Biscuits Bowl Bonanza previews part V: CFP Semi-final
Alabama looks to win 11 games for the 14th time under Nick Saban and Georgia is after another Natty.
By: Bossman Slim, The Hammer, The Waco Kid
Georgia’s captains get ready to walk into the bright lights…they’ve been here before. (Photo via @GeorgiaFootball)
Bowl season just keeps delivering. South Carolina fell short last night but put up one heck of a fight against the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame in a thriller of a game. Tennessee absolutely waxed the ACC Champion Clemson Tigers, frustrating young and green QB Cade Klubnik all night, while Joe Milton III looks like he’s ready to take over for Hendon Hooker.
Today is set up to be another thriller of a day, with Alabama-Kansas State, Kentucky-Iowa and Georgia-Ohio State on deck, not to mention TCU-Michigan. Let’s check out how the crew fared to this point:
And just like that, The Waco Kid is right back in it after picking both Notre Dame and Tennessee. Hammer falls further behind but is still squarely in the running to win bowl season.
Let’s dig into the previews.
Allstate Sugar Bowl, Saturday 12/31
#5 Alabama vs #9 Kansas State - 12:00 ET on ESPN (Bama -6.5)
Caesars Superdome, New Orleans
Bossman Slim: I’m glad when I see kids decide to play in their bowl games, especially stars these days. Look, I get why kids opt-out and I don’t fault them for it when they do…but football is a team sport, and if it’s all about playing for the guy next to you in the trenches all year, shouldn’t it be about doing that one more time and fighting for a W with your brothers? Isn’t that something ingrained in football players from pee wee on? Kudos to Bryce Young and Will Anderson, and even Jahmyr Gibbs who could have opted-out. It will be fun to watch them suit it up against a scrappy Kansas State team who is absolutely on the rise as a program. Bama has been hit hard by the transfer portal of late, so that will be a factor here, but I still like the Tide here to overwhelm the Wildcats. The talent gap is just too large, and with those aforementioned Bama stars in the lineup, I think Alabama can clip the ‘Cats in what could be Bill O’Brien’s last game at the helm of the Alabama offense.
#5 Alabama 42
#9 Kansas State 30
The Hammer: Alabama has avoided the opt-out bug, which is a testament to Saban. Bryce Young and Will Anderson, both likely to be top 10 NFL draft picks this coming spring, will be playing in this game. Jahmyr Gibbs is also playing even with a bright NFL future. Kudos to those young men. That said, Alabama has been hit really hard with transfers, especially at the wide receiver position. Aaron Anderson, JoJo Earle, Christian Leary, and Traeshon Holden have all entered the portal, leaving the Tide quite thin on the outside for this game. But they still have Bryce Young. Kansas State, meanwhile, is a really good team and a really good story. Chris Klieman has done a hell of a job there. Deuce Vaughn is electric and they play really sound, disciplined football. But I struggle to see them hanging with Alabama, given how many big-time players for the Tide will still be on the field. I don’t expect a blowout, but it's hard to see Kansas State taking down the Tide when Bryce Young, Will Anderson, and Jahmyr Gibbs all play.
#5 Alabama 34
#9 Kansas State 24
The Waco Kid: There is only one reason that Kansas State can be competitive in this game and that is Deuce Vaughn. The do-it-all back for the Wildcats is a shining beacon in an otherwise dull offense. Don’t get me wrong, this is a team that beat playoff contender TCU in the Big 12 championship, but I just do not see a way that the boys from Kansas can compete with a two-loss Alabama team still being coached by Nick Saban. This is a down year for the Tide and they still won ten games in an SEC West schedule. That should tell you all you need to know. With Bryce Young and Jahmyr Gibbs in the backfield, the Crimson Tide are still poised to put up high numbers on offense. And when you have a defensive unit like they do in Tuscaloosa year in and year out, KSU is not a team they should worry about stopping. I think this will end up being a very lopsided score for the Best of the Rest Bowl Game. And like I always do, I am going to pick the SEC over the Big 12 and will most likely be correct 9/10 times. Bama takes the cake and continues to rebuild toward another championship run in 2023.
#5 Alabama 48
#9 Kansas State 27
TransPerfect Music City Bowl, Saturday 12/31
Kentucky vs Iowa - 12:00 ET on ABC (Iowa -2)
Nissan Stadium, Nashville
Bossman Slim: No bowl is immune to the opt-out and transfer portal roster woes, and this one is no different. Will Levis and Chris Rodriguez are sitting out the bowl to focus on the NFL Draft, making the Wildcats thin at RB as Kavosiey Smoke is also in the transfer portal and will not play. Destin Wade is likely to start at QB for the Wildcats while Iowa is going with either Joe Labas or Carson May after Alex Padilla entered the transfer portal. The over/under on this game is in the low 30s, meaning this is going to be a rock fight. The Sickos Committee is going to be dialed into this from the jump, I’m sure of it. No real idea who will win this one, I think it’s a total toss-up, so give me Big Blue Nation to squeak by with a win.
Kentucky 20
Iowa 16
The Hammer: Calling all sickos. If you like bad offense and low-scoring games, this one is for you. Kentucky’s offense stunk all year, and now Will Levis is out. The Wildcat QB has declared for the draft and will not play in the bowl game. Joining Levis and heading to the NFL is leading rusher Chris Rodriguez. Several other Wildcat players have entered the portal and will not be playing in this one. Kentucky's offense only averaged 22 points per game with all those weapons, and now they are playing without them and the Hawkeye defense is really, really good. Iowa only allows 14 points per game, and the Wildcats might be lucky to get that many in this one. Luckily for the true sickos out there, Iowa’s offense is equally as bad. It’s worse actually, scoring on;y 17 points per game. The Hawkeyes starting Spencer Petras is also out for this game with a serious shoulder injury he suffered late in the regular season. All the ingredients for a knockdown, drag-out, rock fight filled with complete and total offensive ineptitude are in this matchup. It should be glorious, ridiculous, and stupid all at the same time. I have no clue who will win this game, and it will likely come down to whichever team makes the stupidest turnover will end up losing. I’ll pick Kentucky because we are an SEC blog and it just means more.
Kentucky 12
Iowa 10
The Waco Kid: What a freakin snooze fest. Iowa’s highest-scoring game saw them only score 33 points against Northwestern. Outside of that game, the Hawkeyes have averaged an abysmal 16 points per game. Including a 7-3 win over SOUTH DAKOTA STATE to start the season. While Kentucky does not average much more, they have played some stiffer competition. Iowa does have the luxury of playing Kentucky without Big Blue’s top offensive weapons in Will Levis and Chris Rodriguez. This makes the match-up a little more intriguing because, without the production from their starting running back and quarterback, the Wildcats do not have many places to look for someone to step up and take over. This one should be a boring defensive game, only because of how pitiful each offense is. I would pound the under at 31 and if neither team could not cover I would choose that. But there has to be a winner and someone must cover the spread so I have UK with the win and to cover.
Kentucky 18
Iowa 17
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Saturday 12/31 (*CFP Semifinal)
#1 Georgia vs #4 Ohio State - 8:00 ET on ESPN (UGA -6.5)
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
Bossman Slim: Yeaaaahhhh Buddy. Ohio State has been talkin’ a whole lot of smack this week for a team that got blown out by Michigan and didn’t win their conference. The Buckeyes are undoubtedly a good team and have the ability to beat the Bulldogs, but it’s been interesting to hear their comments in pressers leading up to the CFP semifinal. I’m sure it’s some mind games with Ryan Day, pumping his guys up and giving them some swagger. “We’re supposed to win this game. Act like it.” Thing is, they aren’t supposed to win this game and they’re going up against a Georgia team that has run the table on their way to defend a title. This is a classic trap game for the Dawgs, who must overcome any complacency with winning the last title that Stetson Bennett spoke about this week, as well as doubting the Buckeyes ability due to their loss against Michigan. I think they’ll beat the Buckeyes but I do expect a close game. Ohio State is loaded and can go toe to toe with the Dawgs in terms of talent. In the end, I think Georgia has the horses to get it done on offense against this Ohio State defense (if Michigan can do it, so can Georgia). Expect a heavy dose of the run game and some chunk plays from Stetson Bennett to get the win. Do what you do, don’t deviate, win your space, and you’re in the Natty. Dawgs send the Buckeyes packing back to Columbus in a great game but pull away late.
#1 Georgia 42
#4 Ohio State 31
The Hammer: Finally, we have arrived at the CFP. I love bowl season, and there have been some really incredible games thus far. But seeing elite teams battle one another at full strength still matters more. The stakes are as high as they can be. The Dawgs are trying to repeat as Champions, and Ohio State is trying to show the nation that they aren’t actually soft and are still among the college football elite. A blowout loss at the hands of Georgia would really make things interesting for Ryan Day in Columbus. He’s not in danger of being fired. I’m just saying things would get interesting. Ohio State should be able to compete in this game. They are incredibly talented across nearly every position and will be the most potent offensive attack Georgia has seen outside of Tennessee. Call me a homer, but I do not see the Buckeyes winning this game. If Stroud has time to throw and remains comfortable in the pocket, Ohio State will have a shot. They’ll just need to hit big plays downfield, similar to how Alabama took down the Dawgs in 2021. I don’t think Stroud will have that kind of time though. Georgia will not allow the Buckeyes to run the ball and I think they get enough pressure to avoid the big plays downfield and make Stroud uncomfortable. On the other side of the ball, we just saw Michigan carve up the Ohio State secondary. Stetson Bennett and Georgia are more than capable of doing that if Ohio State sells out to stop the run like they did in the Michigan game. Ohio State will have to find a way to pressure Bennett and stop the run game without dedicating more bodies to the box. If they can’t do that, Monken will find ways to get his playmakers the ball and exploit the numbers advantage on the outside. Ohio State is supremely talented, and they are capable of beating Georgia, but they won’t in this one. Georgia is on a mission and they are ready for this game.
#1 Georgia 38
#4 Ohio State 30
The Waco Kid: This could shape up to be the best game of the bowl season in my opinion. The high-powered offense of Ohio State matched up against that big defensive front for Georgia is something made for a storybook. We are looking at a game that will feature two Heisman finalist QBs and some of the best overall teams in the nation. While I think the Michigan-TCU game will be a decent one, it will feature nowhere near the same excitement and fireworks as the Peach Bowl has to offer. And if UGA can win this one, I think they easily defeat whoever they may play in the National Championship. The Dawgs will look to Stetson Bennett for consistency in the passing game and bring a bit of the wow factor on the ground. He has big-time playmakers around him at both the receiver and tight end positions and a stable of workhorses in the backfield to lighten the pressure of playing a perfect game. Kirby Smart’s defense is also one of the best in the nation and if anyone can stop Stroud and the Buckeyes offense, it is this defense. I think OSU turns the ball over a couple of times and that is more than enough for Georgia to secure its second national championship berth in just as many years. I’m taking Georgia in this one but not sure they cover. I do not think they ever let Ohio State within striking distance but I think the game ends with a score closer than what we actually see happening on the field.
#1 Georgia 42
#4 Ohio State 38