College Football Playoff Quarter-Finals: Miami and Ole Miss spring upsets, Indiana and Oregon dominate.
- Gareth Evans
- Jan 4
- 7 min read
College football is changing by the week. Welcome to a new order.
The semi-finals of the College Football Playoff, in just its second season of an expansion to 12 teams, will feature two teams in the first game, Indiana and Oregon, who have never won a national championship.
Their opponents will be either Ole Miss, without a title since being co-champion with Minnesota in 1960, or the University of Miami, one of the dominant teams in college football from 1983 to 1991. The Hurricanes won their last national championship in 2001.
Three traditional college football powerhouses, and perennial contenders Ohio State, Georgia and Alabama, alongside upstart Texas Tech, were knocked out in the quarter-finals last weekend.
No.10 Miami upsets No. 2 Ohio State, 24-14
The University of Miami followed victory over an 11-1 Texas A&M team in the first round of the College Football Playoff with an impressive upset of No.2 ranked Ohio State.
Miami's defense was the difference, suffocating Ohio State and sacking Heisman finalist quarterback Julian Sayin five times. Ohio State's rushing game, such a feature of their national championship win last year, was toothless in the face of the Hurricanes' relentless pressure at the line of scrimmage. The Buckeyes were held to just 45 yards on the ground. How they must have wished they still had TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins in the backfield.
Miami intercepted Ohio State twice, the key moment being Keionte Scott's pick six from Julian Sayin's pass which gave the Hurricanes a 14-0 lead. Miami's spectacular defense was complimented by a steady offense which efficiently drove the ball downfield. Quarterback Carson Beck completed 19 of 26 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown, while Mark Fletcher, after his monstrous performance against Texas A&M last week, contributed 115 yards of total offense.
Ohio State had their moments. Jeremiah Smith's already impressive play seems to go up a notch in the postseason. In the quarter-final last year, he racked up 187 yards against Oregon. This year, in a loss, he had seven receptions for 157 yards and a touchdown. Julian Sayin, under constant pressure, managed 287 passing yards but minus 42 rushing yards. Both will return to Columbus next season and will play a huge part in Ohio State's drive to reclaim their title.
The story could be written for Miami this year. If they can overcome Ole Miss on 8th January in the semi-final, they will essentially play a home fixture, with the final being held at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Could head coach Mario Cristobal face his old team, Oregon, in the final?
No.5 Oregon overpowers No.4 Texas Tech, 23-0
In a battle of new money vs. newer money, Oregon, supported by Phil Knight and Nike's millions faced the upstart team of college football, Texas Tech. The Red Raiders reportedly spent the most of any team in the transfer portal, backed by the millions of Cody Campbell, a Texas Tech alum who was an all-conference offensive lineman for the Red Raiders and Indianapolis Colts in the NFL. Oil and real estate deals made Campbell wealthy and he has been the driving force in funding circa $60 million to Red Raiders players in the last three years.
Money aside, this match was also billed as a battle between two outstanding defenses. Facing the vaunted Red Raiders defense, including the talented edge rusher David Bailey and linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, Oregon's defense dominated, sacking Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton four times. Brandon Finney was exceptional for Oregon, picking off Morton twice. Despite their dominance, the Ducks led just 6-0 at the half.
Texas Tech smothered Oregon's run game, allowing just 1.4 yards per carry, but their offense struggled, crossing the halfway line just three times. Quarterback play let the Red Raiders down as their offense simply couldn't compete. Behren Morton completed 56% of his passes for 137 yards and Texas Tech were held to 78 yards rushing, when their defense held Oregon to just 64, a meagre 1.4 yards per carry.
Expect the Red Raiders to invest significantly in the quarterback position in the close season. "The Athletic" reports that Texas Tech are favourites to land Cincinnati's Brendan Sorsby, considered the top available quarterback in the transfer portal.
The Ducks may need to revisit the portal to replace their impressive quarterback Dante Moore, who calmly steered Oregon's offense, completing 26 of 33 passes for 234 yards, passing to 11 different receivers.
Dan Lanning took Texas Tech on, aggressive in his play-calling, going for fourth down conversions eight times, of which Oregon converted four. The pick was punter James Ferguson-Reynolds' 11-yard pass to linebacker Teitum Tuoti on a fake punt trick play.
A year on from their humbling by Ohio State in the 2024 quarter-final, Oregon are a step closer to winning their first national championship. The Ducks haven't lost since their 30-20 defeat to Indiana in Eugene on 11th October. They will need to be on their game for the revenge encounter at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta on 9th January.
No.1 Indiana thrashes No.9 Alabama, 38-3
Quite simply, Indiana blew Alabama away. The most surprising element is that it wasn't a surprise. Two seasons ago, Indiana won just two games. Now, they are two games away from lifting a national championship that would unquestionably make their rise the story of the season, if not the decade.
The Hoosiers entered the game as favourites to win by at least one touchdown. Indiana have impressed all season, from their 63-point demolition of Illinois, defeat of Oregon on the road and Big Ten title triumph of then-No.1 Ohio State. Alabama, by comparison, hobbled into the Playoff with three defeats and a convincing defeat by Georgia in the SEC championship game.
Alabama were held to under 200 yards of total offense, just 23 on the ground. Ty Simpson, impressive for large parts of the season, was under immense pressure, throwing for just 67 yards before being forced off with injury. His backup, Austin Mack added some initial impetus, with 103 passing yards but the Crimson Tide were limited to just a field goal.
The game's key moment saw Hoosiers cornerback D'Angelo Ponds sack Simpson, knocking the ball loose to give Indiana the ball back on their 42-yard line. They capitalised with an 11-play drive that put them 17-0 up and given their dominant defense, practically out of sight.
Indiana were extremely impressive and deserve their No.1 billing. Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza threw for three touchdowns and completed 87% of his passes while the Hoosiers racked up 215 rushing yards with touchdowns for Kaelon Black and Roman Hemby.
The curse of the first-round bye has been heavily reported. Until Indiana's convincing victory, teams with a first-round bye in the expanded Playoff were yet to win a game in six attempts.
Curt Cignetti became the first coach to end this run. Since his hiring from James Madison two years ago, he has taken a three-win team to an 11-win season in his first year and currently an unbeaten 14-0 record in Year Two. Don't bet against him ending Indiana's long wait for a first national championship if they can repeat their early season win over Oregon in the semi-final. What a story that would be.
No.6 Ole Miss outlasts No.3 Georgia, 39-34
Chants of "Hotty Toddy" rang out in the New Orleans Superdome as Ole Miss fans revelled in their stunning 39-34 upset win over perennial contender Georgia.
Former Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin's departure for LSU days after the end of the regular season threatened to snuff out a promising season for the Rebels. Instead, his awkward exit appears to have lit a fire under his old team.
Teams with a point to prove and continued momentum are dangerous in a Playoff situation. Ole Miss trailed by two touchdowns at the half. With stiffened resolve post-Kiffin's exit and under the guidance of new head coach and former defensive coordinator Pete Golding, the Rebels fought back to avenge their only loss of the season, a 43-35 defeat to Georgia in Athens on 18th October.
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was superb. The transfer from Division II Ferris State has been one of the stories of the season and flourished under smart play calling from offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. He completed 30 of 46 passes for 362 yards and two touchdowns and completed 13 straight passes with a highlight reel play escaping advancing Georgia defenders with exceptional footwork.
Receivers Harrison Wallace and De'Zhaus Stribling combined for 278 receiving yards and Kewan Lacy returned from injury to run in two touchdowns and produce 110 total yards of offense. Kicker Lucas Carneiro was perfect on all three field goals attempted, for 55, 56 and 47 yards, the latter clinching the win with nine seconds remaining. Under the Superdome roof, he looked like he could have converted from 70 yards.
Georgia have built momentum all season and in Gunner Stockton, have some competitor at quarterback. Bulldogs fans will hope he returns next year. Stockton was game in the face of an aggressive Ole Miss defense, completing 18 of 30 passes for 203 yards and a touchdown.
Georgia will return, but the spotlight belongs to Ole Miss, who look menacing with a chip on their shoulder. The 13-1 Rebels take on Miami for a chance to compete for their first national championship in 65 years.
College Football Playoff semi-final line up
Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
Thursday 8th January 2026, 7.30pm ET
No.10 Miami vs. No.6 Ole Miss
State Farm Stadium - Glendale, Arizona.
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Friday 9th January 2026, 7.30pm ET
No. 5 Oregon vs. No.1 Indiana
Mercedes-Benz Stadium - Atlanta, Georgia.
Saturdays Under The Lights
Our recap of all the latest action is available on the Saturdays Under The Lights podcast.
Wow what an amazing series of results … great to see the underdogs coming through .. is it the new money and will this have longer term impacts … just like watching the Leicester City glory season … who are you tipping now following the demolition of Crimson Tide