Much has been written and spoken about the teams and the matchup in the opening-round Playoff in the 23 days or so since the Football Final Four participants were announced.
When you look at the tale of the tape comparing the Dec. 31 matchup between the two teams that met last year in the Russell Athletic Bowl almost a year to the day, this season’s edition of the Clemson Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners, appears to be much more equally matched than how the two teams stacked up a year ago.
That leads me to conclude that execution and ball security – plus the ability and lucky breaks of avoiding giving up big plays that eat up huge chunks of real estate – will play the biggest role in determining which team will move on and which team will fall out.