What Alabama’s Cotton Bowl Victory Means for College Football

The Tigers’ D, widely regarded in the preseason as the biggest impediment to a potential playoff run, is very good-maybe even elite.

Michigan State’s offense figured to present a challenge in every way. – Alabama is one miraculous Hunter Henry flip along with the Alex Collins run vs. Ole Miss away from this maybe being Oklahoma vs. Michigan State after the Clemson vs. Stanford Orange Bowl. Under Saban, the Crimson Tide are 21-7 against teams ranked in the top 10 by The Associated Press. Coker played like a bigger-armed Cook; Henry was just better than all of Michigan State’s ineffective backs.

The Crimson tide have certainly taken notice.

Get used to hearing Derrick Henry’s name called.

“There’s no comparison the feeling that I had last year to this year”, Cook said after going 19 of 32 for 210 yards, two interceptions and four sacks.

But the biggest difference was the day the games were played. “You can’t ask for a whole lot more than that”.

Terry, like O’Connor a dual threat, has wowed in practice but has yet to translate it to the games.

That defensive front insists that it be so, as would the nation’s foremost unit of any kind, a rotating menace chockablock with dynamic sorts. However, the Bama secondary can be beaten.

But most of all, the Lawson and the Clemson defense will have to rise to the occasion one more time this year, against an Alabama team that just dropped 38 points against a purportedly excellent Spartan defense.

They shook hands and posed for pictures, two long-time friends and colleagues who’ll be doing everything in their power to make sure the other fails in Thursday night’s College Football Playoff Semifinal.

Beyond the emergence of the inexperienced defense, the Tigers are a team that defies reason and all logic.

“We’re not going to look to say, ‘Hey we got here”. But did you watch the second half of the Orange Bowl?

Success was especially sweet for the Spartans in a year when Ohio State was coming off a national title and MI had just hired Jim Harbaugh. There are many other links between the schools, which combine to dilute any imagined intimidation factor that might haunt another Alabama foe. Despite the fact that I had this as a close game, it wasn’t surprising to see the Crimson Tide perform like this. Alabama is more than fine.

“Clemson is a great team, undefeated, a great program”, Saban said. Michigan State crowds the box and dares opponents to take shots. – Gametime temperature will be about 44 degrees outside. Only one starter returned from last season, senior center Ryan Norton, and Norton has been slowed by injuries.

That’s the benefit of not loading up on star-splattered recruits, although Michigan State has landed its share of late, from Lawrence Thomas to Malik McDowell to LJ Scott. This isn’t new for Clemson, which has now gained at least 500 yards of offense in each of its past 10 games.

Clemson University, having its best football season in decades, will face off for the national title against perennial power Alabama later this month after both teams won semifinal games Thursday night. Alabama is a 9.5-point favorite, and picked almost unanimously to win the game and advance to the national championship.

What ties the Tigers and Alabama together, meanwhile, is the standard set on the road to the Playoff championship.

Coker continued to have his way with the Spartan defense in the second half. – If you’re a Georgia fan, you need your head coach as soon as possible.

And ultimately, Alabama will get a chance for another national title. – Alabama wins in a classic.