Hey Team 👋

Like the holiday season, the first round of the College Football Playoff came and went all too fast. And for once, the games played out mostly as the experts predicted. Still, last week was only the beginning.

Now, eight teams remain in the hunt for the national championship, with the stakes only getting higher this week. But before we turn the page, let’s rewind and take a look at how the opening round of the CFP unfolded.

Letter Rip!

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CFP First-Round Rewind⏪

#9 Alabama vs. #8 Oklahoma

Alabama versus Oklahoma delivered the instant SEC classic we all expected. The Crimson Tide entered as a slim 1.5-point favorite, though some sportsbooks even leaned toward Oklahoma, setting the stage for a true toss-up from the opening kickoff. And it didn’t take long for the chaos to set in.

Early on, it looked like déjà vu. Oklahoma stormed out to a 17-point lead and appeared firmly in control. The Sooners may have had a commanding lead, but their mistakes proved to be costly. Quarterback John Mateer threw for an impressive 307 yards and two touchdowns, but a pick-six in the second quarter proved to be the turning point. Then came the missed opportunities that truly stung: Tate Sandell, the nation’s top kicker, saw his 24-game field goal streak snapped after missing two critical kicks in crunch time.

Ultimately, Alabama got its revenge, overcoming the deficit and tacking on 10 points to win 34-24 and move on to face No. 1 Indiana in the second round of the CFP. The Hoosiers have been unstoppable all season, even dethroning Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship. But Alabama’s playoff-tested roster and big-game pedigree make them a dangerous underdog, regardless of seed.

#10 Miami vs. #7 Texas A&M

Miami vs. Texas A&M was another matchup that had experts split. Despite Texas A&M entering as a 3.5-point favorite, few were willing to confidently pick a winner — and the game unfolded exactly that way. While it lacked the fireworks of the Alabama–Oklahoma shootout, this one stayed razor-thin well into the final minutes of regulation. That said, the final result was still jarring. Miami’s victory wasn’t the surprise: Texas A&M scoring just three points was. The Hurricanes’ defense completely stifled an Aggies offense that entered the contest averaging 36.3 points per game, forcing mistakes and never allowing A&M to find a rhythm.

Miami struck first and ultimately struck last. Mark Fletcher Jr. powered the Canes down the field, setting up Carson Beck, who capped the drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Malachi Toney. The Aggies had the chance to answer on the next drive, but Marcel Reed threw his second interception of the game — this time, in the endzone to seal Miami’s spot in the second round to face No. 2 Ohio State.

While the Buckeyes are a fearsome opponent, the Canes proved that when it comes to the playoffs, it’s all about momentum. Many excluded Miami from the playoff picture after they dropped two of three games during the regular season. Since then, however, they have won five straight and show no signs of slowing down. 

#11 Tulane vs. #6 Ole Miss

No Lane Kiffin? No problem. Trinidad Chambliss made it clear the Rebels didn’t need him on the sideline to deliver a statement. And yes, I’ll admit when I’m wrong.

Ole Miss entered the game as 17.5-point favorites, and I initially thought that line was far too generous. Given the constant drama surrounding Lane Kiffin throughout the season, it felt reasonable to assume his absence would matter in a playoff setting. I didn’t expect Tulane to pull the upset, but I believed their coaching continuity would at least keep things close enough to cover a spread that large.

The Rebels proved doubters like me wrong, blowing open the spread with a 41-10 win and instantly validating Pete Golding’s promotion in his head coaching debut. Ole Miss seized control within the first eight minutes, jumping out to a 14–0 lead and never looking back. Chambliss was electric, rushing for two touchdowns and throwing for another, while Tulane struggled to generate any sustained offense. 

With the win, Ole Miss now faces No. 3 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. If this had been the narrow, grind-it-out win I expected, there would be reason for concern. But after such a dominant performance, the Rebels have shown they’re more than capable of holding their own against the Bulldogs.

#12 JMU vs. #5 Oregon

This is the game where it started to get ugly, and where the controversy followed. The Ducks dominated the Dukes 51-34 to advance to the next round of the CFP. While that sounds like a crazy score itself, it doesn’t even reflect how the game played out. JMU scored most of its points in garbage time when Oregon saw itself pulling away. Entering halftime, JMU trailed by 28 points.

Oregon will go on to face No. 4 Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl, but the game — paired with the Tulane/Ole Miss blowout — left plenty of fans frustrated. While criticism of the 12-team playoff has been loud for a while, the louder backlash has centered on automatic bids for Group of 5 programs, and it’s hard to ignore why. On paper, Notre Dame’s exclusion is defensible. But in reality, can anyone honestly say they wouldn’t have preferred to watch Notre Dame line up against Oregon instead? 

Both Group of 5 matchups proved to be blowouts, where neither JMU nor Tulane ever stood a chance. And that speaks to a larger truth about college football right now. The sport is already fractured between coaching turnover, NIL, the transfer portal, and constant conference realignment. Unfortunately, the playoff format can’t fix that. The bottom line is simple: The CFP will never be March Madness. Cinderella stories are fun to imagine, but they aren’t realistic in this sport. Whether it’s a four-team playoff or a 36-team field, there will almost always be a small group of dominant programs and a long list of teams that simply can’t keep up.