No. 9 USC vs. No. 5 Penn State in 103rd Rose Bowl

Will Penn State – the champions of the best conference in college football this season – be left out in the cold in favor of an Ohio State team that didn’t win a conference championship and couldn’t defeat Penn State in a head-to-head matchup? Deshaun Watson added to his Heisman Trophy résumé, and Clemson needed every one of the five touchdowns he accounted for to hold off the Hokies. But Colorado beat USC and won the Pac-10 South Division.

State College police say they’re again investigating reports of property damage and possible rioting by fans following a major victory by the Penn State football team.

Winning the title in a Power Five conference is worth more than the equivalent of a pat on the back. “It’s one of the things when I first came here, I wrote down my goals and one of them was to win a national championship”. The Tigers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 bowl games and the over is 5-0 in Tigers last 5 vs. a team with a winning record.

The college football world won’t get to see if Penn State could make even more noise, and pull off an upset or two in the relatively new format that decides the eventual national champion.

Clemson finished No. 3 in the AP Top 25, a spot behind Ohio State (11-1). In the end, it was that loss to Pitt that probably made the difference.

As for Oklahoma, which ran the table in the Big 12 to win its 10th title under coach Bob Stoops, it is off to the Sugar Bowl.

As for the second point, Alabama is certainly beatable, although only by one team.

The Michigan Wolverines are seven-point favorites against the Florida State Seminoles on the Orange Bowl odds, with that game taking place on December 30 in Miami.

Defense: Even. There are elite athletes on both units.

Police in State College are weighing possible arrests after the celebration of Penn State’s Big Ten championship caused minor property damage. A competitive first half gave way to a one-sided second. However, Meyer’s squad is much younger than the Tigers. “We have teams in now that can get into a bowl game having won two or three of their conferences games”. The Buckeyes have struggled up front protecting Barrett, and the Clemson defensive front will pose serious problems, especially off of the edge against the OSU tackles. This year, ‘Bama’s defense is big, physical and athletic. It didn’t help the young BCS’ credibility when Oklahoma pounded Florida State in the national championship game.

The Crimson Tide can be beat, but it will take a near flawless game.