College Football Playoff 2020: Simulating a 16-team bracket

16-team College Football Playoff first round: 2 Clemson vs. 15 Iowa

Not that many people were doubting how good the Clemson Tigers are but, if there were any questions, Dabo Swinney‘s team emphatically answered them in the ACC Championship Game. Trevor Lawrence proved how much of a difference-maker he actually is with how his presence so noticeably gave his team an advantage over Notre Dame, the team that beat the Tigers when Lawerence was sidelined with COVID-19.

It’s not just the fact that Lawrence is a playmaker in his own right, a quarterback that can dissect an opposing defense with both his arm and his legs. The eventual No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft also opens up the field for a dynamic threat like Travis Etienne to be even more dangerous in his own right. And his efficiency and consistency keep the defense fresh for 60 minutes of action.

Iowa was a team that we heard shockingly little about given how well they played in the 2020 season. Unfortunately, we won’t hear anything else from them either as their Music City Bowl date with Missouri was canceled. But even still, the Hawkeyes are a solid team that is good enough on both sides of the ball.

They aren’t on the same level as Clemson, though. There aren’t many scenarios that you can conceive in which the Hawkeyes are able to match up with the Tigers for 60 minutes on either side of the field and find success. This would be another first-round matchup that’s never in doubt for the higher seed.

Clemson wins, 48-17