Tag: college football playoff

Washington survives Texas’ last-minute comeback try for CFP semifinal win

Washington kept its undefeated season intact Monday, and now the Huskies will get a chance to face Michigan for the national championship.

Michael Penix Jr. threw for over 400 yards and two touchdowns to outduel Quinn Ewers as they held off a late Texas rally to win the Sugar Bowl, 37-31 on Monday night.

Washington had a nine-point lead late in the fourth quarter.


Michael Penix Jr. threw for two touchdowns in Washington’s Sugar Bowl win. Getty Images

Even after Texas kicked a field goal to trim their deficit to six, the Huskies recovered the onside kick and just needed a first down to secure a spot in the national championship.

But a Washington injury on third down, a costly penalty on the ensuing punt gave Texas a chance.

The Huskies’ defense allowed Texas to march down the field but kept them out of the end zone.

The Huskies and Longhorns traded touchdowns in the first half and were tied at 21 after 31 minutes, but Washington outscored Texas, 10-0, in the third quarter to take control. 


Quinn Ewers reacts after a costly fumble during Texas' loss to Washington on Monday.
Quinn Ewers reacts after a costly fumble during Texas’ loss to Washington on Monday. Getty Images

Texas pulled within six points after a late field goal with less than 90 seconds remaining, but Washington recovered the ensuing onside kick.

The Huskies, as the No. 2 seed, will now have a chance to win the program’s first national championship since 1991.

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Georgia’s Kirby Smart matches Nick Saban’s elusive Alabama feat

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — A year ago, Kirby Smart became just the second of Nick Saban’s assistant coaches to beat him. On Monday, Smart became perhaps the first coach since Saban re-entered college football back in 2007 who can lay claim to owning the sport in the way he has for so long. 

Each and every time someone has looked likely to put a halt to Alabama’s year-over-year dominance, Saban endured and his opposition faded. There was Dabo Swinney’s Clemson, which twice beat Alabama in national title games, but sans-Trevor Lawrence hasn’t made it back to the playoff. There was Jimbo Fisher’s Florida State and Urban Meyer’s Ohio State. Ever so briefly, there was Ed Orgeron’s LSU. All success stories. None relevant for nearly as long as Saban’s Alabama. 

Now? Smart has done what no one could since Saban all the way back in 2011 and ’12. He’s won two straight national titles, the second of those coming on Monday night at SoFi Stadium with a 65-7 mauling of TCU. Alabama’s season finished all the way back on New Year’s Day with a victory in the Cotton Bowl, the sort of game long rendered irrelevant by the standard Saban has set in Tuscaloosa. 

Kirby Smart celebrates after Georgia’s national championship win.
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Nick Saban was the last coach to win two straight national titles.
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Alabama will be back, of course. Saban hauled in the No. 2 recruiting class in the nation last month, and no one in their right mind expects the Tide to go down easy. But at least as of Tuesday morning, it’s Smart whose program sets college football’s standard. 

“The disease that creeps into your program is called entitlement. I’ve seen it firsthand,” Smart said, not an hour after reaching the mountaintop. “If you can stomp it out with leadership, then you can stay hungry. And we have a saying around our place: We eat off the floor. And if you’re willing to eat off the floor, then you can be special.” 

That might as well be the Saban of yesteryear talking. 

“He gets everything out of us,” receiver Kearis Jackson said of Smart. “We’re all on scholarship and he’s gonna get that scholarship out of us.” 

This national championship game domination looked remarkably like Saban’s 42-14 shellacking of Notre Dame in 2012, another decimation that delivered a back-to-back title. 

That one saw Alabama cement itself as the center of the sport. This one saw Georgia take up the Crimson Tide’s mantle, with Saban relegated to sitting and watching as an ESPN analyst. Right down to players citing imaginary doubters postgame, though, this was a work of art out of Saban’s book. 

“Really just instilling in us that we’re not gonna be hunted here at the University of Georgia,” right tackle Warren McClendon told The Post about Smart’s impact. “We’re gonna be the ones doing the hunting. And we’re gonna be the aggressors and we’re gonna come at our opponents every week.” 

At Smart’s Georgia, that’s the right mindset to have against anyone. Sonny Dykes’ TCU, certainly. And yes, even Saban’s Alabama.

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Bahamas Bowl odds and pick

Seasoned bettors will know that weird stuff tends to happen at the Bahamas Bowl.

In fact, a few may shudder at the mere mention of the 2018 edition of this game between Florida International University (FIU) and Toledo, which has gone down in betting infamy thanks to a ridiculously bad beat for Under 57 bettors. 

In that contest, FIU led 28-25 with less than 50 seconds left and just needed a first down to end the game. Instead, FIU scored to make it 35-25 and gave the ball back to Toledo, who would hit a last-second Hail Mary pass to make it 35-31. Initially, the refs said that play ended the game, but they put two seconds back on the clock and allowed Toledo to kick the PAT, which burned basically every under ticket that was available from the time the market opened.

Will this year’s Bahamas Bowl bring more betting chaos? The game is slated to begin at 11:30 a.m. ET on Friday, being broadcasted on ESPN.

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Miami (Oh) RedHawks wide receiver Mac Hippenhammer
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Miami (Ohio) vs. UAB prediction

It’s hard to imagine a more appropriate way to begin bowl season than an 11:30 a.m. ET kick-off between a pair of 6-6 teams in the Bahamas. That’s right, baby, break out the Pina Coladas and sunblock because the UAB Blazers and Miami (Ohio) Redhawks are ready to get this party started. 

The first thing that stands out in this game is that bettors are dealing with a pretty big spread in a game with a low total. At the time of writing, UAB is a 10.5-point favorite but the Over/Under is sitting at just 44.5 points and has ticked down already.

And it makes sense that scoring could be at a premium in this contest. For one thing, the wind in the Bahamas looks like it could play a part in the passing game for both teams. At the time of writing, the forecast is calling for winds around 10 MPH. Still, Mother Nature is particularly unpredictable in the West Indies, so if you notice the total crash, you’ll know the wind is expected to pick up.

The on-field matchup also looks like it ticks a lot of boxes for a play on the under. 

For one thing, both of these offenses move at a snail’s pace — Miami ranks 109th in seconds per play, and UAB is 119th. Additionally, both coaching staffs want to keep the ball on the ground, which keeps the clock moving. UAB rushes the ball 62.8% of the time, which is the 10th-highest mark in the nation, while Miami ranks 25th at 58.8%. 

UAB Blazers quarterback Dylan Hopkins
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Furthermore, neither offense seems to be set up to put up some crooked numbers on Friday. Miami’s offense ranks 99th in passing success rate, 129th in rushing success rate, and 111th in finishing drives so it won’t be able to take advantage of a pedestrian UAB defense, and the Blazers will be going up against a stout Redhawks unit that was 20th in rushing success rate and 10th in finishing drives. Miami struggled to stop the pass, but that shouldn’t be a huge deal against a team that runs the ball like it’s going out of style.

What better way to start bowl season than a bet on the Under 44.5 in a game in the Bahamas?

Miami (Ohio) vs. UAB pick

Under 44.5 (FanDuel)

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Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker out for season with torn ACL

Volunteers star quarterback Hendon Hooker will miss the rest of the college football season with a torn ACL, Tennessee announced in a statement.

Hooker went down with the injury during the fourth quarter of a 63-38 loss against South Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium. The potential NFL draft pick limped back to the locker room after needing assistance getting off the field.

The redshirt senior helped revive a failing Volunteers football team and transformed Tennessee (9-2) into the No. 9 team in the country and a College Football Playoff contender.

“Hendon’s incredible journey has been defined by faith, perseverance and strength,” Tennessee said in the statement. “Obstacles have never stood in the way on his path to greatness.”

Hooker cemented himself as one the best Tennesee QBs of all time by putting up Heisman Trophy-worthy numbers in 2022. The senior notched 3,135 yards with 27 touchdowns. He also averaged an 89.6 quarterback rating — the second-best in college football.

Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker (5) is assisted off the field after suffering an injury.
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Backup quarterback Joe Milton replaced Hooker on Saturday. The Tennessee senior will likely start against Vanderbilt next weekend.



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Tennessee, Ohio State, Georgia, Clemson

Tennessee, Ohio State, Georgia, and Clemson were the top four teams in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season released Tuesday night, four days before the Volunteers and Bulldogs square off on the field.

Michigan was fifth, followed by Alabama and unbeaten TCU.

Tennessee is No. 1 in the CFP rankings for the first time, starting ahead of a group of teams that have become regulars at the top of the selection committee’s top 25. The Volunteers have already beaten the Crimson Tide and LSU, which was ranked 10th.

Tennessee has been one of the season’s biggest surprises, starting the season unranked in the AP poll and jumping out to an 8-0 start for the first time since the Vols won their last national title in 1998.

“We’ve tried to enjoy the journey,” second-year Tennessee coach Josh Heupel told ESPN. “Three years ago, it didn’t look like this.”

Heupel took over after Jeremy Pruitt was fired following a 3-7 season.

Jaylen Wright celebrates during unbeaten Tennessee’s win over Kentucky.
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Only one team that has been No. 1 in the committee’s initial rankings has not made the playoff, but only about half the teams in first top four managed to finish there.

The committee began its weekly in-person meetings at hotel in Grapevine, Texas, on Monday and revealed the first of six weekly rankings.

The final rankings that set the CFP field of four are set for Dec. 4. The 13-person panel is led by a first-time chairman Boo Corrigan, the athletic director of North Carolina State.

Corrigan said there was some consideration for Ohio State and Georgia as No. 1, but Tennessee’s victories against Alabama and at LSU won the day.

C.J. Stroud
USA TODAY Sports

The Buckeyes’ explosive offense and overall dominance gave them a slight edge on Georgia.

He said Michigan’s weak nonconference schedule (Hawaii, Colorado State and Connecticut) and Clemson’s 5-0 record against teams with winning records gave the Tigers the nod for the fourth spot.

“The wins at Wake (Forest), at Florida State, over N.C. State, over Syracuse, really did push (Clemson) over the top,” Corrigan said.

Oregon was eighth followed by Pac-12 rival Southern California at ninth.

The highest ranked team from outside the Power Five conferences was Tulane at No. 19. The highest ranked champion from the Group of Five conferences earns a spot in New Year’s Six bowl.

The CFP semifinals are scheduled to be played at the Fiesta and Peach Bowls on Dec. 31, with the championship game set for Jan. 9 in Inglewood, California.

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