In which BracketCat simulates third-round bowl results for the 16-team playoff bracket for 2020.
One semifinal features a familiar set of opponents in a slightly less familiar setting (a Rose Bowl in Texas!), while the other sees a new matchup between two traditional powers.
Scroll on to see who could have advanced to the 2020-21 national championship game!
(One note on bowl selection: Seeds have priority order for the bowl closest to their home campus, so Alabama would get the Sugar and Clemson gets sent south to the Rose in DFW.)
Today’s Games
College Football Playoff Semifinal at the 2021 Allstate Sugar Bowl:
No. 1 Alabama (13-0) vs. No. 4 Notre Dame (12-1)
We get the actual Rose Bowl matchup in the Sugar Bowl setting. Once again, despite 33% of you wanting to argue with history, Alabama won by an even bigger margin.
No. 1 seed Alabama Crimson Tide (13-0; AP/Coaches #1): SEC Champion (auto-bid)
Notable Wins (CFP Rankings): #5 Texas A&M, #9 Georgia x2, vs. #7 Florida, #16 BYU
Losses: none
Head Coach: Nick Saban (14th season)
Offensive Style: Pro spread
Quarterback: Mac Jones
Running Backs: Najee Harris and Brian Robinson Jr.
Wide Receivers: DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle
Tight End: Miller Forristall
No. 4 seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish (12-1; AP/Coaches #4): at-large bid
Notable Wins (CFP Rankings): #2 Clemson, #13 North Carolina x2, vs. #5 Texas A&M
Loss: vs. #2 Clemson
Head Coach: Brian Kelly (11th season)
Offensive Style: Multiple
Quarterback: Ian Book
Running Backs: Kyren Williams and Chris Tyree
Wide Receivers: Ben Skowronek and Javon McKinley
Tight End: Michael Mayer
Final Score: Alabama 65, Notre Dame 17
(True Result: Ohio State 49, Clemson 28)
Caesars Superdome – New Orleans, Louisiana
Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021 – 7:20 PM CST / 8:20 PM EST
Precipitation: None
Temperature: 72
Wind: None (indoor stadium)
Player of the Game: Alabama RB Najee Harris
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — In a game that felt as if it was over by halftime, No. 1 Alabama unleashed a relentless offensive assault on No. 4 Notre Dame, cruising to a 65-17 Sugar Bowl victory Saturday night and securing its spot in the national championship game.
Najee Harris delivered another signature performance, rushing for 208 yards and three touchdowns on just 24 carries.
The Alabama (14-0) ground game piled up 290 yards, overwhelming a Notre Dame (12-2) defense that couldn’t keep up with the Tide’s pace or physicality. Harris also added 42 receiving yards as part of Alabama’s 582-yard offensive explosion.
Quarterback Mac Jones was nearly flawless, completing 23 of 26 passes for 376 yards and five touchdowns to five different receivers. Jaylen Waddle caught two scores, including a 32-yarder that helped to blow the game open in the third quarter. DeVonta Smith led all receivers with nine catches for 142 yards and a touchdown of his own.
Alabama wasted no time setting the tone, jumping out to a 20-0 lead in the first quarter and extending it to 41-14 by halftime. Even as Kyren Williams rushed for 165 yards and a touchdown, the Irish couldn’t generate enough stops to stay in the game.
Ian Book threw for 197 yards and one score, but Alabama’s pass rush got home for four sacks, three of them by Christian Barmore.
With the win, Alabama advances to face the winner of the Rose Bowl in the CFP national title game. Having scored 62 and 65 points in their last two playoff games, the Crimson Tide are rolling into the championship with unmatched momentum and firepower.
College Football Playoff Semifinal at the 2021 Rose Bowl presented by Capital One: No. 6 Oklahoma (10-2) vs. No. 2 Clemson (12-1)
The Sooners and Tigers face off in the “Brent Venables Bowl,” a rematch of the 2014 and 2015 bowl ass-kickings Clemson gave OU. Only 33% of you were right about the outcome.
No. 2 seed Clemson Tigers (12-1; AP/Coaches #2): ACC Champion (auto-bid)
Notable Wins (CFP Rankings): #18 Miami, vs. #4 Notre Dame, #15 Iowa, vs. #10 Iowa State
Loss: @ #4 Notre Dame
Head Coach: Dabo Swinney (12th full, 13th overall season)
Offensive Style: Spread
Quarterback: Trevor Lawrence
Running Backs: Travis Etienne and Lyn-J Dixon
Wide Receivers: Amari Rodgers and Cornell Powell
Tight End: Braden Galloway
No. 6 seed Oklahoma Sooners (10-2; AP #8; Coaches #7): Big 12 Champion (auto-bid)
Notable Wins (CFP Rankings): vs. #20 Texas, #21 Oklahoma State, vs. #10 Iowa State, #11 Indiana, vs. #3 Ohio State
Losses: Kansas State, @ #10 Iowa State
Head Coach: Lincoln Riley (4th season)
Offensive Style: Air raid
Quarterback: Spencer Rattler
Running Backs: Rhamondre Stevenson and Seth McGowan
Wide Receivers: Charleston Rambo and Finn Corwin
Final Score: Clemson 42, Oklahoma 32
(True Result: Alabama 31, Notre Dame 14)
AT&T Stadium – Arlington, Texas
Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021 – 3 PM CST / 4 PM EST
Precipitation: None
Temperature: 72
Wind: None (indoor stadium)
Player of the Game: Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence
DALLAS (AP) — In a high-octane Rose Bowl semifinal Saturday, Trevor Lawrence threw for five touchdowns and 317 yards to power the No. 2 Clemson Tigers past the No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners 42-32 and booking their ticket to the national championship against Alabama.
It was a tale of two halves in AT&T Stadium. Oklahoma (10-3) fought back from an early deficit to lead briefly in the third quarter, but Clemson (13-1) responded with a furious rally that included three unanswered touchdowns spanning the third and fourth quarters.
Lawrence added a rushing score to his five passing touchdowns and the Tigers racked up 558 yards of offense, including 241 on the ground.
Travis Etienne was electric again, exploding for 172 rushing yards on 20 carries, including three runs of more than 20 yards. Amari Rodgers (seven catches, 77 yards, two touchdowns) and E.J. Williams (2 TDs) were reliable targets all night, while Cornell Powell’s 116 receiving yards, including a 67-yard bomb, kept Oklahoma’s secondary off balance.
For the Sooners, Spencer Rattler threw for 358 yards and three touchdowns, including a 66-yard strike to Drake Stoops that briefly gave Oklahoma hope in the final two minutes.
But Clemson’s defensive pressure and balanced offensive attack proved to be too much. Rhamondre Stevenson led the ground game and added 64 yards receiving.
The Tigers advance to face No. 1 Alabama in what promises to be a titanic rematch of College Football Playoff powerhouses. With Trevor Lawrence and Najee Harris both coming off MVP performances, the national title game is set for a blockbuster finish.
Tomorrow’s National Championship Game
To make these posts more fun and interactive, please vote for who you think would win each matchup! I can’t promise to take the votes into account because of the simulation process I use, but it will be interesting to see and discuss the results, plus they may serve as a sort of a tiebreaker if I end up needing one.
BracketCat’s Protest Playoff Archives
2024: Kickoff | Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | NC | Data
2023: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | NC | Data
2022: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | NC | Data
2021: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | NC | Data
2020: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8
2008: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Orange
2007: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Sugar | Data
2006: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Fiesta | Data
2005: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Rose | Data
2004: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Orange | Data
2003: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Sugar | Data
2002: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Fiesta | Data
2001: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Rose | Data
2000: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Orange | Data | Encore
1999: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Sugar | Data | Encore
1998: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Fiesta | Data | Encore