Thoughts on the CFB Playoff Quarter Finals
A Happy New Year for 4….
Firstly, a Happy New Year to all. I hope that everyone had an enjoyable festive season filled with fun, laughter and college football. I for one have been thoroughly enjoying the bowl games on offer. There has been so much variety and we have been spoilt in the UK to have it all free to watch on DAZN. As I am sure is the case for many, the College Football Playoffs have held most of my attention. Here are my playoff quarter final thoughts from a captivating quarter final slate.
Cotton Bowl – Miami Upsets Ohio State 24-14
The first game up was the Cotton Bowl with Miami taking on Ohio State. Ohio State would have been hoping for a bounce back after their Big Ten Championship Loss to Indiana a few weeks ago. Miami on the other hand was riding high from narrowing defeating Texas A&M in the 1st round.
Going into the game I thought Ohio State would edge this one. I expected two evenly matched defenses but thought Ohio State would be stronger on offense. They had the highest overall F+ rating (a measure of efficiency) in the country whilst Miami was ranked at 6.
Miami started better and built a 14-0 lead at half time. Ohio State did respond in the second half with a touchdown, but Miami kept their noses in front and a last-minute touchdown put them out of sight. The Buckeyes will also rue a missed field goal towards the end of the 1st half.
Embed from Getty ImagesOhio State seemed a little sluggish to start and Miami’s defense set the tone early. Ohio State have rushed for 2,161 across 14 games (average of 154) but only managed 45 in this game. Carson Beck was solid for Miami completing on 19 of 26 attempts for 138 yards, 1 TD and a QBR of 95.2.
The result was not what I was expecting but watching the game I didn’t have any complaints. Miami deserved that win and roll on to the semi-finals.
Orange Bowl – Oregon Shuts Out Texas Tech 23-0
Next up was the Orange Bowl and a very even matchup on paper. Texas Tech’s defense has been so good this year but Oregon have been on a mission since their October loss to Indiana and have demonstrated a vast range of tools in the tool box.
What followed was an entertaining game that Oregon dominated offensively. It is a credit to Texas Tech’s defense that Oregon were so dominant in the first half and yet the score was only 6-0. However, Oregon began to wear the Red Raiders down and added additional points on the board in the second half to make things more comfortable.
Embed from Getty ImagesTexas Tech really struggled to put consistent plays together on offense and it was unfortunate that QB Behren Morton had a day to forget with 18 completions on 32 attempts for 137 yards with 2 Interceptions. Oregon QB Dante Moore finished with 26 completions on 33 attempts for 234 yards and 1 interception.
It looked early on like it would be Oregon’s day and they looked intent on clearing the memory of last year’s rose bowl. Texas Tech should be proud of their achievements this year with a Big12 Championship already in the bag. They will reload this offseason and come again.
Rose Bowl – Indiana Dominates Alabama 38-3
Next up was a matchup that on paper looked very one sided in favour of the countries number 1 team Indiana. Indiana were the F+ number 2 team and Alabama the number 12 team, indeed bcftoys.com had an Indiana win at a 79% probability.
It was no surprise then that Indiana won comfortably. However, the manner of the win will concern many involved with the Alabama football programme.
This was a full domination and Indiana were 17-0 ahead at half time. Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza completed 14 of his 16 passing attempts for 192 yards and 3 TDs. Bama QB Ty Simpson made 12 of 16 attempts for 67 yards before exiting with an injury. Backup Austin Mack completed 11 of 16 attempts for 103 yards.
Embed from Getty ImagesAlabama rushed for only 23 yards in this game from 17 attempts. Their rushing game has been poor all season but it was largely non existent in this game. Total yards for the game were 407-193 in favour of Indiana. Alabama’s only points came from a field goal late in the third quarter.
Indiana have been putting down statement wins all season and this was another to add to the list. It is so impressive what Curt Cignetti has built with this team and a great rematch with Oregon awaits in the Semi Final.
Sugar Bowl – Ole Miss stuns Georgia 39-34
This might have been my favourite match of the quarter finals as it had a little bit of everything.
Going into the game I picked Georgia to win as I just felt Ole Miss would run out of steam, especially without Lane Kiffin leading them. I had an image of Georgia getting ahead, breaking their spirit and the floodgates opening scoring wise.
The first part of this prediction came true with Georgia getting out to a 21-12 lead at halftime. But Ole Miss stayed in the game and momentum would shift in the 4th quarter following a TD and 2pt conversion. Ultimately, Ole Miss kicked a game winning field goal with 6 seconds left on the clock. There was still time for fun and games at the death as Georgia’s attempts to find a last second answer led to a safety (a lateral pass hit the end zone pylon). The clock was then reset again to allow 1 second to be played out (cue more lateral passes).
Embed from Getty ImagesA very tough loss for Georgia as this game could have gone either way. But it is Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss who will lead his team onto the semi-finals against Miami. With stats of 30 completions on 46 attempts for 362 yards and 2 TDs, he will be pleased with himself. After what the Ole Miss players have been through over the last few weeks I am sure no neutral will deny them their place in the Fiesta Bowl.
Semi Finals Await
The Semi Finals look as follows:
Thursday 8th January – Fiesta Bowl
Miami (10) vs Ole Miss (6)
Friday 9th January – Peach Bowl
Oregon (5) vs Indiana (1)
Two mouth-watering matchups which I will write about later in the week.
The Magic of the Cup Bowl
This version of the playoffs is in its second year and there has been much criticism of who gets in and how it is structured. Some say there are too many teams and picking the best 4 was much better. Miami, for example, was seeded 10 and their inclusion over Notre Dame sparked much criticism.
But watching the momentum they have built demonstrates the magic of the underdog and why the format should remain as is. There is nothing better than witnessing a team pull a run together in playoffs and upset better teams.
Bye Weeks Need Looking At
One area that does need reviewing however is the bye week. Over two years, the teams that received a bye in week 1 are 1-7. This year, none of the 4 teams on a bye (Ohio State, Georgia, Texas Tech and even Indiana) scored a point in the 1st quarter. That can’t be a coincidence.
I think the gap since these teams last played is too long and they end up playing teams that have developed momentum from their 1st round games. The Big Ten Championship game (Indiana vs Ohio State) was on 7th December for example – 3 weeks before the quarter finals. It needs urgently looking at for next year as it should be an advantage and not a curse to be seeded in the top 4.
