What a Thursday. It was a long day of college football—three games on the docket, all with major National Championship ramifications. Waking up exhausted after New Year’s Eve and settling in for a full day on the couch doesn’t exactly scream productivity… but it was highly entertaining.
If I had to sum up my perspective on yesterday’s quarterfinals in one word, it would be underestimated.
I went 0–3 on my picks (still over 50% on the year, for what it’s worth), and every miss came down to the same mistake: underestimating key factors that ultimately decided the games. The old adage is true—games are won on the field—and yesterday’s winners earned it. Unequivocally.
What I Missed:
Oregon’s defense. Wow. Historically, Oregon is known for video-game offense and stretching the field. They do have serious offensive weapons, but I liked Texas Tech’s defense—probably too much. The real star of that game was Oregon’s defense. They completely shut down any attempt at a TTU offensive rhythm, and once that happened, Oregon dominated. Their matchup against Indiana should be an absolute blast to watch.
Indiana. Period. I’ll own this one. Outside of the Big Ten Championship, I hadn’t watched much Indiana this season. I had no idea how well-balanced they are. The quarterback is fantastic. Honestly, the entire offense is. The defense is disciplined, fundamentally sound, and they don’t miss tackles. Their coach has built a top-tier program, and I love it. You can tell he takes zero nonsense.
That said, Alabama played a bad game. Outside of the second half of the OU game, they’ve looked soft for the last couple of months. The defense is nearly nonexistent—nothing like what we’re used to seeing from the Tide. Down 24 in the third quarter and kicking a field goal? That tells you everything.
Ole Miss’ heart. Outside of the Magnolia State, just about everyone was picking Georgia. After the SEC Championship, it was hard to bet against the Dawgs at -6.5. “Peaking at the right time,” “clicking on all cylinders,” “Gunner is the man”—that was the consensus.
Ole Miss, and specifically Trinidad Chambliss, didn’t care. He played out of his mind and delivered a legendary SEC performance—one that will live on for a long time. I’m fired up for the Rebels and their fans. They’re a great group, and I’m pulling for them moving forward.
Interesting Thoughts
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CFP bye teams are now 1–7. Let that sink in.
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Did anyone else notice the empty stands? That’s a real issue. How do we fix it? Should the CFP move back to on-campus games?
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I’m torn on officiating. Finding the balance between “letting the boys play” and simply missing calls is harder than it looks.
Early Picks
As of this writing, I’m leaning toward an Indiana vs. Ole Miss national championship.
That could change—but right now, that’s where I land.
What do you think?
The 2nd round of the CFP games should also be on campus. It’s just a better environment. I was in College Station for the first round game, and there was a waitlist to get tix a mile long, and we would have packed it completely full again for rd 2.
I also have no idea where all the tickets to the bowls. My status had me nowhere near getting Cotton Bowl or Fiesta Bowl tix- the allotments we like 13K x2 schools, which means like 40K tix are going…somewhere. There def weren’t that many available to buy on the market.
Agreed on all points. The first round bye is a curse. I watched IU vs Penn State earlier in the season and QB1 was getting slammed every time he dropped back but was absolutely magnificent. I told my wife after that game he was the Heisman front runner.