A year removed from two blue bloods competing for the national championship, college football will see a new power claim the throne atop the nation.
The quarterfinals of the playoff saw upsets and beatdowns, leaving four teams left to duke it out to be the best team in the country. National powerhouses Ohio State, Georgia and Alabama all fell, and Texas Tech was shut out, ending its best season in school history.
This leaves Miami, Ole Miss, Oregon and Indiana to fight for the right to be called national champions.
Miami stuns Ohio State in Cotton Bowl Classic
Before the end of the calendar year, college football saw one last stunner.
Miami knocked out Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, 24-14, to move on to the national semifinal. The Hurricanes raced out to a 14-0 halftime lead, aided by a 72-yard pick-six from Keionte Scott. The Buckeyes tried to rally, pulling to within three early in the fourth quarter after Julian Sayin found young prodigy Jeremiah Smith for a 14-yard touchdown.
However, the Hurricanes’ defense refused to break further and kept the Buckeyes at bay. The final blow came on the back of a punishing, physical drive from Miami’s offense, which saw their offensive front push back the Buckeyes, finishing with a five-yard touchdown run from CharMar Brown.
A defensive masterclass from Mario Cristobal’s crew saw the Hurricanes score five sacks, seven tackles for loss and two interceptions. Further, they dominated the line of scrimmage, outrushing Ryan Day’s team 153-45, putting them into the national semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl.
Oregon’s defense pitches shutout against Texas Tech in Orange Bowl
Ducks’ head coach Dan Lanning was less than pleased with his defense surrendering over 500 yards and 30-plus points to James Madison in their home playoff win.
He seemed more than happy that his defense shut out Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl.
Oregon smothered Texas Tech, 23-0, in a defensive struggle that saw both teams put up 524 yards combined. The Ducks’ defense pressured Red Raiders’ quarterback Behren Morton all day, coming up with four sacks and intercepting him twice. They also recovered two fumbles to win the turnover battle four to one.
Still, Texas Tech’s defense fought all day to give their team a chance, with stars like Ben Roberts, Jacob Rodriguez and David Bailey all coming up with eye-opening performances for the crew from Lubbock.
The win for the Ducks puts them back in the national semifinal for the first time since the inaugural playoff in 2014, and they will compete in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.
Indiana clobbers Alabama at Rose Bowl
These Hoosiers are simply never daunted, not by the spotlight nor by their opponents, and certainly not by any powerhouse.
Indiana strolled past Alabama in the Rose Bowl, 38-3, in a controlled demolition that saw the Hoosiers outplay the Crimson Tide in every facet of the game. In fact, the boys from Bloomington ran for 215 yards while allowing a total of just 193 yards of total offense from Kalen DeBoer’s squad.
Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza was highly accurate and lethally efficient, throwing for just 192 yards but recording more touchdown passes (3) than incompletions (2). Conversely, Alabama starting quarterback Ty Simpson was benched due to injury, but fared quite poorly with a meager 67 passing yards.
The unbeaten Hoosiers will venture to the national semifinal at the Peach Bowl, where they will rematch with Oregon.
Ole Miss exacts revenge against Georgia in Sugar Bowl
Ole Miss sought to redeem itself in a second tilt versus Georgia, having lost to the Bulldogs back in October despite holding a two-score lead in the fourth quarter.
Again, they held a two-possession lead late versus Georgia. But this time, the Rebels held their nerve and won the Sugar Bowl, 39-34.
A back-and-forth affair saw Ole Miss strut to an early lead before Georgia found its footing and took a 21-12 halftime lead. The Rebels punched back and capitalized on mistakes from the Bulldogs to seize a 34-24 lead with a little over nine minutes remaining in regulation.
As they had done all year long, the Bulldogs showed the heart of a champion, rallying to tie the game with 56 seconds to go. However, on the ensuing drive, Rebels’ quarterback Trinidad Chambliss completed a third-down strike to De’Zhaun Stribling for 40 yards, putting them in field goal range. With nine seconds left, place kicker Lucas Carneiro nailed a game-winning 47-yard field goal, and the final score stretched to 39-34 only after Georgia’s failed miracle return resulted in a safety.
The win leaves Ole Miss to face Miami in the Fiesta Bowl, which will be the first meeting between the two schools since 1951.
