Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Time for the Musings National Championship

It's time to decide a champion in the first Musings College Football Playoff. In case you don't remember, Ohio State and USC made it to the finals after thrilling wins over Georgia and Virginia Tech, respectively. Here is a recap of the quarterfinals.

The Orange Bowl at Dolphin Stadium in Miami will host the first National Championship game, which is scheduled for 8 p.m. on New Year's Day. It is a blockbuster match-up, a game many pundits expected at the beginning of the year. Ohio State, which ended the season number 1 in the BCS standings, faces USC. The Trojans at one point were No. 1, but succumbed to injuries and lost two games. They ended the year No. 7 in the BCS. It was enough to get into the dance, but it meant a tough road, a road game in the quarters and then a rough game with No. 3 Virginia Tech.

This game may be as good as it looks on paper. The USC offense is VERY potent, but so is the Ohio State defense. And the Buckeyes have the running game to keep Trojans QB John David Booty off the field. USC averages 31.3 points per game, while Ohio State gives up just 10.7 per game.

Ohio State rushes for an average of 201 yards per game and passes for about the same amount. USC, on the other hand, passes for 244 yards per game and rushes for 185 per game. That means USC will get a heavy dose of Chris Wells, which should keep the game close.

USC is going to score points, however, it's just hard to say how many. Some argue USC is a lot better than its record, while Ohio State is a lot worse than its record. USC wins this game, but it's close. Final score is Trojans 28, Buckeyes 21. It is only an upset on paper.

Note: The National Championship draws television numbers that rival the Super Bowl and the semi-finals draw much better numbers than the Rose, Sugar and Fiesta bowls will today.

All is right with the world. Happy New Year everyone.

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