2025 College Football: CFP Quarterfinal Takeaways
Round 2 of the College Football Playoff has come and gone, and we’re down to just 4 teams. Last week, we got our first road CFP wins (not at neutral sites) in the 12-team era. However, last year, all four teams with byes went down. This long layoff is clearly something the committee needs to look at, as three such teams fell this time around. Only (1) Indiana broke the curse. Two of this week’s games were blowouts, one was gritty and competitive, and the last one was an outright classic. See how everything happened in my CFP quarterfinal takeaways! Note: these still aren’t quite bowl games; for those games’ takeaways, click here.
CFP Quarterfinal Game #1 at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic: (10) Miami 24, (2) Ohio State 14
Coming into these quarterfinals, one major question about Ohio State was how their offensive play calling would work. OC Brian Hartline normally does that job. However, he has been hired as the HC of South Florida, and the Buckeyes wanted to take some stuff off of his plate. In his stead, HC Ryan Day took over those duties, calling plays for the first time in years. Things did not start well, with a 3-and-out caused by Miami pressure. A 59-yard bomb to elite WR Jeremiah Smith seemed to be just what the Buckeyes needed, but QB Julian Sayin took a sack and then threw a pick six to CB Keionte Scott, who undercut a screen.
Helping them was the fact that Miami’s offense struggled too. RB Mark Fletcher (19/90; 2/25/1 receiving) lost a red-zone fumble during a good early drive, though he rebounded on a receiving TD scored on a unique 7-OL formation (with a fake QB draw!). The Hurricanes didn’t score again in the first half though. A gutsy first-down run by QB Carson Beck was wrongly overturned by the refs to force 4th-and-1 and kill one drive. On another, Miami drove to the OSU 30 but lost 10 yards on 2 plays and had to punt. Ohio State finally drove (aided by a dumb Miami timeout spent after 1st down with only 2 remaining), but they missed their FG.
Instead of panicking while down 14-0 at halftime, OSU schemed up some great adjustments. They came out of the locker room with a renewed focus on the run game. Their 7-minute opening drive mostly came on the ground and culminated in a score by RB Bo Jackson (11/55/1). Following a Miami FG, the passing game woke up because Sayin (22/35, 287 yards, TD, 2 INTs) focused on Smith (7/157/1), who was unguardable. Smith came uncovered on 4th-and-2 for a TD, and amazingly, a declined holding penalty on Miami was the first thrown flag of the game. The first accepted penalty came at 7:15 in the 4th, and it ruined an OSU drive.
Throughout the game, despite the two second-half Ohio State marches, the Hurricanes’ defense was outstanding for the second consecutive week. The elite edge tandem of Rueben Bain Jr and Akheem Mesidor combined for 3 sacks, and the defense as a whole earned 5 sacks. On offense, the Canes weren’t consistently productive, but they delivered in timely moments. Beck (19/26, 138 yards, TD; 7/23 rushing) didn’t have flashy stats but he made every big throw needed and put his shoulder down on key runs when required. Crucially, they never let the Buckeyes lead; thus, they couldn’t take the dominant position they’ve so often held.
Miami’s running game finished the upset with a 10-play, 70-yard, 5:01 drive, and OSU letting them score (after holding their 3rd timeout and letting 35 seconds come off the clock didn’t help). An INT by Bain officially started the celebrations, and the defending champs were out. Winning back-to-back championships is HARD, but OSU still won’t be happy with these end-of-season losses. The Hurricanes will face Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl, a site with bad memories for them. These players mostly weren’t alive for that though, and this hungry version of Miami has the look of a team that can go all the way.
CFP Quarterfinal Game #2 at the Capital One Orange Bowl: (5) Oregon 23, (4) Texas Tech 0
Another team with a bye is done! Everyone has heard about Texas Tech’s expensive defense. That unit more than lived up to its billing. An opening-drive FG was the only time the Oregon offense actually earned points. On their second possession, they drove again but got greedy on 4th down, and TTU stuffed them. The defense’s job was made harder by the offense’s miscues. Texas Tech committed 4 turnovers, and their defense held most times. QB Behren Morton threw an INT in the second quarter, but a fumble by Oregon QB Dante Moore (26/33, 234 yards, INT) knocked them out of FG range and forced a punt. That became a theme.
Oregon, struggling to move the ball, converted a fake punt pass and another 4th down on the same drive, but DE David Bailey knocked down a pass on 4th down at the goal line. Bailey, who earned a sack, several PBUs, and 2 TFLs, was a menace and showed why he’s my top edge rusher in the 2026 draft. TTU RB Cameron Dickey fumbled the ball right back to Oregon after Jesse Palmer was celebrating his block in blitz pickup, but the defense held the Ducks to just an FG. Even when Oregon drove right before the half, a bad snap cost them a chance to kick. Oregon’s final 2 TDs both came on drives started inside the TTU 30.
If I told you one team in this game pitched a shutout, I’m certain you’d assume it was Texas Tech. However, it was Oregon that pulled off the feat. They didn’t allow the Red Raiders to do practically anything on offense. Only one time did they earn a big play: a 50-yard run by RB J’Koby Williams when he was stopped in the backfield and made a great change of direction. TTU wasted it with a missed FG. Freshman CB Brandon Finney Jr picked Morton off twice and strip sacked him, and the Ducks stopped Texas Tech on 4th down 3 times. They only went 4/8 on 4th down themselves, but when they failed, the defense bailed them out.
I’m only charging 3 points to the Red Raider defense. Their performance was more impressive than that of the unit that allowed zero points. Texas Tech’s offense was pathetic, and I’m hesitant to credit that to an Oregon defense that allowed 34 points to James Madison just last week. Oregon took full advantage of their opportunities though, and they’ll have a chance to avenge their loss to Indiana earlier this year in the Peach Bowl. I still don’t fully trust Moore, who hasn’t had to do much at all yet. That said, the Ducks are through 2 games in resounding fashion, so they’re clearly capable of defeating an unsuspecting foe.
CFP Quarterfinal #3 at the Rose Bowl: (1) Indiana 38, (9) Alabama 3
Riding high off their comeback against Oklahoma last week, Alabama thought that they could upset Indiana too. They sacked QB Fernando Mendoza twice on the opening drive, fooling the audience into thinking they had a chance. It was all fool’s gold. Even when Bama stopped a long IU drive in the red zone for a field goal, it was only because the Hoosiers’ helmet communications went out. The Crimson Tide only got worse from there. As usual, they couldn’t run the ball (23 total rushing yards). They failed on a 4th down after both teams burned a timeout, and Indiana WR Charlie Becker caught a semi-deep TD right after that.
A few possessions later, QB Ty Simpson (12/16, 67 yards; 3/17 rushing) ran for a first down but got clocked by DB D’Angelo Ponds, fumbling the ball. Simpson never felt comfortable, mostly attempting short passes yet still taking 3 sacks. Indiana took the turnover and executed a perfect 2-minute drill for a TD, once again putting Alabama in a 17-0 hole. This time, there was no coming back. The hit Simpson took on the fumble hurt him, and midway through the 3rd quarter, he departed. Austin Mack (11/16, 103 yards) came in and provided a tiny spark, providing Bama’s first points. Those would be their only points however.
As much as I appreciated the idea of getting something on the board, a field goal with 3 minutes left in the 3rd quarter while down 24-0 felt like a surrender. It may as well have been one, as Indiana refused to relent. Mendoza (14/16, 192 yards, 3 TDs; 8/16 rushing) was nearly perfect through the air and had some timely runs. Both RBs, Kaelon Black (15/99/1) and Roman Hemby (18/89/1) had breakaway runs in the second half, and the team’s two favorite targets, WRs Elijah Sarratt (4/40/1) and Omar Cooper Jr (3/45/1) each got fed. The defense was the unit that opened the most eyes around the country though.
Last year, Indiana was a great story, but they couldn’t compete at the line of scrimmage. For all the talk about bringing in Mendoza, the improvements made on both the offensive and defensive lines are what made the current Hoosiers so great. It was jaw-dropping to see them so thoroughly dominate Alabama in the trenches. I’ve never seen a Crimson Tide team so embarrassed. At long last, the streak of CFP teams with byes losing is over. Indiana is the clear favorite to win the National Championship, but I’ll warn them that beating a team (Oregon in this case) twice is hard. I’m sure HC Curt Cignetti is on that already.
CFP Quarterfinal #4 at the Allstate Sugar Bowl: (6) Ole Miss 39, (3) Georgia 34
We saved the best (by far) for last. Our lone rematch of this CFP round, Georgia and Ole Miss played an incredibly entertaining game the last time they met. Somehow, they outdid themselves here. The start of the game was different, as we saw something new: punts! Neither team punted until the 4th quarter of the last matchup, and Georgia didn’t punt at all. Here, we began with a defensive struggle. Ole Miss didn’t allow any first-quarter points, while Georgia DT Quintavius Johnson kept batting passes. The Rebels did score two FGs from K Lucas Carneiro: a Sugar Bowl-record 55-yarder and a 56-yard make that topped it.
Ole Miss didn’t reach the end zone early on though, partly because of an abnormally high number of drops. That allowed Georgia to take the lead with one second-quarter drive. They did so behind a gashing ground game with RB Nate Frazier (15/86; 3/42 receiving) and QB Gunner Stockton (17/30, 215 yards, TD; 13/20/2 rushing). Scoring came easily from there. Ole Miss responded with a TD but oddly went for 2 and chased points too early (they didn’t get it). UGA scored again themselves, and then RB Kewan Lacy (22/99/2) lost a fumble that DB Daylen Everette took for a scoop-n-score. It was Georgia’s only defensive TD of the season.
The half ended with a score of 21-12 because the Rebels mismanaged the clock. TE Dae’Quan Wright cut back inside and caused the remaining time to elapse, preventing an FG attempt. Mississippi’s issues continued into the 3rd quarter with a turnover on downs at midfield. Georgia couldn’t take advantage because K Peyton Woodring missed a 55-yard FG. The Rebels’ next 4th-down attempt came up big though, with a 36-yard pass to WR Harrison Wallace III (9/156/1). That caused UGA to get a bit desperate, and they attempted a fake punt pass in their own territory. It was successful, and the Bulldogs added an FG to their lead.
All of a sudden, something burned in Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss, and he took over. Constantly running for his life under relentless pressure, Chambliss (30/46, 362 yards, 2 TDs) pulled numerous rabbits out of his hat. He threw from awkward positions and hit both Wallace and WR De’Zhaun Stribling (7/122) for huge gains. His hot hand completed over a dozen consecutive passes, giving the Rebels the lead and then another TD after a 4th-down stand in Georgia territory. The Bulldogs didn’t fade away though, scoring 10 unanswered points with Stockton’s physicality and clutch play, thus tying the game.
With 55 seconds left, Ole Miss had to be careful with Georgia possessing 3 timeouts. Needing a conversion on 3rd and 5, Chambliss heaved a deep shot to Stribling, which set up the winning FG by the ever-reliable Carneiro. The Rebels had to kick off, which led to an inconsequential safety, but it created a RIDICULOUS sequence with everyone having to return to the sideline two separate times. That required another kickoff and a doomed lateral play before Mississippi and their fans could celebrate. I know the officials were just following the rules, but my goodness. Sometimes a little common sense needs to prevail.
In a bit of poetic justice, the Rebels lost in the last meeting after being up 9 in the 4th quarter, but they were down 9 in the 4th this time and won. They lost to only one team all season, and they have no avenged that defeat. Stockton actually got his first ever start in the Sugar Bowl last year. He’s now 0-2 at that venue, though he isn’t to blame for this Georgia failure. Defense is the Bulldogs’ calling card, but Ole Miss defense got the timely stops. Their matchup with Miami’s elite defense in the Fiesta Bowl should be a show-stopper. And in case anyone was wondering about him, yes, Lane Kiffin does get paid for this.