Source: Alabama Crimson Tide Football Fans via Facebook.
Another year of thrilling college football has passed us by and we can now take some time to look back at a few of the best moments that 2017 threw our way. It was the first time since the playoff era began that not one team from the Power 5 conferences managed to go the entire regular season without suffering a defeat. It was a year that showed us that, even though you might drop some points on your bad day, it's the consistency of a team's efforts throughout the entire season that gets you to the top.
Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Clemson weren't perfect teams but they definitely were the perfect matchups for the two bowl playoff games. Out of the four teams to make the Sugar and Rose Bowl, Oklahoma's season was the one that probably had the biggest turnaround. By mid-season, some had written off their finals chances but they came back and finished strongly with the help of their Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Baker Mayfield.
Many pundits thought that Clemson may not be up to the task last year after Deshaun Watson left to join the NFL. However, his replacement, Kelly Bryant, proved that he was more than capable, finishing the season with some extremely positive stats and figures; Bryant rushed for a career-best 2802 yards in 2017, proving a boon to fans of the live betting markets, as well as to fantasy coaches.
There was a little bit of controversy with Alabama's inclusion in the top four after they went down to Auburn in the Iron Bowl. And, when Georgia suffered their defeat to Auburn, it set things up for an explosive rematch when there was a ticket to the semifinals on the line.
In the Rose Bowl, the Bulldogs and the Oklahoma Sooners put on one of the greatest spectacles of the year with a game that had more than 100 points scored between them. The Bulldogs eventually got the better of the Sooners, defeating them 54-48 in overtime. It was end-to-end stuff all night during the match and fans witnessed some truly electric football.
Source: Atlantic Coast Conference via Facebook.
In the Sugar Bowl, things went a little bit differently, with Alabama controlling the pace for the majority of the game. Clemson were competitive for the first half of the match until Alabama grabbed a couple of quick interceptions in the third quarter from Clemson's quarterback Bryant, to put 14 points on the scoreboard in only 14 seconds. After that, the Crimson Tide never looked like giving up their lead and progressed to the National Championship with relative ease.
In the final, Alabama proved to be too strong for the Bulldogs in their 26-23 victory and walked away with their fifth national title in just nine seasons. Freshman Tua Tagouailoa stole the show when he replaced Jalen Hurts and threw the game-tying touchdown. The Crimson Tide did have a chance to win the game in overtime but unfortunately, kicker Andy Pappanastos missed a 36-yard field goal attempt.
Now, the wait begins until next season gets underway and we can watch our favourite college stars back in action on the field. There will surely be a new batch of talent to entertain the fans and we can only hope it will be equally as good as last year.
