Four Final X-Factors That Will Determine Whose National Title Hopes Survive Saturday

The four teams in the 2018 College Football Playoff earned their way to the semifinals, but many neutral observers, along with those in Vegas, don’t expect Saturday’s Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl to be all that competitive. Alabama and Clemson ran through their schedules with no losses and only a few hiccups, and every SI expert predicted that they will meet in the title game, but underdogs Oklahoma and Notre Dame have the talent to expose their biggest weaknesses and prevent a third national title rematch in four years. The Sooners and Irish have little margin for error if they plan on making it to Santa Clara.

As kickoff approaches in Miami Gardens and Arlington, a closer look at one final…