College football is a sport built on emotion – for better and for worse. Nothing captures the spirit of the sport better than a pulsating home crowd in a big game. There’s a reason why most of the world’s biggest stadiums were built for our weird little subdivision of American football.

For all the faults of the expanded bracket – and there are many – finally delivering on-campus playoff games is maybe the most significant positive development we’ve seen in the ever-changing championship format.

Of course, the lower levels of the sport do this even better, with every game up until the championships played on home soil. That sometimes leads to exceptional environments – this weekend’s FCS semifinal features a rematch of the Brawl of the Wild rivalry between No. 2 Montana State.

Imagine something similar at the FCS level in the next few years – a quarterfinal Red River Shootout or a semifinal Iron Bowl. Instead, for the foreseeable future, we’ll continue to reward the four best teams from the regular season by not letting them play a home game in December.

There are so many good Landslide covers (a story for another day is the time I perplexed the cellist at my wedding by asking that he specifically play the version by The Chicks instead of the Fleetwood Mac one), and the addition of the Tetons in the background makes this a serene listen in advance of that Brawl of the Wild rematch.

I am admittedly a little late to the Ina Garten party – she never resonated with me much on the Food Network, but I’ve come to really appreciate her style, especially for hosting events. This Skillet-Roasted Lemon Chicken from her Cooking for Jeffrey book is a fantastically easy way to cook and present a whole chicken for a group. Best paired for entertaining with her Mulled Wine recipe.

No. 8 Oklahoma vs No. 9 Alabama (8 pm, ABC/ESPN)

The first of two rematches in this round, we last saw Oklahoma’s special teams unit put on a dominant performance en route to a 23-21 Sooner victory back in November. Alabama got a desperately-needed two-week break to get healthy, and Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer probably didn’t mind the time off either.

Brent Venables might be the most impactful defensive mind in the sport right now, and getting two weeks to cook up a gameplan for the suddenly-faltering Ty Simpson and an Alabama running game that has struggled all year seems like a recipe for a Sooner win. But Kalen DeBoer is a master of chaos, so nothing is off the table as far as expectations go.

Prediction: Alabama kicks a late field goal (after missing an earlier kick) to win

No. 7 Texas A&M vs No. 10 Miami (Noon, ABC/ESPN)

The Aggies only have one real weakness this year, they control the ground game well on both sides but also give up a ton more explosive runs than you would expect from a team with a really good defense. Miami hasn’t shown much ability to punish A&M in that way, but if the Hurricanes can break off a few big runs early it will open up the field for Carson Beck and Malachi Toney to make hay through the air.

On the other side of the ball, Miami’s defensive stars will need to make life difficult for A&M’s Marcel Reed to stay in touching distance. The Hurricanes will also need to overcome the, ahem, game management struggles they’ve had under Mario Cristobal.

Prediction: Beck throws a backbreaking late interception and A&M holds on

No. 6 Ole Miss vs No. 11 Tulane (3:30 pm, TNT)

Yes, the Rebels won the first edition of this matchup 45-10. But these are two completely different teams now, and I expect a much closer fight from the Green Wave. Ole Miss probably has too much talent, and too big a chip on its shoulder after Lane Kiffin’s departure, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Tulane takes an early lead.

Prediction: Ole Miss turns on the gas in the second half and wins by two scores

No. 5 Oregon vs No. 12 James Madison (7:30 pm, TNT)

You;re going to hear a lot of people using this game as proof that G5 schools should be excluded from future playoffs and honestly that’s bullshit. James Madison is here by virtue of being a conference champion and the ACC being the ACC. If they were matched up against any of the other non-bye teams they would have an honest shot at an upset. Unfortunately, they drew an Oregon team that is fully capable of rolling all the way to a title. This likely won't be a close game, and neither were most of the semifinal matchups under the old four-team format.

Prediction: Oregon coasts to an easy win, the worst people on ESPN never shut up about it

Double feature this week, because you need to watch both performances from this past weekend’s Celebration Bowl, which had a thrilling OT finish. First up, the victorious SC State Marching 101 Band:

And the Marching Storm from Prairie View A&M:

Myrtle Beach Bowl: Kennesaw State vs Western Michigan (11 am, ESPN)

🚨Potential Banger alert: Somehow, this is the only (scheduled) postseason game featuring two conference champions, and they’re both a ton of fun to watch. Western Michigan relies on a stingy defense and a strong rushing attack, while the Owls and quarterback Amari Odom spread the ball around and can test any defense.

Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl: Memphis vs NC State (2:30 pm, ESPN)

Meaningless statistic: Memphis has won five straight bowl games, while the Wolfpack have lost their last five postseason matchups. The Tigers are one of many teams playing a bowl with an interim coaching staff, after head coach Ryan Silverfield left for the Arkansas job. NC State continues to be a paragon of stability, with Dave Doeren looking to win exactly eight games for the seventh time in the last nine years.

Keep an eye on NC State quarterback CJ Bailey, one of the most fun under-the-radar players in the country. If the Wolfpack pull out a win, it will be behind a big game from him.

DIII Semifinal: No. 4 Wisconsin-River Falls vs No. 11 Johns Hopkins (1 pm, ESPN+)

UW-River Falls have one of the most intriguing units in the country, as their “Top Gun” offense leads the NCAA in total offense (558 yards per game) and averages over 46 points per game. Expect to see offensive coordinator Joe Matheson calling plays for a bigger school in the near future.

FCS Semifinal: No. 2 Montana State vs No. 3 Montana (4 pm, ABC)

Offense dominated in the first Brawl of the Wild matchup a month ago, with the Bobcats holding on to an early scoring outburst to notch a 31-28 win. At the time, that felt like a massive win because it put Montana State on the other side of the bracket from juggernaut North Dakota State, but now the biggest payoff was getting the home venue for this rematch – where the winner will likely be a big favorite in the FCS title game in Nashville.

DII Championship: No. 1 Ferris State vs No. 2 Harding (4 pm, ESPN2)

Just a year ago, Trinidad Chambliss was starring in this game for Ferris State as the Bulldogs dominated Valdosta State in a 49-14 win. He’s playing in another playoff this week, and I’m guessing plenty of FBS scouts are watching a little more closely than usual to see if they can find a few of their own hidden gems in the transfer portal.

DIII Semifinal: No. 1 North Central vs No. 8 John Carroll (4:30 pm, ESPN+)

John Carroll has never played for a national championship in over 100 years of its football program. Standing in its way is North Central, the current gold standard of DIII, which has been in every title game since 2021. The Cardinals are a stunning 84-3 since 2019, and racked up a perfect 13-0 record this year behind an offense that scores over 50 points per game.

FCS Semifinal: No. 12 Villanova vs Illinois State (7:30 pm, ESPN2)

Neither team expected to be here, with each overcoming a slow start to the season just to make the playoff bracket at all. Illinois State pulled the biggest upset in college football this year in the second round, upending overwhelming title favorite NDSU despite throwing five(5!) interceptions in the FargoDome.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Washington State vs Utah State

Wazzu is playing a second consecutive bowl game in the midst of a coaching transition, as first-year head man Jimmy Rogers is on his way to Ames to replace the departed Matt Campbell. DC Jesse Bobbit will serve as the interim, facing off against Utah State head coach Bronco Mendenhall, who has been coaching since before the 31-year-old Bobbit was even born. 

Bush’s Boca Raton Bowl: Toledo vs Louisvilla (2 pm, ESPN)

Louisville had a disappointing end to the season, but the Cardinals should win this game going away if properly motivated. Of course, that isn’t at all a given in bowl season, so expect anything.

New Orleans Bowl: Western Kentucky vs Southern Miss (5:30 pm, ESPN)

Two dangerous teams that faded down the stretch, but only Southern Miss is dealing with a coaching change – first-year head man Charles Huff is now headed to Memphis. The New Orleans Bowl nearly always produces fun matchups, and this should be no exception.

Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl: UNLV vs Ohio (9 pm, ESPN)

Ohio is dealing with an incredibly strange interim coach situation, while UNLV is coached by the incredibly strange Dan Mullen. Rebels should win by about forty.