Revisiting Micah's College Football Playoff quarterfinal predictions

1 week ago 2

It was a very unpredictable week in the College Football Playoff as two favorites went down: Ohio State and Georgia. Indiana steamrolled Alabama as many expected, given that the Hoosiers are the favorite to win the whole thing. A star was born this week in Trinidad Chambliss, and the Miami Hurricanes are back to being a title contender in college football. One big lesson learned in the quarterfinals is that teams have a better shot at moving on to the next round without a first-round bye. Teams with byes are now 1-7 in eight quarterfinal games.

Here is how my predictions for the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff on New Year's week played out:

(2) Ohio State over (10) Miami (Wednesday)

"Ohio State failed its first test of the season in the Big Ten Championship game, losing to Indiana. Just like last season, that could be the exact loss needed to go on another championship run. It won't be easy this time around, and the Hurricanes will be a very challenging opponent for the Buckeyes. Miami can replicate exactly what the Hoosiers did on Julian Sayin. The Buckeyes, however, have the better defense in this game, and I don't see Carson Beck providing enough scoring to help Miami get the victory. Whereas the Buckeyes, having weapons galore that will step up to uplift young quarterback Sayin. I like the Buckeyes to win in a low-scoring game once again. Jeremiah Smith pulls off a game-winning receiving touchdown."

Ohio State did it once again, in another test for this offense and their young quarterback. Jeremiah Smith was the best player on the field, but unfortunately for Ohio State, he looked happy to congratulate the Hurricanes on their victory after this loss. That could lead to problems this offseason. Miami did exactly what Indiana did, but maybe even better, with how dominant their defensive line was. This was a poor showing for Ryan Day as he thought the best way to take down Miami was to throw the ball 35 times. This season, a humbling loss did not lead to a championship run; it instead led to an early CFP exit.

(5) Oregon over (4) Texas Tech

"Texas Tech has one of the best front 7's in the country. Oregon has a good defense themself against the pass and the run. The Ducks are getting healthier at the right time and already down multiple guys. The Ducks' offense was prolific this entire season. Dante Moore Jr. is the best quarterback in the country in my opinion, and that will pay dividends in this matchup. I think he severely outplays Behren Morton. Oregon is the better team, and they will show they can be a dark horse to win the whole thing with a huge win over Texas Tech."

Oregon dominated Texas Tech and got a huge win like I thought they would. Dante Moore did outplay Morton, but not because he was amazing in this game; it was more due to how good the Ducks' defense was. Oregon's defense stole the show for this game, and Morton looked like a quarterback who just was not good enough for this stage. Oregon will have to get an elite quarterback performance from Dante Moore next week versus Indiana, but this week, he had a week off.

(1) Indiana over (9) Alabama

"Alabama got a huge win last week over Oklahoma, scoring 27 straight points to send Oklahoma packing. That will not happen against Indiana. The Hoosiers' defense proved to be just as good as the Buckeyes' in the Big Ten title game, and they have a quarterback who is as cool as any under pressure. He played lights out against an NFL defense. I like the Hoosiers to win by two possessions and really show up Alabama."

Alabama could not overcome another slow start and had a dominant second half. Ty Simpson got hurt in the 3rd quarter, but this game was long over before that. Indiana's defense was elite, and Fernando Mendoza was lights out. This was a very poor showing for Alabama, but it showed the country exactly why Indiana should be the favorite to win the whole thing.

(6) Ole Miss over (3) Georgia

"These two teams delivered a masterclass performance in the regular season, and I do not think they will disappoint this time around either. Georgia's defense has been phenomenal as of late, and Gunner Stockton has been a great complement to them. Trinidad Chambliss is a star and one of the more electrifying players in the country. Mixed with Kewan Lacy in the backfield, Ole Miss, I think, will once again give Georgia's defense fits. This time, it resulted in an Ole Miss upset. There is just something about the new motivation in this team after the loss of Lane Kiffin. This Rebels team is hungry, and they were well prepared have a field day against a good Tulane team. I like the Rebels to shock the world on New Year's Day."

I hit it right on the money with this prediction. Trinidad Chambliss just might have earned himself a chance to get drafted in an early round in this upcoming draft class. Trinidad Chambliss was just better than Georgia's defense; there was nothing they could do to stop him. He made big throw after big throw, and on the biggest stage in college football, he went out there and made a name for himself. The Rebels, led by Pete Golding, really shocked the world, and they are looking to further prove they belong in the big dance. They have a shot to take down Miami. When you have an elite quarterback, you always have a shot. It will come down to this defense continuing to be just good enough to get the job done.

Semifinal matchups

"(2) Ohio State vs (6) Ole Miss and (1) Indiana vs (5) Oregon. Many may not like the College Football Playoff 12-team bracket, but next week's round will not disappoint. This will be very exciting football to watch."

This week did not disappoint as I said, but I did not get the correct two matchups for the Semifinals, but these Semifinals have the opportunity to be an even better week. This College Football Playoff has not disappointed, and this week it will only get better.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: CFP quarterfinals take unexpected turns as two favorites go down

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