If any of you have questioned why I have authority to write a blog, I would like to point out that I went 3/4 on my first round picks this year and am currently ranked right around 200,000 in the ESPN bracket pool. Not too shabby if you ask me.
Alabama at Oklahoma
The 2025 College Football Playoff started off with a bang with the Friday night showdown between the Crimson Tide and the Sooners. A rematch of the mid-November game in Tuscaloosa, Alabama looked to get revenge for their only home loss of the year. Meanwhile, Oklahoma looked to keep it rolling as they came into the game winners of four straight. Alabama hadn’t lost to the same team twice in one season since the 19th century, and Oklahoma looked to spoil that streak.
The game started slowly as an early Sooner drive stalled, and Alabama’s offense picked up right where it left off two weeks ago—stuck in the mud. Alabama’s first three possessions resulted in just nine plays, 12 yards, and a whopping four minutes and four seconds off the clock. Meanwhile, John Mateer was putting on a show for the home crowd, one the likes of which hadn’t been seen since before his hand surgery. Two medium-length darts, capped off by an eight-yard designed run, saw Mateer strut into the end zone to give Oklahoma a 7–0 lead. A bad punt soon after led to good field position and resulted in a field goal, making it 10–0. Mateer then orchestrated another 63-yard drive that was capped off by a seven-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Sategna to put the Sooners up 17–0.
The Palace on the Prairie could not have been more rocking. Alabama still looked stuck offensively, while Oklahoma seemed to have turned a corner in finding ways to move the ball and score. Lotzier Brooks decided to come alive and announce his presence to the Oklahoma defense—and the Alabama offense, for that matter. Brooks had three catches for 44 yards, capped off a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. His final catch came on a crucial fourth-and-two from the Oklahoma 10-yard line. Catching the ball right at the sticks, Brooks unleashed a series of jukes and jabs to wind his way into the end zone and put the Tide on the board.
Oklahoma’s offense then stalled after an early first down, and a dropped snap on the punt out of nowhere set Alabama up with prime field position. Oklahoma’s stout defense held strong and forced a 35-yard field goal, keeping a touchdown between them and the Tide. With the ball and the lead and just over two minutes until halftime, Oklahoma looked poised to close the half with control and head to the locker room firmly in charge.
Except that didn’t happen. In fact, the worst possible thing happened for the Sooners.
On second-and-13, Mateer dropped back and fired to the short side of the field looking for Keontez Lewis. The problem was that Mateer threw a hitch while Lewis ran a go route. Alabama defensive back Zabien Brown read it perfectly and capitalized on the communication miscue. Brown took it 50 yards to the house, swinging all the momentum to the Crimson Tide.
Lotzier Brooks stayed hot in the second half, hauling in a 30-yard dime from Ty Simpson on Alabama’s second possession of the third quarter to give the Tide a 24–17 lead. At that point, Alabama had scored 24 unanswered points and showed no signs of slowing down. A field goal on their next possession made it 27–17, and thanks to two Oklahoma three-and-outs, Alabama had rattled off 27 straight points and taken a chokehold on the game.
With 15 minutes left, it was do-or-die time for Oklahoma. They needed a score, or time would become their biggest enemy. Mateer picked himself up and rose to the occasion, leading a 75-yard, eight-play drive capped off by a 37-yard touchdown pass. The energy returned to the stadium, and the crowd had reason to believe again. A stop could put Oklahoma right back in position to take the lead.
After giving up a long pass to start the drive, a huge sack on third down was exactly what the Sooners needed. The defense had done its job and handed the ball back to the offense.
The offense didn’t want it.
They gained one yard on three plays and punted it right back to Alabama.
That punt didn’t make it out of Oklahoma territory, giving Alabama a short field that they turned into six just four plays later. Now down 34–24 with under 10 minutes to play, Oklahoma needed to move quickly. Unfortunately, the problem that plagued them all season returned at the worst possible time. Their offense couldn’t find any rhythm. A three-and-out featured a massive sack on Mateer, forcing another punt. A promising drive on the next possession stalled inside the red zone. Still, down 10, a field goal would help.
Tate Sandell had been reliable all year, entering the game 23-for-24, with his lone miss coming back in September.
He missed.
With no timeouts remaining, that miss felt like the nail in the coffin. It didn’t matter that Alabama failed to gain more yards and punted again. It didn’t even matter when Sandell missed another kick. Alabama could simply run out the clock and shift its focus to Indiana and the Rose Bowl.
While I’m not surprised by the outcome, I am surprised by the road that got us there. The drastically different starts from each team weren’t on my bingo card. I expected Alabama to start slowly, but Oklahoma hadn’t shown anything to suggest they would start fast. Offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle threw the kitchen sink in the first quarter, and it worked. Whether he got conservative afterward or Alabama’s defense adjusted is hard to say. Alabama struggled to generate pressure early while rushing four, but those same four were getting home consistently in the second half. It almost felt like Oklahoma ran out of gas midway through the second quarter.
Alabama, meanwhile, started exactly as expected. They had -3 rushing yards in the first half and were only tied thanks to a blocked punt and a defensive touchdown. Without those, they’re likely down double digits. Something clicked in the second half as the Tide ripped off their longest run since playing ULM—though it was still only 30 yards. Ty Simpson never looked fully comfortable, missing wide-open receivers, and Alabama’s pass catchers must have coated their gloves in baby oil. Open, covered—it didn’t matter. Balls were hitting their hands and bouncing off all night.
Speaking of Alabama receivers, Ryan Williams needs to be studied. Williams had three targets, one catch, and five yards, along with at least one drop. His disappearance is mind-boggling. From one of the most explosive players in the country to a complete non-factor in a playoff game is stunning. Germie Bernard also finished with just three catches. If not for Horton and Brooks, Alabama’s season would already be over.
Credit where it’s due—Alabama was the better team. But they have some serious soul-searching to do before their next matchup. It’s wild to see a Kalen DeBoer–led team struggle this much offensively. As DeBoer prepares to face the program that gave him his first Power Five coordinator job, he needs to iron out the issues quickly—or risk getting exposed once again on the biggest stage.
Miami at Texas A&M
Saturday started with what was supposed to be a great first-round matchup. Instead, I think I watched paint dry for three and a half hours. Two teams that came in with no offensive problems seemed destined for a high-powered battle in College Station. That was not the case.
The first half featured an array of different ways drives can end with no points. Two missed field goals by Miami, a blocked field goal that cost Texas A&M three points, a Texas A&M fumble, a failed fake punt by the Aggies, and seven total punts left the game tied 0–0 at halftime. There was a little wind blowing in Texas, but the way the kickers were affected by it, you would’ve thought they were kicking in a hurricane. Overall, the first half was just bad football — very few first downs, and the offensive schemes and execution were lacking for a game of this caliber.
The second half started slightly better, as Miami finally drove down the field and made a 21-yard field goal to put the first points of the game on the board. Texas A&M then got behind the sticks early on their next drive, which forced a very predictable passing situation on third down. Quarterback Marcell Reed was pressured and threw a very untimely interception — the first of the game. It ended up not costing the Aggies, however, as Miami went on to miss yet another field goal. Are we still sure they should’ve gotten in over Notre Dame?
Each team punted again — because we clearly hadn’t seen enough of that — before Texas A&M finally showed its first signs of life offensively. They put together a 16-play drive that barely reached the red zone, but nonetheless converted the field goal to tie the game at 3–3 with just over eight and a half minutes to play.
Freshman standout Malachi Toney then made what he thought would be a season-costing mistake. Fighting for extra yards, he was stripped and lost the football, fumbling it to the Aggies. While his offensive teammates consoled him on the sideline, Miami’s defense was determined not to let that mistake end their season. Five plays later, Texas A&M punted and gave the ball right back.
That’s when Mark Fletcher Jr. entered the chat.
To be fair, before that final drive he had already rushed for nearly 100 yards, but on this possession — while the camera repeatedly panned to his mother in the crowd — Fletcher simply could not be stopped. Sixty-five yards later, he had Miami at the Texas A&M 11-yard line with just under two minutes remaining. And then, to complete the full-circle moment, Malachi Toney redeemed himself, taking a pop pass from Carson Beck up the sideline and inside the pylon for six. The first touchdown of the game came with under two minutes to play.
Texas A&M wasn’t dead yet, and Reed was determined to make it interesting. Thanks to a prevent defense and a roughing-the-passer penalty, the Aggies marched all the way down to the Miami five-yard line. With plenty of time left, the one thing Reed couldn’t afford to do was take a sack with no timeouts remaining.
On third-and-goal, Reed dropped back and tried to force a pass into a tight window. The throw wasn’t his best and ended up underthrown, right into the hands of Miami defensive back Bryce Fitzgerald for his second interception of the day.
Given how Reed looked all game, once they reached close quarters late, there was little doubt in my mind that any throw into the end zone was going to be intercepted. Reed never looked comfortable and was unable to connect with KC Concepcion for the big play they needed. Credit Miami’s defense, but in my eyes this was more about offensive failure than defensive dominance.
Miami now moves on to face Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. They’re likely aware that another performance like this from Carson Beck will result in a lopsided loss. His 103 passing yards were by far the fewest he’s had all season, and only the third time he failed to eclipse 200 yards. Mark Fletcher Jr. is truly the only reason Miami won this game, and that formula won’t work against Ohio State.
Texas A&M, meanwhile, limped to the finish line, losing its final two games of the season. What began as a promising year ends the same way the last 15 have — disappointment and an inability to win the big game. I’ve made it clear I don’t think Miami will advance, and I didn’t think Texas A&M would either, but being the second home team to lose a playoff game this year has to sting deeply for Aggie boosters and donors.
Tulane at Ole Miss
Saturday afternoon brought exactly what everyone was expecting: a blowout. Ole Miss hit the gas early, scoring a touchdown less than a minute into the game. They followed it up with another score after intercepting Jake Retzlaff. The Rebels’ offense then shifted into a coasting mode for the rest of the first half, and despite a late red-zone fumble, Ole Miss entered the break with a 17–3 lead.
It only got worse for the Green Wave after halftime, as Ole Miss scored on its first four possessions of the second half. Before Tulane knew it, they were down 41–3. This marked the second time this season that Tulane suffered a lopsided loss to Ole Miss.
Retzlaff was able to add a touchdown for the Green Wave on a 29-yard pass to Justyn Reid, but it was far too little and far too late. Ole Miss ran the clock out on its next possession to secure a 41–10 win and set up a rematch with Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
This result surprised no one and may become one of the key examples used by the CFP committee when discussing future format changes. Even as the American Conference champion, Tulane had little business being in this playoff. This isn’t to say the game was unsafe for the players, but there was never a realistic belief they could win. Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall is now off to Florida, where he’ll hope for better luck against Ole Miss.
Ole Miss looked sharp despite the long layoff and the absence of Lane Kiffin. Trinidad Chambliss left the game in the first half after a big hit but returned in the second half and produced solid numbers. Kewan Lacey also exited briefly before returning for limited action. The extended week-and-a-half break before the Sugar Bowl should give the Rebels plenty of time to get healthy for Georgia.
Tulane ends its season on a sour note and now faces a rebuild after losing both its head coach and quarterback. Many Tulane fans feel the 2022 team was stronger than this year’s squad, yet this team still reached the playoff—only to be handled once again by Ole Miss.
James Madison at Oregon
James Madison looked to do what Ole Miss couldn’t: beat someone they had no business playing. Oregon scored on its opening drive, going 68 yards on just four plays. James Madison answered by producing its longest drive of the year, marching 63 yards over 15 plays. However, the Dukes’ drive stalled and resulted in a field goal. James Madison head coach Bob Chesney knew he needed to match Oregon’s touchdowns, which led to more aggressive play-calling on that opening possession. The Dukes went for it successfully twice and ultimately opted to kick the field goal rather than try for it a third time.
The problem with Chesney’s approach was what came next—Oregon’s offense doing exactly what everyone expected. The Ducks scored on their first five drives, none of which lasted more than five plays. Before the Dukes knew what had hit them, they were down 35–3, and there was no realistic path back into the game.
Just as a very smart blog writer predicted, Oregon called off the dogs in the second half and pulled most of its starters midway through the third quarter. That allowed James Madison to pile on points late. Three touchdowns on the Dukes’ final three possessions made the score look more respectable at 51–34, but the game was never that close.
Dante Moore looked every bit like the future first overall pick Mel Kiper has projected him to be. Oregon’s defense may raise some questions, but it’s difficult to tell how much of that was a lack of effort versus conserving energy for the next round.
James Madison closed out the best season in its young FBS history. No JMU fan was shocked by the result in Eugene, but that doesn’t make it any less disappointing. A Sun Belt title and a College Football Playoff appearance as the first Sun Belt team to ever make the field is a major accomplishment and something the program can build on.
Oregon now travels to the Orange Bowl to take on Texas Tech, setting up a compelling matchup between a high-powered offense and a strong defense.
The College Football Playoff Bracket
Orange Bowl- Oregon vs, Texas Tech: Oregon
Rose Bowl- Alabama vs. Indiana: Alabama
Sugar Bowl- Ole Miss vs. Georgia: Georgia
Cotton Bowl- Miami vs. Ohio State: Ohio State
Games this Week
Big week for Will’s Corner, as Washington State takes on Utah State on Monday in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, and BYU faces Georgia Tech in the Pop-Tarts Bowl next Saturday. Stay tuned for the second-to-last installment of Will’s Corner.
I’d love to hear from readers, too. Think my takes are dumb? Want my opinion on something I missed? Email me at thecollegefootblog@gmail.com.
