After a long and grueling regular season, the College Football Playoff is finally here. I’ve gone 8-1 in these bowl season columns so far — bringing me to 34-20 (about 63%) since Week 2. I’ve said all season that some regression was to be expected after we cashed at an unsustainable 63% rate a year ago, but we’ve been red hot in bowl season, so let’s keep that momentum going!
With the holiday season behind us, the final days of Bowl season are here and we have a compelling slate ahead of us, including a ton of fun games at the Group of 5 and Power 5 level. With Monday’s games rapidly approaching, here is a look at my best bet for the plethora of games at our disposal, including the College Football Playoff semifinal games. And remember, you can check out all of our NCAAF predictions for picks on all of the action.
Washington Huskies +4.5 vs Texas Longhorns (-110)
We have what should be a terrific matchup on our hands in this College Football Playoff semifinal between the Texas Longhorns and Washington Huskies. Both of these teams are playing some of their best football at the right time, which lends further intrigue to what should be a great game full of compelling matchups. Each offense has clear and obvious strengths that should play to their advantage against the opposing defense. For Texas, the Longhorns should see success in the trenches with their dynamic running game, which could pave the way for Quinn Ewers, Adonai Mitchell and company to have success off play action. However, it remains to be seen if Texas is able to block consistently against a Washington defensive line that has gotten healthier and much more disruptive over the last 3 weeks of the regular season. Texas' offense has also had major issues with finishing drives, which could rear its ugly head against a Washington defense that has allowed plenty of yards this se ason, but has stiffened in the red zone when it counts.