Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl – Washington Huskies vs. Alabama Crimson Tide College Football Playoff Semifinal Predictions, Odds, Picks and NCAA Football Betting Preview – December 31, 2016

Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta

When: Saturday, December 31, 3:00 PM ET

Line: Washington Huskies (+14) vs. Alabama Crimson Tide (-14); total: 54.5 – view all NCAA Football odds and lines

TV Broadcast: ESPN

Writer’s Pick: Alabama Crimson Tide

College Football News and Previews

SEC Regular Season Win Total Predictions

Big 12 Regular Season Win Total Predictions

ACC Regular Season Win Total Predictions

Betting on the #4 Washington Huskies (12-1)

Obviously, the Washington Huskies have quite the huge hill to climb if they want to advance to the national championship. They’re attempting to try and take home the title for the first time since 1991 – behind the arms of QB’s Billy Joe Hobert and Jacksonville Jaguar legend Marc Brunell. As far as number four ranked teams go, the Huskies are one of the best on paper. This team is for real and they’re not here by fluke by any means. The team had one blemish to their name all year against USC when they lost at home 26-13 on November 13.

Led by sophomore quarterback Jake Browning though, the Huskies went on a sensational run this season that saw them top 60 points twice and 40 points nine times. They were truly a force to be reckoned with but haven’t faced a challenge like Alabama. The Tide boast a very prolific offensive attack and are also known for their top tier defense as well. With that said, the Huskies are the fourth highest per-game scoring team in the country with 44.5 points on average. The Pac-12 champions will be in tough to get a win and move on to the national final, but they may be a good bet facing a +14 point spread.

Betting on the #1 Alabama Crimson Tide (13-0)

The player to watch in this game – obviously – will be quarterback Jalen Hurts. As a freshman, everyone is expecting a blunder or two here and there but the kid hasn’t faltered yet this season and there’s no reason to think he will now. With that said, he hasn’t stepped onto a stage quite as big as what awaits at the Georgia Dome with a national championship possibility hanging in the balance. Clearly the first year kid thrives on pressure with a completion percentage of 65.3% – 13th best in the nation – but as we alluded to, the national playoffs are a whole different animal. Hurts isn’t just a threat through the air though, like Browning of Washington, he’s a mobile killer as well. He’s scored 12 rushing majors with 842 yards on the grass – surreal numbers for a quarterback of any age.

Typically, Bama is one of the top offenses in the country, but this year has been a little different. They’re still atop the SEC with 471.3 yards per game, however, that only puts them at 26th overall in the country – not exactly top dog numbers. Their defense has been the best part of their game giving up only 11.8 points per game which is good enough for the top spot in the country.

Alabama should be victorious in this one, but if their defense falters and or Hurts stumbles, the Huskies could find themselves in National Championship position to start the new year.

Writer’s Prediction: This game goes the distance and Bama wins 40-35.

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