neutralize part of USC’s attack, while Kelly Bryant and company won’t overwhelm. Look for this to come down to a fourth-quarter drive and a late-game field goal, leading to the team from South Carolina advancing.