College Football Playoff Semifinals Recap

1. Florida State beats Oregon in the Rose Bowl

The Seminole's defense kept it close in the first half, as they trailed by only five points going into the locker room.  But a disastrous second half that included 5 turnovers doomed Florida State.  Oregon capitalized on the mistakes with touchdown after touchdown, demoralizing the Seminoles in a 59 - 20 blowout.

2. Jameis Winston throws no more than one interception

Florida State did exactly what they needed to in the first half, as they played without giving the ball away.  But even though Winston only ended up throwing one interception, the offense as a whole fell into a pattern in the second half that killed them, by fumbling away their championship dreams.

3. Ohio State takes down Alabama, wins Sugar Bowl

The Buckeyes, on the other hand, were able to pull off the upset over SEC powerhouse Alabama.  They contained Cooper, limiting him to only 71 receiving yards - well below his per-game average of 127 yards (though he did score two touchdowns).  And they tackled well, the other key focus I mentioned for Ohio State's defense.  But in general, they didn't just win.  They dominated Alabama in nearly every category.  They were faster, stronger, and tougher.  Alabama was outplayed and out-coached.  If not for an incredible job by the Crimson Tide punter, JK Scott, who averaged 55 yards per punt (including a 73-yarder) and dropped 5 punts inside the 20, it may have been a blowout.

4. Cardale Jones passes for 250+ yards against the Crimson Tide defense

I just barely missed this one, as Jones threw for 243 yards.  He likely would've easily passed the 250 mark, had it not been for mostly conservative play-calling in the second half as Ohio State protected their lead and had repeatedly poor starting field position.  But, overall, it was another great game for Jones in just his second career start.  He was unfazed after throwing an interception early and falling behind 21 - 6.  Strong performances by the offensive line and wide receiver corps was key to his success, as anticipated.  Can he keep the offense rolling against Oregon in the championship game?  We'll see.

5. Playoff teams get tricky three or more times

The only trick play of the semifinals came at the end of the first half of the Sugar Bowl, as Ohio State tried to make it a one point game before going into the locker room.  They did just that, on a perfectly executed 13-yard WR-to-WR touchdown pass.  Watch here, or below.


Playoff Semifinals record: 2 - 3
Overall record: 33 - 52

Other headlines from the playoff semifinals:

This play from the Rose Bowl

This play from the Sugar Bowl

Semifinal results show how wrong BCS would have gotten it

Imagine this: we still live in the BCS era, where #1 and #2 are picked based on computer rankings and human voters, they play each other and we crown the winner national champion.  This year, it would have likely been Alabama vs Florida State.  The two teams that didn't make it to the championship, would've played for it.  Based on Florida State's implosion against Oregon, we can assume Alabama wins that game, and the idea of SEC dominance continues with another championship for the boys down south.  Meanwhile, we'd have Ohio State and Oregon, the nation's actual two best teams, in BCS bowls, possibly even playing each other in the Rose Bowl, with the winner getting nothing more than a pat on the back and a higher ranking going into next season.  Let's play a dangerous game of what-if, and ask: how often do we think the BCS has gotten it right?  Who's to say Michigan State doesn't win a playoff last year?  How about Oregon the previous year?  TCU or Stanford in 2010/11?  I can keep going back and continue to find teams that finished the season ranked highly and won a BCS bowl that may have shaken things up in a playoff.  The SEC's string of championships?  Most likely gone.  This is a new era, where teams have to earn the chance to play for a title.  Now the next question, obviously, is whether a four team playoff is enough.  Who's to say TCU wouldn't have made some noise in this year's playoff?  I will leave that question unanswered, for now, and revisit it in the off-season.