.... anyone watching?
Holy 
what a game!
CFB Semi's....
The Georgia/OK game was probably one of the best(entertaining) games I have watched in years. Too bad that a team had to lose. Just some good ole' smash mouth football.
Bama's D looking badass to start!
It was a tremendous game! Hoping the Clemson and Bama game will be as well. It’s starting out as a very hard hitting one.
ode
Georgia-Oklahoma was one of the best games I've seen all year! As hard hitting as both the defenses were, the
final score was 54-48!!!! I think the athletes these days are so big and quick and the offenses are so high-powered that even the best defenses have their hands full trying to stop them..... The winner of the 'Bama-Clemson game will have a tough time stopping Georgia, IMO.
Uh oh, Bama D is bringing it tonight folks!
Wasn’t expecting an all SEC final, but I’ll take it.
- Edited
Ugh to an all sec final, but kudos to UGA and Bama!
Okie/GA no defense. Okie hasn't shown all year they can stop anyone.
Big Ten 7-1 in bowls. 
The Big 10 had so many good teams this year that it was impossible for any of them to run the gauntlet.
Outside of the semi's, I was amazed at the performance of the UCF QB in the Peach Bowl. I honestly thought Auburn was unbeatable with a healthy Johnson and Stidham, but Milton put on a Johnny Manziel college style performance that was terrific to watch. The speed of the UCF defense also was outstanding in negating the Auburn long-ball style by not allowing the time for plays to develop.
johnnydoom playoff off 8 teams would have been interesting this year, if the formula included the top rated non power 5 team, that being ucf.....seems clear they would be a top 8 team.
- Edited
Congrats to UCF on a great season... beating the team who earlier this season bested the two teams competing for the national title... they definitely made a statement regarding them not being remotely considered for the playoffs despite having a perfect season and despite them beating some ranked teams in the process.
Oklahoma should've won that first game... they got away from the things that made them unbeatable during the regular season. Suspect play calling from the sidelines, playing nervous and tight that last quarter of the game. Despite a horrendous second half however they were still in a great position to win the game in the first overtime. Neither team showed much in the way of defense for most of the game.
But I give credit to Georgia for showing up in the second half, adjusting, and taking away all of Oklahoma's momentum.
The Bama game wasn't much in the way of entertainment, at least if you're not a Bama fan anyway. They looked sharp and I think it'll take a miraculous effort from Georgia to beat the team that showed up ready to play last night in that second game.
It'll be interesting to see if the committee entertains expanding the playoffs in the off season.
It seems there's definitely an argument to be made in favor of including a few more teams, at the very least.
Seems like every year we have a woulda-shoulda-coulda team that's left on outside looking in.
UCF might have been a contender......BUT we'll never know now.
This isn't a perfect system,but way better than the old BCS computer spitting model!
Some exciting games,best Rose Bowl in ages...just wish a Pac 12 team could've got their chit together for a whole
season and played in it....got that USC!
Anyway,'Bama came to play and play they did....not a real exciting game but a pretty impressive defense stand
by the Tide time after time.
I just don't know if Georgia has one more BIG game in them,but they will have home field advantage.
I think Saban wants to make for last year and they probably will win it all!
PA-PLAYA It'll be interesting to see if the committee entertains expanding the playoffs in the off season.
It is out of the committee's hands until the next contract with television and the bowls comes up in several more years. That little known provision was what won over the swing votes needed to finally implement the playoffs as we know them today. And I am 100% for expanding to 8 teams.
Hoping the final is a 100+ point shootout! Go Bulldawgs!
darpar Overall, I think the system works pretty well. UCF played a magnificent game, but there is no way of knowing if they would have survived a run through the Big 10 or SEC. I'm a University of Memphis (from the same conference as UCF) fan, and I can say with certainty that the teams in the AAC do not take the pounding that a team in the SEC does. Even though UCF has great talent and proved it on the field, the depth of their team was not tested to the level that the 4 teams in the playoffs were during the season. The pounding takes its toll. I think the only way to make it really fair would be to do away with conferences and randomize the schedule for each team at a given division level, but I wouldn't want to see the conference rivalries that help make the regular season so fun destroyed.
I agree.
A lot of people woke up this morning wondering if perhaps maybe UCF should've been in the playoffs after all...
Expanding to 6 or possibly 8 teams wouldn't (in my mind) delegitimize the process. But I don't think the committee should feel obligated to go above or beyond that. Pick 5 (or 7 teams), per the formula, and then pick the next two top teams in a wildcard game for the 6th (or 8th) selection.
I mean - this is a huge moneymaker for both the NCAA and these programs.
The current process is better than the former BCS process, but at the same time it could still be better. Fairer representation is not a bad thing. And if UCF makes it to the finals - then they obviously deserved to be there. I would have to think they would've given Bama a better game than Clemson last night.
JMO
If you're Oklahoma - you still gotta rely on the guy that got you there.
Huge play calling mistake on the sidelines those last two OT series,
And although I'm not a fan of Mayfield - had they trusted their QB and his gritty nature in that do-or-die situation - I think they would've prevailed.
I think their loss is on the head coach and his play calling.
ode It didn't look to me like it had a significant effect on his accuracy or strength, but only he, and perhaps his teammates know for sure. It looked to me like Oklahoma opened the game with a bunch of quick hitting plays to negate the aggression of the Georgia defense and, perhaps thinking Georgia would make halftime adjustments, came out in the second half with their more normal offense that allows plays time to develop (and for the aggressive Georgia defense to get to Mayfield). I think they may have under estimated the depth and stamina of the Georgia defense and thought they could wear them down. I have no way of knowing this, but that was my perception.
- Edited
It would be interesting to ponder how the outcome might've been had the OT rules in college football required the teams to move back to mid-field. Once teams get into the red-zone on offense - the quarterbacks' skills become much more demanding.... tighter coverage, smaller throwing areas because of tighter coverage, etc. and less risk-taking because they're automatically put in a field-goal situation, even if they fail to convert a first down play in their first OT possession.
But that's a different discussion for another day.
Credit UGA for making those adjustments in the second half, and getting back to their style of play, while taking away Oklahoma's momentum. I'm still nevertheless befuddled that they didn't trust their Heisman Trophy winner to make the plays needed in that last series in OT....
Also... I think the committee was desperately wanting an Oklahoma vs Alabama final.. they didn't get it. Now they're getting blowback with having 2 SEC teams competing for the national championship, and as a result - a sizable segment of the country will find the title game uninteresting.
Not that Bama and Georgia don't deserve to be there, but it just leads me to believe that they need further tweaking to the playoff process. Winning one game and beating one team to compete for the National Championship just doesn't seem like a representative process, to me anyway.
Would've loved to see what UCF could've done in these playoffs. Defense isn't something synonymous with the current era of college football success, and UCF's high-powered offense (imo) would've been entertaining to see.
5 days later
What a great final game!
Ballsy call by Saban to put the freshman QB in the second half.
Made all the difference as that kid from Hawaii has a gun for an arm.
Looks like the Bama dynasty isn't letting up anytime soon!
3 big plays on 3rd he scrambles avoiding 3 tacklers.and runs back around the left side of the line for a first. Go for it on 4th and goal and threads the needle. And of course the game.winner! I would say he's got a decent arm, showed ability to put the ball right where it needed to be,pretty darn accurate....and poised!
And Jalen didn't pout,he was right there helping out the backup!
Alabama squandered their first (excellent) drive to come away with no points, missed a game winning close-range field goal, took a huge sack on their first OT play (16yds!) and still won.
They whooped UGA in the 2nd half and still had a lot of self-inflicted wounds. Huge gamble bringing in the untested freshman but what a difference! Hopefully that makes every other coach shake a little imagining what they'll be next year too.
Great game, great and unlikely win. Taking that soul-crushing sack then immediately connecting on a monster pass to win was unreal.
- Edited
Great game and a fantastic move to swap quarterbacks. Hurts is a tremendous player with one weakness which Auburn and Georgia were able to exploit. He has the accuracy to make the throws, but for some reason doesn't have the confidence to throw into coverage, even single man coverage. Caution is a good thing when you play on a great team, but last night they needed to gamble and Saban made a big bet. I still think Hurts can develop as a passer, but it looks like he'll need to do it in a rotation from now on if one or the other doesn't transfer. I think Georgia is going to have the bigger issue as there is no value in rotating Eason and Fromm. Georgia definitely looks like they'll be around for awhile, but the two big backs are moving on. No matter which quarterback continues, I'm pretty confident they'll develop into even better players going forward.
I was surprised at how things turned out. I honestly thought there was a better chance that both Bama and Georgia would lose last weekend than that either or both would even be in the championship game. Georgia was better than I thought they were, and I expected Clemson to be much more formidable than they were. Next year should be interesting with Georgia and Alabama trying to figure out which good QB to move forward with, Clemson and Penn State having their QBs come back with more seasoning, and Oklahoma and Ohio State transitioning to new QBs.
- Edited
For starters... let's discount the notion that Kirby Smart and his team "choked." They did everything they needed to do to win the game. And although it's very difficult to find yourself in a national championship game, it's also worth noting that Georgia has recruited well and will (imo) be contenders in the coming years. Fromm is just a freshman, had a great game and will only get better in the next few years. Georgia isn't done by a long shot.
All of that said... Saban showed why he should be considered the best college head coach in college football history. He has a feel for the game, as was reinforced by his decision to put in a relative unknown backup in to secure his 5th national title game last night. Gutsy.... unafraid to take chances... knows his players... knows the situation... and is willing to take the blame for those type of gambles.
He's won 5 national championships in 10 seasons at Alabama. During those 10 seasons he's amassed 118 wins versus only 19 losses, which equals an astounding .861 winning percentage.
All credit to Saban for pulling out his 5th national championship, for understanding the situation he was in, for making such an extreme decision to put in a freshman QB after realizing his starting QB wasn't producing for his team. As in all of these situations as a head coach - you are resigned to either be the goat or the difference maker.
Nick Saban was the difference maker last night.
Congrats to Bama for a great win.
And congrats to the selection committee might also be in order. They knew Bama was one of the top 4 teams in college football and deserved to be included in the playoffs. Solid team, only one loss on the season, and great head coach running the program.
It was a great game. And thanks to college football this season for providing a lot of quality entertainment. I'd argue that college football has been more entertaining than professional football.
johnnydoom Hurts is a tremendous player
Admittedly I didn't watch all of their games, but I observed that Hurts' greatest strength was that he can run, and that means he might run, and that means he's not throwing against defenses designed to stop the pass. I do not recall many plays where he threw great passes.
I trust Saban to make the call, but it'd be very hard for me to think that the freshman isn't the way to go. Alabama with a genuinely skilled passer should terrify the rest of D1 Football. Hurts was good enough to succeed with a wealth of other advantages (great defense, great o line, great running game, compromised opposing defenses) and had great composure throughout, but never seemed like he really wanted to throw the ball very much.
Well, after some super exciting semi games I thought last night's game was a bit of a disappointment. I actually thought it was a bit on the boring side. So after staying up way too late watching the game I feel like chit. Bummer. 
- Edited
One of the better college national championship games as I've ever watched, quite honestly.
PA-PLAYA
Totally agree!
This game had a little bit of everything,hardnose defense on both sides,Georgia dominated the first half,
Bama took over the second half.
You had blown calls by the refs for BOTH sides,(it seems like that always happens,just part of the game).
You had some spectacular plays by FRESHMAN (kids) just out of high school....how's that even possible?
And Jalen Hurts is one classy dude team player!
Nick Saban,like him or hate him knows how to build a championship winning team.
College football is in a good spot right now!
Just wish USC would get their chit together and play in one of these finals again!