Coming into New Year’s day, the college football playoff committee was facing significant heat for its selection for this year’s playoffs. The Orange Bowl matchup between Georgia and Florida State was the first sign that the committee’s decision to leave the Seminoles out was correct, as Georgia won by sixty, the largest margin in Orange Bowl history. Still, many fans argued that the committee’s choices of Michigan, Washington, Texas, and Alabama were the wrong ones.
The semi-final games silenced the doubters. First, Michigan faced Alabama in the Rose Bowl. Michigan have long struggled in the playoffs, labeled as a team that just cannot handle the big stage. Yet, playing against Nick Saban’s Alabama, the most decorated program in all of college football, the Wolverines came up big. A huge game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter led by J.J Mccarthy forced the game into O.T. Michigan wanted the ball first, and running back Blake Corrum weaved through the Alabama defense for the go-ahead touchdown. This set the stage, Jalen Milroe’s chance to “let a naysayer know,” as his signature “LANK” phrase says. Yet, on fourth and goal from the three-yard line, the Michigan defense came up big, stuffing Milroe on an attempted QB draw. With that, all the playoff doubt around Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan was stifled, as the Wolverines head to Houston for the championship.
The Rose Bowl left huge shoes to fill entertainment-wise and the Sugar Bowl did not disappoint. The number two-ranked Washington Huskies faced off against the number three Texas Longhorns in what was a thrilling game. After a Washington stop on the first possession of the game, Michael Penix found Ja’Lynn Polk on a deep ball to blow the game wide open. This was foreshadowing as to what was ahead, as the first half ended 21-21, as neither team could pull away in what was an offensive shootout. However, in the third quarter, a Jalen Mcmillon touchdown followed by a Texas fumble and subsequent Grady Gross field goal put the Huskies up ten going into the fourth quarter. Another Gross field goal to open the fourth quarter further lengthened the Huskies’ lead. However, Texas failed to back down, and Quinn Ewers led the offense to a score, bringing the Longhorns within six. With just over a minute left on the clock Washington had the ball, holding a six-point lead. With Texas only having two timeouts the game looked all but over, yet a Dillon Johnson injury on third down stopped the clock, giving Quinn Ewers and the Longhorn offense one drive to send them to the National Championship. Having never led all game long, Texas now looked poised to score a touchdown and steal the win. With fifteen seconds left the Longhorns drove to the Washington fifteen. You could smell the blood in the water as the Huskie defense was clearly on the ropes. Yet, three consecutive stops left one second left on the clock and the Longhorns were in need of a miracle. Earlier in the fourth, Quinn Ewers had found Adonai Mitchel with a jump ball in the endzone. With the season on the line, the Longhorns went back to this play, as Ewers lofted one up to Mitchel as time expired. However, this time the Huskie defense was ready, as cornerback Elijah Jackson came up big to swat the ball out of bounds, sending the team in purple to the National title game.
