This article covers predicted College Football Semifinal Games to be played on 12/31/21. Bowl season officially started on 12/17/21 and 15 games were played by 12/25/21. 21 games are scheduled and currently being played during 12/27/21 – 1/4/22. Time to continue a weekly cadence of highlighting the best games to watch. Hard part about doing this exercise in 2021, is trying to determine if any of the 2020 trends will continue. 2020 was the season of partial team schedules due to Covid-19 impacts, all players getting an extra year of eligibility and transferring schools without having to sit one season.
2021 Bowl Games Part II Picks Recap
Bowl Games Part II (12/27-1/4/22) – picks pending until bowls are completed on 1/4/22
Overall picks – pending all bowls being completed on 1/4/22
2021 All Picks Recap
Week 1 to Week 14 Top 5 games to watch – 43/65 correct
Week 1 to Week 14 Top 5 upsets that could happen – 22/65 correct
Top 10 conference championships – 7/10 correct
Bowl Games Part 1 – 9/15 correct
Overall picks – 81/155 correct which is one standard deviation above the median
2. Semi-final #1 at the Cotton Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Alabama
Late afternoon kickoff (3:30 PM EDT) from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX on 12/31/21. American Athletic Conference champions vs the SEC Conference champions. Bearcats are led by the steady guidance of head coach Luke Fickell and outstanding play of senior QB Desmond Ridder (3190 passing yards, 30 passing TDs, 371 rushing yards, 6 rushing TDs). Cincinnati broke through the CFP glass ceiling by being the first non-Power 5 conference team to make the semi-finals, thanks to a 13-0 record. Season highlighted by a big road win at Notre Dame (24-13) and beating Houston in the American Conference Championship game (35-20), to end up 13-0.
Crimson Tide enter this game on a seven game winning streak and finished the season at 12-1. Big wins over Auburn and Georgia to close out the regular season, has head coach Nick Saban and his squad on the precipice of another national title run. 2021 Heisman Trophy winner, QB Bryce Young, continues to show an incredible maturity for a sophomore playing on the biggest stage. Alabama is very comfortable playing at Jerry’s World and they want to take care of business in an efficient manner.
Prediction: Alabama is currently a 13.5 point favorite and will win by 14 points
1. Semi-final #2 at the Orange Bowl: Georgia vs. Michigan
Evening kickoff (7:30 PM EDT) from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gables, FL. Very intriguing matchup between the SEC runner-up and the Big Ten Conference champions. Bulldogs were the best team team in the country for the first thirteen weeks of the season. Defensive unit allowed a measly 9.5 points per game. Their defensive line manhandled all offensive lines until the SEC Championship game against Alabama. Head coach Kirby Smart has elevated the Georgia program to the top tier of the SEC, thanks to learning a ton from Nick Saban during his time on the Crimson Tide coaching staff. Bulldogs QB tandem is still a question mark as the stage gets bigger and brighter in the CFP.
Wolverines enter this game at 12-1 and riding a five game winning streak. Highlight of the season was a thorough and physical domination of Ohio State in Week 13 at the Big House (42-27). Michigan runs the ball between the tackles on offense and relies on a sneaky fast defensive line that wreaks havoc on opposing QBs. This game will be a steel cage wrestling match dominated by both defenses and field position. Turnovers will be absolutely critical in determining the winning team.
Prediction: Georgia is currently a 7.5 point favorite and will win a close game by 3 points in walk-off fashion
Same bat time, same bat channel in two weeks. I’ll review the results of College Football Exciting Bowl Games Part II and the CFP Semi-Finals by 1/10/22. I’ll also try again with the CFP National Championship on 1/10/22.
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