The old guard just got demolished
Forget everything you thought you knew about college football hierarchy. The College Football Playoff quarterfinals just ripped up the script, threw it in the trash, and set the whole thing on fire. Ohio State? Gone. Georgia? Done. Alabama? Absolutely humiliated. We're guaranteed a first-time national champion in this expanded playoff era, and honestly, it's exactly what this sport needed.
Let's break down the carnage.
Miami makes Ohio State look amateur
The Cotton Bowl was supposed to be a coronation for the second-ranked Buckeyes. Instead, Miami turned it into a defensive clinic. The Hurricanes won 24-14, and that scoreline flatters Ohio State.
The Buckeyes trailed 14-0 at halftime after safety Keionte Scott took a pick six 72 yards to the house. Ohio State clawed back to 17-14 in the second half, showing signs of life, but Miami's defense slammed the door shut. A methodical 70-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter sealed it.
The real story was Miami's pass rush. Five sacks. Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor combined for three of them, and both looked every bit like future NFL starters. Carson Beck was decent enough statistically with 138 yards and a touchdown, but he spent the entire game running for his life. Michael Irvin, the Hurricanes legend, was loving every second from the stands.
Oregon suffocates Texas Tech
The Orange Bowl was less dramatic but equally emphatic. Oregon blanked Texas Tech 23-0 in a defensive masterclass that will have NFL scouts circling names.
Behren Morton had a nightmare: 18-of-32, 137 yards, two interceptions, and a lost fumble. The Red Raiders couldn't generate anything against a Ducks defense that swarmed every play. Dante Moore wasn't spectacular for Oregon, but he didn't need to be. Jordon Davison punched in two rushing touchdowns, and that was more than enough.
Credit to Texas Tech's defense, though. David Bailey and Romello Height fought until the final whistle. They just had nothing to work with on the other side of the ball.
Ole Miss pulls off the comeback of the tournament
Georgia led by nine at halftime in the Sugar Bowl. The Bulldogs looked ready to capitalize on Ohio State's earlier collapse and position themselves as title favorites. Then Ole Miss remembered they had Trinidad Chambliss.
The Rebels quarterback was sensational: 30-of-46, 362 yards, two touchdowns. More importantly, Ole Miss outscored Georgia 22-3 in a dominant second-half stretch that completely flipped the game. The Bulldogs tied it with 56 seconds left, because of course they did. But a field goal and a safety later, Ole Miss walked away with a 39-34 victory.
This is the kind of game that defines programs. Ole Miss just announced themselves on the biggest stage.
Indiana embarrasses Alabama
Save the best for last. Or in Alabama's case, the worst.
Indiana 38, Alabama 3. Read that again. The top-ranked Hoosiers didn't just beat the Crimson Tide. They made them look like a bad FCS team. Curt Cignetti's ground game rolled up 215 yards and two touchdowns. Fernando Mendoza, the projected first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, went 14-of-16 for 192 yards and three scores. He was surgical.
Alabama was so desperate that Kalen DeBoer used three different quarterbacks. None of them could do anything. The post-Nick Saban era isn't just rocky. It's a full-blown crisis. Getting blown out by 35 points in a playoff quarterfinal is the kind of loss that echoes for years.
Semifinal preview
The Fiesta Bowl pairs Ole Miss against Miami in what should be an offensive shootout between two teams playing with house money. The Peach Bowl features Indiana against Oregon, with the Hoosiers entering as heavy favorites after that Alabama demolition.
One thing is certain: college football has a new champion coming, and the blue bloods are watching from home.