Can Oklahoma pull an Ohio State in CFB Playoff?

The storylines are abundant, what with Michigan State going up against one of its former coaches in Nick Saban. Tennessee’s a good team – ranked No. 23 in the final College Football Playoff rankings – that counts among its four razor-thin losses defeats at the hands of Big 12 champion Oklahoma and SEC champion Alabama. The Tigers blew out OU, 40-6, in that contest. Todd Graham is 2-1 all time in bowl games with Arizona State. Now there’s 15. And those last three they added aren’t against smaller teams. They turned the ball over five times and a backup quarterback burned the defense with 319 passing yards and four touchdowns.

Just like a year ago, Alabama has opened as a nine-point favorite. “We struggled in that game, and they outplayed and out-executed us”.

If Alabama comes out on top, it will end a two-game bowl skid for a team that has won three national titles under Saban.

Clemson has been at the top of every CFP poll this year.

Still, Oklahoma is in, but can they duplicate Ohio State’s playoff run?

BOWL HISTORY: Michigan State is 11-14 in bowl games and has a school-record four-game winning streak, picking up victories in the 2012 Outback Bowl, the 2012 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, the 2014 Rose Bowl and the 2015 Cotton Bowl. The committee identifies and compares the top teams, then votes them into the rankings. So you’ve got to practice at a level that allows your players to stay sharp physically and stay in good condition as well as not get them beat up. “(But) we have our own motivation outside of (revenge)”.

Clemson Coach Dabo Swinney celebrated his team’s seeding by throwing a massive pizza party for 30,000 fans on Sunday at Memorial Stadium.

Florida State draws an entertaining Houston in the Peach Bowl, and Oklahoma State-Ole Miss is a parade-worthy matchup at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.

DOUBLE-RANKED GAMES: A matchup of ranked teams happens right away this week as No. 7 Oklahoma and No. 9 Villanova meet Monday night in Honolulu on the 74th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

“He’ll be a challenge to get ready for”, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. Clemson just has more athletes on defense than Michigan State can handle and the Tiger front seven will give Cook troubles.

The early point spreads for the national championship game in college football have been released and Alabama would be a favorite regardless of which team advances between Clemson and Oklahoma.

And No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 3 Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl, for the purposes of proving the Las Vegas odds-makers correct.

ESPN will broadcast both playoff games. Penn State was victorious in the conference’s first Pinstripe Bowl appearance last season. That year, the Pokes beat St. Mary’s, 33-13, in their only trip to New Orleans.

Without that, the Rebels would have been playing Florida for the Southeastern Conference title last week but with little chance to make the top four. Forty-five years still is a long time to return to New Orleans. The Wolverines finished the season 9-3, 6-2 in the Big Ten. The committee releases the matchups for the inaugural playoffs and for the other bowl games.

“What a great opportunity for our young men who have worked so hard over the last 11 months”, Gundy said. We’ve had a great season.

Many of the Sooners said all the right things Sunday regarding the idea of “revenge”, but no one denied that last year’s beating wouldn’t be in the back of their minds as they prepare for a run at Oklahoma’s eighth football national championship.