With the FBS National semifinal games decided on Saturday evening, the college football national title games are now all set both at the FBS and FCS levels.
At the Peach Bowl Saturday, Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Joe Burrow threw seven first half touchdown passes to lead the #1 LSU Tigers (14-0) to a 63-28 trouncing of the #4 Oklahoma Sooners (12-2) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
Burrow threw a 19 yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Justin Jefferson on the Tigers first drive for an early lead, before Oklahoma came back to tie it on their third possession when Kennedy Brooks scored on a three yard run. LSU then took complete control and the lead for good when Burrow hit Terrace Marshall Jr. for an eight yard score. Burrow went on to throw touchdown passes of 35, 42, and 30 yards to Jefferson, and also 62 yards to Thaddeus Moss and another two yarder to Marshall Jr. as the Tigers took a 49-14 halftime lead and never looked back. Burrow went 29-39 passing for 493 yards, with the seven touchdown passes and no interceptions. Jefferson ended with 14 catches for 227 yards and the four touchdowns which were all in the first half.
At the Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona the #3 Clemson Tigers rallied from an early 16-0 deficit to defeat the #2 Ohio State Buckeyes 29-23 for their 29th straight win.
OSU (13-1) took the early lead on three field goals from Blake Haubeil and also a 68 yard touchdown run by J.K. Dobbins on their second possession. Clemson (14-0) tightened things up when Travis Etienne scored on an eight yard run midway through the second quarter, and then quarterback Trevor Lawrence took one down the left sideline for a 67 yard TD run shortly before the half to make it 16-14 at the break. The Tigers took their first lead when Lawrence set up a screen pass to Etienne who took it 53 yards for a score with 7:54 left in the third quarter. The Buckeyes would take the lead back just over three minutes into the fourth quarter when quarterback Justin Fields hit Chris Olave for a 23 yard touchdown. But Lawrence was able to make the plays late to pull it out for Clemson, finding Etienne again for a 34 yard touchdown with 1:49 left. The Tigers also got a two point conversion throw from Lawrence to Tee Martin. Ohio State had one final chance but Fields was intercepted by Nolan Turner in the endzone on a 2nd and 7 from the Tigers 23 with 37 seconds left that ended it. Lawrence passed for 227 yards and ran for 107 more for Clemson.
The reigning national champions from Clemson now will face LSU for the title on Monday, January 13 at the SuperDome in New Orleans at 8 p.m. The Tigers from Clemson are seeking back to back titles and their third in four years, while the Tigers from LSU are seeking their first since 2007 and fourth overall.
Meanwhile at the FCS level, the North Dakota State Bison (14-0) are set to face the James Madison University Dukes (13-1) for the national title on Saturday, January 11th at 12 noon in Frisco, Texas. NDSU is seeking an unprecedented eighth title in nine years, while the Dukes from the Colonial Athletic Association will look to win their second championship in the past four years.
Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence will look to lead the Tigers to back to back national championships when they face the #1 LSU Tigers on January 13 in New Orleans
