Bowl Games (Non-UConn)

[BlueWolf25]

So Miami, Indiana, Ole Miss and Oregon. Ngl that's pretty freaking exciting to see none of the usual suspects in there.

With NIL and the portal, I expect (or at least hope) this to be the norm going forward. It’s gonna come down to who wins free agency every year, gone are the days of dynasties and only a few teams with a realistic chance each year

 

[ecasadoSBU]

Rooting for an Indiana - Miami final.

with the Hoosiers taking it all!

 

[HuskyNan]

 

[Purple Stein]

Sure looks like the Indiana/Oregon game is the real national championship.

 

[BRS24]

From ESPN:

Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said there is "a fine line" between his team's historic 38-3 loss to Indiana in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl and where it wants to be.​

​

"It may not feel like it when you're in this moment right now and what happened today, but I can tell you it's a fine between being here and being at the top,"​

My dude. You lost by 35 points. That's the Grand Canyon.

 

[businesslawyer]

The best part of what has been happening is that it should speed up expansion to 16 schools in the CFP. To date schools with first round byes are 0-6 in this format.

This. Favorites coming off a bye being 1-7 over two years will be the end of teams having to wait an extra week and thus expansion to 16 teams

 

[KryHavok]

From ESPN:

Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said there is "a fine line" between his team's historic 38-3 loss to Indiana in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl and where it wants to be.​

​

"It may not feel like it when you're in this moment right now and what happened today, but I can tell you it's a fine between being here and being at the top,"​

My dude. You lost by 35 points. That's the Grand Canyon.

I don't know what I love more:

• that a once historical basketball school beat the ever loving tish out of a once dominant football school
• that a once dominant football school lost a playoff game by more than any of our bowl losses
• that it took the once dominant football school until 2:44 left in the 3rd quarter to score their sole measly field goal
• that the once dominant football school known for its running backs only managed 23 total yards rushing as a team for the whole game

Alabama should just consider dropping to FCS as it obviously can't compete in the modern NIL era...I jest of course.

I'm hoping to see Indiana vs. Ole Miss in the final. If Oregon were still in the PAC, I'd be rooting for them to win it all, but Indiana taking all the glory would be huge middle finger to all entitled programs.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[ScottVib]

Absolutely no Ole Miss. I want to see the SEC stub their toe in every P4 playoff matchup... the more they pull their teams out of direct comparisons with other conferences, the more contrast chronic under-achievement in matchups of nominal equals draws.

The SEC is 2-5 against other P4 schools in the playoff --- 8 total bids (3 in 2024 & 5 in 2025)
Texas over Clemson; Texas over Arizona State
Ohio State over Tennessee, Ohio State over Texas, Notre Dame over Georgia, Miami over Texas A&M, Indiana over Alabama

The Big Ten by comparison is 6-3 -- 7 total bids (4 in 2024 & 3 in 2025)
Ohio State over Tennessee, Penn State over SMU, Ohio State over Texas, Ohio State over Notre Dame, Oregon over Texas Tech, Indiana over Alabama
Notre Dame over Indiana, Notre Dame over Penn State, Miami over Ohio State

Head to Head: the Big Ten has the edge 3-0; of 8 total SEC teams in the playoff only one; 2024 Texas has managed any wins over another P4 conference team; The Big Ten has had 4 of their 7 total bids beat at least one other P4 conference team (to be fair neither Oregon 2024 nor Oklahoma & Georgia 2025 had a chance to beat a different P4 opponent, losing to a conference opponent in their first game played)

 

[Kolumbo]

Some bowl games are more dangerous than others

 

[How Sway?!]

I get everyone hates the SEC, and with good reason, but it starting to feel like we are going to get a monkey paw curl moment when Tony Petitti uses the result of 2 B1G semifinalists and SEC underperformance to push through his multi autobids format.

 

[jdb50]

The SEC can not lose these playoff games enough. ESPN pumping them all season long is nauseating. Paul Finebaum get lost. Mississippi though is a great story. Their new head coach looks like a good guy. Very even keeled and does not appear to be a phony like Kiffin. I saw Indiana early vs Illinois and was very impressed with how physical they were. In the Rose Bowl they all did their job. No over celebrating or posing. I can see an Indiana vs Miami final with Michael Irvin having a breakdown on the sideline being a perfect ending.
Cinci is getting the bowl military academy treatment right now just like we did. No portal for the academies and a hard scheme to beat if your offense is at less than full strength.

 

[HCCForever]

Nice to see that starting QBs in the Holiday Bowl played all season. No opting out for them. Fifita is going for Arizona’s tenth victory vs Jennings of SMU.

 

[Jimdish255]

Chambliss is fun, but Mississippi was a little sloppy at times tonight. The end of the first half was a big screw up, as was going for 2 in the first half. Not knowing the clock rules on an on-side kick was pretty bad too. Miami is the better team, although Chambliss is the better QB.

Nothing was more egregious than Smart Kirby going for it on 4th down earlier in the game near midfield. Thought they might grab a cheap score and put the game away early. Really disrespected the opponent. Not so fast my friend.

 

[Jimdish255]

Rooting for an Indiana - Miami final.

with the Hoosiers taking it all!

If you want Indiana I think you want a different opponent. But it's hard to doubt their focus, their QB and their Coach. The one thing I worry about with Indiana is Cignetti's insistense on burying his opponent. If they get confortably ahead in the semi (a longshot I know), he needs to save some key players. But that's not his style. This is a lot of games to play and there can still be attrition and distractions whether it be physical or mental.

 

[Chin Diesel]

 

[UConnDan97]

Now that Wake Forest is beating up Mississippi State 30-12 late in the 3rd quarter, can we all agree that we've had enough of the SEC narrative???

 

[Scoe]

5-7 teams should have the score ran up on them shame on Wake Forest for giving up 13 pts btw.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Until the dynamics of college football bowl season changes, bet the service academies in every bowl game.

 

[Scrutineer]

Maybe, but it seems like it affected the Sec more. I don’t expect a Sec team to win the title this year. I don’t expect a Sec team in the title game.

But games only count if the Sec wins. If they don’t win then the game wasn’t taken seriously or it wasn’t a good matchup for them.

My Florida fan "friend" told me UConn only beat South Carolina because South Carolina wasn't up for the game. I told him neither were we because we should have been in a more prestigious bowl..

 

[HCCForever]

Now that Wake Forest is beating up Mississippi State 30-12 late in the 3rd quarter, can we all agree that we've had enough of the SEC narrative???

Wake only up by 7 with three and a half minutes to go

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

so Cincy had to play a military academy wthout their quarterback who went in the portal. they got smoked.

Best bet in bowls…military academies.

 

[HuskyNan]

 

[BRS24]

From ESPN:

Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said there is "a fine line" between his team's historic 38-3 loss to Indiana in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl and where it wants to be.​

​

"It may not feel like it when you're in this moment right now and what happened today, but I can tell you it's a fine between being here and being at the top,"​

My dude. You lost by 35 points. That's the Grand Canyon.

NGL, this just popped up on my FB memories feed this morning from last year:

 

[traitor71]

So Miami, Indiana, Ole Miss and Oregon. Ngl that's pretty freaking exciting to see none of the usual suspects in there.

You can make a case for each one winning it too. Indiana with the experience, coaching and QB. Oregon is great all around. Miami is the best on both lines of scrimmage. Ole Miss has a one man wrecking crew at QB who can carry them to wins. Pretty good group right there.

 

[Purple Stein]

Mississippi State didn't travel greater than 550 miles to any game this year. This game in Charlotte was just about as far as they went anywhere.

Did any SEC team travel greater than 1500 miles for a road game during the regular season? We traveled 1700 miles to Houston and 1400 miles to Boca, FWIW.

Stay in your small pond, SEC...

 

[DoctorWho85]

You can make a case for each one winning it too. Indiana with the experience, coaching and QB. Oregon is great all around. Miami is the best on both lines of scrimmage. Ole Miss has a one man wrecking crew at QB who can carry them to wins. Pretty good group right there.

Ole Miss QB, imo, looks the best out of what's left. Their defense is lacking though

 

[jmsjoejms]

I love the fact that 4 of the top 6 teams in the SEC are originally Big 12 teams.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I love the fact that 4 of the top 6 teams in the SEC are originally Big 12 teams.

Yeah, that kinda tanked the narrative about how superior the SEC is/was if a bunch of newcomers went straight to the top.

 

[traitor71]

Ole Miss QB, imo, looks the best out of what's left. Their defense is lacking though

He is sensational. Worth mentioning that every QB left is a portal guy. Just another thing to have to get used to I guess.