Fernando Mendoza talks about how Kurt Cignetti prepared the team during the holidays
Fernando Mendoza explains how coach Curt Chinetti prepared his team during the long break.
- Indiana will face Oregon and Ole Miss will face Miami in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
- After the latest games, Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia and the Big 12 Conference are listed as “losers.”
The 12 will be reduced to four as the College Football Playoff heads to the national semifinals, with No. 1 seed Indiana set to play No. 5 seed Oregon State in the Peach Bowl and No. 6 seed Oregon State facing No. 10 Miami in the Fiesta Bowl.
In the Rose Bowl, Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza had another perfect game as the Hoosiers defeated No. 9 Alabama 38-3, throwing three more touchdown passes than two missed ones.
The Rebels rallied from a 21-12 deficit at halftime, hit a 47-yard field goal with six seconds left, and pulled away late to win 39-34 over No. 3 Georgia.
Oregon State held off No. 4 Texas Tech 23-0 in the Orange Bowl thanks to four turnovers by the Red Raiders, including a key end zone interception by QB Behren Morton in the third quarter.
In the Cotton Bowl, the biggest upset of this year’s tournament, Miami defeated No. 2 Ohio State 24-14, sending the defending national champions into the offseason with a second straight loss.
Before we move on to the next round, here are the biggest winners and losers of the quarterfinals.
winner
Indiana
There’s a reason they’re number one in the nation. But for doubters and cynics, the destruction of the mighty state of Alabama highlights an important point that cannot be ignored. Indiana isn’t just a great story, it’s a potential powerhouse that could be as dominant as any team in the tournament. Aggressive, more physical, calmer and clearly more prepared than the Tide, the Hoosiers showed no rust at all after the month-long break following the Big Ten Championship Game. Build a time machine, go back a few years, find your younger self, and whisper these words in your ear: Alabama lost to Indiana in the Rose Bowl by 35 points.
Ole Miss
The Rebels, 2-0 without Lane Kiffin, avenged one loss in the regular season thanks to a big night from senior Trinidad Chambliss, who passed for 362 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Trailing 21-12 at halftime, Ole Miss began to take control in the third quarter and scored two key points early in the fourth. On the way to the game-clinching field goal, the Rebels had to deal with several questionable penalty calls (or lack thereof) and had to regain their composure after Georgia State tied the game with a minute left. Ole Miss’ continued defiance in the face of adversity is a testament to new coach Pete Golding’s ability to unite the team.
Oregon
The image that Oregon State is a slick program persists despite ample evidence to the contrary. The most recent example was the Ducks’ shutout in the Orange Bowl, where the defense did not allow the Red Raiders any aerial attacks, allowing just 215 yards on 3.5 yards per play. The running game was dismal, gaining just 64 yards, but Oregon quarterback Dante Moore completed 26 of 33 for 234 yards. However, the defense did the dirty work in this win. Not only that pick in the end zone, but also a fumble return for a strip sack early in the third quarter that set up the Ducks’ first touchdown.
miami
What matters is how Miami beats Ohio State. Against a team many expected to see a rematch and a defense ranked No. 1 in the nation in the majors, the Hurricanes set the tempo and tone by dominating the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. That materialized late in the fourth quarter during a five-minute drive that helped Miami bury the Buckeyes. Matchups are important in the postseason, and Miami may have faced a friendlier opponent with Ohio State’s slower style of play. But after the Cotton Bowl, there is no question that the Hurricanes are capable of winning two more games and achieving the program’s first national championship since 2001.
loser
Alabama
Alabama hasn’t lost by more than 30 points since 1998. The Crimson Tide was a decidedly inferior team in terms of talent, leadership, drive, and toughness, so by necessity, the 35-point loss was not surprising. But that doesn’t make the situation any less embarrassing. After fighting back from a 17-point deficit to defeat Oklahoma in the opener, Alabama didn’t even argue against the Hoosiers, seemingly content to end things early in the second half and look ahead to next season. This was the program’s seventh loss in two years under coach Karen DeBoer, after dropping nine games in coach Nick Saban’s final six seasons.
ohio
After losing the last two games to Indiana and Miami, questions remain about just how good Ohio State really was. Yes, the Buckeyes beat Texas, but that was in the season opener. The next best win was against Michigan. The defense has been great all year, but against Miami they just couldn’t get the important stops, especially with the game on the line. The offensive line has been great over the last two games, allowing just six sacks in the first 12 games and five to both Indiana and Miami. While a lot of talented players return to Columbus, Ohio State needs to pick up speed on offense after playing so poorly this season.
georgia
The Bulldogs scored 21 points in the second quarter and looked like they were on the verge of making the winning run near the end of the first half. Returning the game at this point emphasizes Georgia’s unpredictability even during a 12-1 regular season, and the offense in particular ran the ball better than in 2024, but was often unable to pull teams apart. With the Rebels leading 34-31, Georgia State was plagued with great scoring opportunities late in the game. A second goal near the 3-yard line turned into a fourth-and-6, and instead of being the go-ahead score, it was a field goal that decided the game. For a team that ranked third in the country with a 79.3% red zone touchdown rate and played in the Sugar Bowl, not scoring six points was an impossibility.
big 12
The Orange Bowl was a bad run for the Big 12, which joins the ACC and sends only one team to the tournament, but that team was promptly ejected while Miami already has two wins in the playoffs. This loss also came after a postseason in which Big 12 teams had bowl wins against teams from the ACC, SEC, and Big Ten. Despite the ugly ending against Oregon, this still goes down as Texas Tech’s best season, but it’s clear the Red Raiders will need to restart their finances to assemble a new playoff-worthy roster next season.
