The process is broken. 

Even if the playoff committee came to the correct decision (they didn’t) in including Alabama and dropping Notre Dame from the field, no sane person could argue that the weekly ranking shows and inconsistent logic on display are good for the sport. The Irish and their nationwide fanbase are justifiably irate (though we’ll make no excuses for the rest of their behavior). Trust in the process, basically the only requirement in this format, is no longer there.

For as bad as the public reasoning whatever designated spokesperson has put out on these Tuesday shows over the last decade, the committee has mostly gotten things right. Unfortunately, we’re now faced with a reality where the two times it has definitively screwed up have both favored Alabama (and you could argue that a third, in 2014, put in an undeserving Ohio State that would ultimately win the whole thing).

Whatever changes are coming to the tournament (please, god, do not listen to the B1G and expand to 24 teams), they need to start with eliminating this sideshow or else the E-SEC-PN Invitational conspiracy theorists are going to have a lot more material to work with.

SEC: No. 3 Georgia 28, No. 9 Alabama 7

It’s been pretty clear all season that Alabama has problems running the dang ball, and finishing Saturday’s game with a grand total of negative three rushing yards put a pretty big exclamation point on that narrative. Georgia put the Tide in a crockpot, scoring exactly one touchdown every quarter, and never looked anything but in control.

We still aren’t totally sure what the ceiling is for the Dawgs, but I’m more confident than ever that Alabama is just not a serious title contender – regardless of their controversial inclusion in the playoff field or not. 

B1G: No. 2 Indiana 13, No. 1 Ohio State 10

Let’s take a step back from the weekly narratives and appreciate this: Indiana, maybe the worst major conference team over the last 150 years of football, just wrapped up a 13-0 season with an emphatic win in the Big Ten Championship over Godzilla/Megatron Ohio State. That is so so cool, a real blessing of the new era of college football.

Back to the funny stuff: it rocks that Ohio State is running back the early Saban era “BAMA CAN’T RECRUIT A KICKER, PAWL” narrative, seemingly the thermal exhaust port in their metaphoric Death Star of a program. Fernando Mendoza might have wrapped up the Heisman on the strength of crazy plays in the two games all year that he wasn’t particularly outstanding during. I’m still not sold that these are far-and-away the two best teams in the country (playing a regular season schedule with one other playoff contender and nine Purdues will do that) but it would be fairly shocking if either doesn’t advance to the semifinals.

Big 12: No. 4 Texas Tech 34, No. 11 BYU 7

Look, Texas Tech is just really good. I don’t know if they have the quarterback play to win it all, but the defense thumps in a way few other units do. BYU might also be really good, but they’ve now gotten smoked by the Red Raiders twice, so we will never know how they’d fare against another elite unit.

ACC: Duke 27, No. 17 Virginia 20 (OT)

Of course the ACC is the first power conference this happens to. A bloated expansion plan (name a funnier conference matchup than Stanford-FSU) and an underthought tiebreaker protocol gave us a championship game where Virginia advancing to the playoff would be the normal outcome.

Though Selection Sunday went in their favor and they won't care about this, this is your friendly reminder that former Miami coach Manny Diaz – who was unceremoniously jettisoned for Mario Cristobal – now has more ACC titles in his two season at Duke than the Hurricanes do in their entire conference run.

American: No. 20 Tulane 34, No. 24 North Texas 21

The Green Wave dominated a previously spectacular Mean Green offense, picking off North Texas QB Drew Mestemaker three times and putting the game out of reach earlier than anyone could have anticipated. Jake Retzlaff, formerly known as the BYJew, will lead the Wave into a playoff rematch with Ole Miss as head coach John Sumrall delays his official start at Florida for at least a few more weeks.

Sun Belt: No. 25 James Madison 31, Troy 14

Hey, Curt Cignetti might have put two programs into the playoff! The Dukes continued a dominating season by overwhelming Troy early. Quarterback Alonzo Barnett III went just 10/25 for 93 yards and it didn’t slow down James Madison at all – this is a team with tons of firepower even when everything isn’t quite clicking.

CUSA: Kennesaw State 19, Jacksonville State 15

Hootie hoo! The Owls complete a true Worst To First season, going 10-3 with a conference title in their first year of eligibility after jumping up from FCS and going 2-10 in 2024. Things looked dicey for Metro Atlanta’s Favorite College Football Team late in the contest, needing to pick up a 4th and 14 with less than a minute left instead of kicking a 54-yard field goal to force overtime. Quarterback Amari Odom was the hero for the Owls, picking up that conversion and throwing the game-winning touchdown pass on the next play.

Mountain West: Boise State 38, UNLV 21

Boise ends its tenure in the Mountain West on a fitting note, winning its seventh conference title in 14 years as a member. The Broncos built a two-score lead before halftime, led by healthy-again quarterback Maddux Madsen, and never looked back.

MAC: Western Michigan 23, Miami OH 13

The Broncos of Western Michigan claim their first conference title since the spectacular 2016 team that went to the Cotton Bowl. Somehow, at 9-4, not the conference champion with the most losses this season (thanks, Duke!) but still indicative of a conference that is trending towards parity above producing playoff contenders. 

Just an absolutely beautiful aesthetic in New Orleans on Friday, with Tulane in the powder blues and North Texas’ clean white set.

South Carolina State and the Marching 101 await in the Celebration Bowl for the winner of the SWAC Championship.

Illinois State 29, No. 1 North Dakota State 28

It took a lot of willpower to not lead with this one in the intro because NORTH DAKOTA STATE LOST IN THE SECOND ROUND OF THE FCS PLAYOFFS, WHAT IS HAPPENING? Is this the end of the last great American dynasty? The Bison were likely to be favored by multiple touchdowns against any possible upcoming opponent, until a complete collapse on Saturday.

To make things even weirder, Illinois State quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse threw five interceptions. Five! He then found receiver Daniel Sobkowicz in the end zone twice in the final three minutes after the Bison took a 28-14 lead. On the second touchdown, the Redbirds went for the win rather than a PAT that would have forced overtime and Rittenhouse found an open Scotty Presson Jr. for the winning score.

It goes without saying that this may have been the most monumental upset of the year, and the FCS bracket is suddenly wide-open.

No. 2 Montana State 21, Yale 13

Last year’s runner-ups Montana State now take on the role of favorites, ending the Ivy League’s first-ever foray into the FCS playoffs with a smothering of Yale. The Bobcats will attempt to become just the third non-______ Dakota State to win the tournament since 2010, with previous winners James Madison and Sam Houston State now in FBS.

No. 3 Montana 50, No. 14 South Dakota State 29

Standing in their way will be rival Montana, who the Bobcats edged out in the Brawl of the Wild just a few weeks ago. The Grizzlies took care of business in eliminating the other ____ Dakota State from the proceedings.

No. 4 Tarleton State 31, North Dakota 13

No. 12 Villanova 14, No. 5 Lehigh 7

No. 11 South Dakota 47, No. 6 Mercer 0

No. 7 Stephen F. Austin 41, No. 10 Abilene Christian 34

No. 9 Rhode Island 47, No. 8 UC Davis 26

Prairie View A&M 23, Jackson State 21

In January of this year, newly hired Prairie View A&M head coach Tremaine Jackson declared, “It’s time. It’s time for us to win the SWAC.” He delivered on that promise, leading the Panthers to a 10-3 record and an upset win over Jackson State to claim the school’s first appearance in the Celebration Bowl.

Kirby Smart got got on this special teams wrinkle in last year’s playoff by Notre Dame, and he has spent all year trying his best to remind everyone of that. This play worked against Mississippi State, but Alabama’s defense stayed incredibly organized to keep it from happening again.

“The Upper Iowa Peacocks hoist the coveted Leg Lamp Trophy for winning the Albanese Candy Bowl” sounds like a Simpsons bit about college football, but is instead a completely real thing that happened. College football is the best sport in the world.

🎳 Every bowl game, previewed with exactly as many words as it deserves

🏆 Playoff field reaction and predictions

🧢 Coach carousel szn and grades

📢 Final SEC Power Rankings