CFP Quarterfinals Set For Loaded New Years Slate: Do We Blame Or Thank The Committee?

OXFORD, MS — Yes, it was a disastrous day for fans hoping to enjoy an afternoon of college football outside of Miami's win over the Aggies. But, now that we're past the CFP's first round, we can turn our focus on a quarterfinal slate that will be hard not to get excited about. 

That is, unless you are a fan of Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Tulane or James Madison. For some, they decided that what we witnessed during Miami and Alabama's first round wins was some type of indictment on the sport. 

Maybe some should be taking out their frustration on conference leaders, who were the ones that voted on this format, not the CFP committee. That's just one side of the argument in this never-ending debate. 

Were you not entertained? Were you not glued to the television while Miami and Texas A&M decided to trade mistakes in a game that came down to the final minute of regulation? 

Ole Miss Turns The Page With Pete Golding, Even If Lane Kiffin Couldn’t Help Himself With Mid-Game Antics

I know you were paying attention when Alabama came storming back in the second half against Oklahoma, thanks in large part to the Sooners discovering different ways to blow a seventeen-point lead. 

Absolutely, what we witnessed from both games on TNT was a disaster of epic proportions. But, I seem to remember last year's playoff when Penn State throttled SMU, followed by Ohio State embarrassing Tennessee inside ‘Neyland North’. 

So we ended the day going 50-50 on Saturday, thanks to Ole Miss and Oregon destroying opponents from the G-6 conference. OK, there will be plenty of conversations regarding a future CFP format, which will most likely turn into adding additional teams, along with potentially having power conferences receiving at least one automatic qualifier. 

That MOU was signed in 2024, which will see one team from the SEC, ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten receiving an automatic bid. Also, Notre Dame will be guaranteed a spot in the playoff, if they are ranked within the Top 12. This agreement could also prevent a scenario like we witnessed this season, with Tulane and James Madison receiving a bid. 

But once again, we will leave that to the ‘leaders’ in charge of expanding the playoff.

CFP Quarterfinals Are Set, With Four Solid Games Ahead

OK, we can move past the first round shenanigans that we all witnessed, at least for the first halves of games taking place in Eugene or Oxford. 

We have four games that will draw massive ratings, and also plenty of storylines over the next ten days before teams start arriving in four different cities. 

Miami Shocking Texas A&M Sets Up Ohio State Showdown At Cotton Bowl

I would imagine there are plenty of Cotton Bowl officials wondering aloud about how much money they lost when Miami defeated Texas A&M on Saturday afternoon in College Station. 

The aftermath will lead to plenty of fans tuning in to see if the Hurricanes can somehow return to the State of Texas and upset Ohio State in Dallas. 

Sure, this might not look like the top-tier matchup that some were hoping for, but the Aggies were exposed enough that the CFP committee probably feels pretty good about themselves after leaving Notre Dame out. 

In The Past, This Would Be Labeled A ‘David vs. Goliath’ Rose Bowl

In the Rose Bowl, a showdown between Indiana and Alabama awaits. If the Hoosiers wanted to make a playoff statement, then beating the ‘brand’ from Tuscaloosa would certainly do the trick. 

If we're being honest, what we have seen from this Kalen DeBoer team over the past month should provide Indiana fans with enough motivation to scoop up a few hundred more tickets to the ‘Granddaddy Of Them All’ in Pasadena. 

Fernando Mendoza versus Ty Simpson. Curt Cignetti versus Kalen DeBoer. In what truly feels like some type of reversal of fortunes, Indiana will be favored to beat Alabama, which seems fitting for the 2025 season. 

Running It Back In The Sugar Bowl. Bulldogs vs. Rebels In NOLA

As for rematches, we're going to see an SEC showdown take place in New Orleans which had viewers glued to their televisions earlier this season. In the first game since Lane Kiffin bolted for LSU, the Ole Miss Rebels took care of Tulane in Pete Golding's debut as head coach in Oxford. 

A picturesque scene around ‘The Grove’ provided Ole Miss with an opportunity to put the focus back on the football team, and not the distractions that Lane Kiffin created with his decision-making on which job he should take outside of Oxford. 

Now, we get a rematch between the Rebels and Bulldogs, with a spot in the semifinals on the line. 

Oregon Ducks Flying Across The Country For Showdown Against Red Raiders

And then there is the Orange Bowl, where Texas Tech and its expensive roster will face off with the Oregon Ducks. Luckily for Dan Lanning, he should have a very refreshed roster waiting for the Red Raiders, thanks to the baby-seal clubbing that took place on Saturday night against James Madison. 

I think we can agree that this is the type of matchup we've been waiting to see for Texas Tech, after Joey McGuire led his Big 12 squad to a conference title and first-round bye. 

There will be plenty of time to break down each game, but I would imagine the next few days will center around what the CFP can do in the future to avoid the lopsided games that were seen, or not seen, by college football fans during Saturday afternoon’s TNT doubleheader. 

Either way, the competition is certainly about to pick up, as we head towards the national championship game next month in Miami.