With championship week out of the way, the CFB playoffs were all set and ready. Everyone is ready to crucify the committee for choosing between two teams, teams blowing out other teams, and many newcomers in each conference taking the top spot in their new conferences. But first, let’s take a look at the smaller schools and how they fared in their championship game.
MAC Championship- Ohio beats Miami(OH), 38-3
Imagine telling someone that there will be two Ohio teams and a Miami team that will be representing themselves in their conference championships back in August. It is technically true…except that it wouldn’t be either Ohio State or the Miami Hurricanes…
CUSA Championship- Jacksonville State beats Western Kentucky, 52-12
Jax State was playing 5D chess here. They already clinched a playoff spot prior to last week, and if they let WKU beat them, they would get a rematch against them. They’d also get to rest their starters and have a game’s worth of film to use against them. Let’s just say, they used all of their advantages to make it worth it.
Sun Belt Championship – Marshall beats Louisiana, 31-3
All I’ll say is this: Chalamet was right, Lisan al-Gaib!
AAC Championship – #22 Army beats Tulane, 35-14
Apparently, all the group of five teams that don’t have a say in the playoffs, wanted to make a case for themselves, by blowing out their opponents. In this case, Army’s Bryson Daily ran all over the chances to establish Tulane’s Dynasty in the AAC. winning their first conference title in their first attempt ever.
Now for the matches that had playoff implications:
Mountain West Championship: Say His Name for the Hei2man, Ashton Jeanty, and #9 Boise State Run Over #24 UNLV, 21-7
Boise State has had numerous incredible seasons in the Mountain West, almost solidifying its dynasty status there. But now, this championship means so much more than just another normal championship. This win over UNLV solidifies their placement in the playoffs, as one of the highest conference championships. Jeanty had another 200+ yd performance, with another touchdown, and needed 131 yards to surpass the legendary Barry Sanders’s 2628-yard season. Maddux Madsun also solidified himself as a solid QB, going for 158 Yds, and 2 TDs, and making all the right plays at the right times. The defense also made sure to make Hajj-Malik Williams night one to never forget, as every time they stopped him, they reminded him where Boise was located by showing him the coordinates of the school(I’m serious). This win solidifies them as getting one of the byes and getting to host the Sugar Bowl and makes Ashton Jeanty’s case for the Heisman even closer than ever.
BIG 12 Championship: From No Expectations to Winning it All: #12 Arizona St Dominates as Underdogs against #18 Iowa State, 45-19!
When this season first started, everyone expected Arizona State to finish dead last in the conference. They went 3-9 in their previous two years, only had 141 votes to win the conference compared to Utah’s 906(lol), and absolutely no one gave them a chance. Yet all it took was another Heisman RB candidate, somewhat, of Cam Skattebo, and a 2nd Half resurgence of Sam Leavitt, to absolutely dominate Iowa State. Cam ran for a staggering 170 Yards and 2 TDs, while Sam got 219 Yards and 4 TDs to rout the Cyclones in the second half. This win proves Kenny Dillingam to be a successful head coach for his alma mater, and gets the Sun Devils to take a first-round bye and host the Peach Bowl in the quarter-finals.
SEC Championship: No QB, No Problem Florida State! #2 Georgia Wins the Rematch against #3 Texas in OT, 22-19
The first time these teams met in Arlington, the Bulldogs demolished the former #1 team in their own stadium. All they could think about then was the chance to face them again, preferably in the championship game, just to spite them. They did get their wish, but the only issue was that they would have to play in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium…in Atlanta, which was a glorified home game for the Bulldogs. The first half?
ZZZzzzzz….
The second half woke up many people, including myself, most likely because QB Carson Beck was out for the second half of the game due to a slight injury in his throwing hand. It prompted backup QB, Gunner Stockton, to go into the game, and play significantly better than him, although it was by 71 Yds and in Int. Yet it was apparently enough as the defense and Trevor Etienne still ran over the Longhorns, ending their early championship ambitions. The win solidifies them as the second seed, and getting that first-round bye, as well as to host the Sugar Bowl.
BIG 10 Championship: #1 Oregon fully takes over the BIG 10, Wins a Close One Over #4 Penn State, 45-37
Unfortunately for James Franklin, he still is not able to win a game against a top 10 opponent, if his life depended on it. Even if this is close, Oregon still managed to pull off a nailbiter, Dillion Gabriel having a staggering 283 Yards and 4 TDs. Tez Johnson got his comeback game, getting 181 Yards and a TD from Dillion Gabriel. As such, Oregon will remain the #1 seed in the playoffs, and be able to host the Rose Bowl in California.
Want to know if this game was also a loss? USC. They destroyed the entirety of the Pac-12 in order to play in a “better” conference, and what was this year’s result? A 6-6 record, their QB entering their transfer portal, Lincoln Riley may end up being fired, and the two teams representing the former conference are Oregon and ARIZONA STATE! You killed off the conference just to see these two teams take your place, you deserve this.
ACC Championship: #16 Clemson Makes their Triumphant Return to the Playoffs, Outlasting #10 SMU, 34-31
As for the last game, Clemson was somehow lower ranked and not as favored to win as an established veteran of their conference. Yet in this case, Dabo Swinney and Cade Klubnik managed to outlast the new recruit, SMU, and now make their comeback to the playoffs. What seemed to be a blowout of a match, 21-7 in the 1st QT, SMU battled back furiously, ending up tying it 31-31 in the last 30 seconds of the game. But with the play of Cade at this point, they easily managed to drive down the field with ease in a small amount of time, giving the fans of Dallas a heart attack, and Buffalo Bills fans PTSD(Ha). What followed next? Nolan Hauser easily made a 56-yard field goal, giving them the “upset” win. Although this establishes themselves as playoff contenders, they won’t be able to get a first-round bye, due to Arizona State taking the last one. But at least for them, they get to stay in, and there definitely won’t be any controversy about who can get the last seed in the playoffs right?
