When the College Football Playoff committee elected to dismiss undefeated Florida State in favor of one-loss Texas and Alabama, the apparent goal was to have the best possible matchups for Monday’s two semifinal games. If that was indeed the case, as many have speculated, then the committee got what they wanted and then some.
Both games came down to the final play. Both games were decided by a touchdown. Both games were played in some of college football’s most historic bowl games – the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans for Washington and Texas, and, “The Granddaddy of Them All,” the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. for Michigan and Alabama.
The Rose Bowl was always going to be a good game – even the bad matchups are made good by the pageantry and mystique at the Mecca of the sport. It was rough sledding by both teams for much of the game with plenty of miscues to be seen, but the fourth quarter and overtime periods turned a slopfest into a near-classic.
Though it seemed like the lights were once again too bright for Michigan after frequent special teams mistakes and quarterback JJ McCarthy doing everything in his power to turn the ball over in the first quarter, the Wolverines soon settled in and proved to be the better team on the field. It just so happened that Alabama was able to capitalize on those mistakes to make it an interesting affair. Once Bama quarterback Jalen Milroe, who was marvelous down the stretch after being benched following the Crimson Tide’s loss to Texas in Week 2, fumbled near midfield, the proverbial tide began to turn in Michigan’s favor. The Wolverines tied the game on a late fourth quarter touchdown before taking the lead quickly in overtime. With the game on the line, Michigan dominated the line of scrimmage to tackle Milroe (on a questionable quarterback draw play call from the three-yard-line) to send the Wolverines to the National Championship game in Houston next week.
It’s always difficult for the Sugar Bowl to follow the Rose Bowl for numerous reasons, including the latter receiving the bulk of the coverage and the former always kicking off late due to the Rose Bowl’s ironclad 4 p.m. CT time slot to protect the renowned Rose Bowl sunset. Even though Texas and Washington had the potential to be the most entertaining bowl game of the season, it was an uphill battle due to the game kicking off after 8 p.m. The game ended just 10 minutes shy of midnight, which was even worse for those on the East Coast. I know I, for one, needed an extra cup of coffee Tuesday morning after it was all said and done.
But it delivered and then some.
Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. delivered one of the best performances by a college quarterback that I can remember, completing 29 of 38 of his passes for 430 yards and a pair of touchdown strikes. When Penix fired downfield to one of his talented receivers, such as Rome Odunze who may well be the second wide receiver taken in the upcoming NFL Draft, chances were that it was going to be a perfect throw and a strong catch. As NOLA.com’s Jeff Duncan put it, a quarterback wearing a gold helmet and jersey No. 9 slinging the ball in the Superdome? I’m not going to draw comparisons between Penix and Drew Brees, but that performance Monday was something fans in New Orleans have seen a time or two.
On the other side, Texas hung tough throughout the game despite not being able to come close to stopping Penix and the Washington pass attack. Quinn Ewers didn’t have his greatest performance as the Longhorns’ quarterback, but he made enough plays to put his team in position to win.
With one second left on fourth down with the game on the line, it was Washington who made the game-saving play on defense. Ewers’ 50/50 ball in the end zone to Adonai Mitchell was broken up on an excellent play by Elijah Jackson to secure a 37-31 victory for the Huskies.
The games may have been plenty exciting, but my only question is was it worth it?
Was it worth leaving out Florida State, who won each of their 13 games, including winning the ACC Championship with their third string quarterback? Was it worth setting the precedent that wins and losses don’t matter as much as what makes the best TV matchup? Was it worth permanently leaving a black eye on the four-team CFP?
Before you call me an idiot or a fool for saying a team that lost 63-3 in the Orange Bowl deserved to be a semifinalist, bear in mind that Florida State had 30 players that were either injured or opted out, including 14 starters – eight of which made up the Seminoles’ vaunted defense. Florida State was left out because their quarterback got hurt, and then their backup quarterback, who won a road game at rival Florida, transferred due to not being promised the starting job next season – which is now set to be former Clemson and Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei’s job.
It was the worst bowl loss in history, but that was not the same Florida State team that ran the gauntlet in 2023. It was a shell of itself. Would I have picked them to beat either Michigan or Washington? Probably not, but they certainly deserved that opportunity.
I won’t call this year’s champion illegitimate (despite the sign-stealing allegations against Michigan), but I won’t forget how those in Tallahassee, Fla. were mistreated in favor of cultivating a TV product.
