The eventual victor of the national title contest scheduled for January 19th will end a substantial period without a championship.
Among the four teams still competing in the College Football Playoff, the 10th-ranked Miami holds the distinction of being the most recent national champion. Their previous national victory occurred after the 2001 season, concluding with a dominant performance in the Rose Bowl.
Following Miami, the team with the next most recent championship is 6th-ranked Ole Miss. The Rebels assert their claim to the 1960 national title, achieved after a 10-0-1 season culminating in a 14-6 Sugar Bowl triumph against Rice.
As for the top-ranked Indiana and the 5th-ranked Oregon, neither squad possesses a national championship. It is certain that one of these programs will be contending for their inaugural school title.
Below is a brief overview of the semifinal games slated for January 8th and 9th.
Fiesta Bowl
No. 6 Ole Miss (13-1) vs. No. 10 Miami (12-2)
Jan. 8 | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN | Miami -3 | Total: 51.5
Despite Ole Miss having compensated for a prior regular-season defeat to Georgia with a 37-34 Sugar Bowl victory against the Bulldogs, the Hurricanes began as the initial favorites.
Miami overcame Texas A&M in the initial round and then defeated Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl on Wednesday evening, largely due to their unyielding pass rush. The question remains whether the Hurricanes can apply similar pressure to Trinidad Chambliss. Chambliss’s ability to elude defenders was clearly evident when facing Georgia, particularly in the latter half of the game, demonstrating his exceptional improvisational skills once he was forced out of the pocket by Georgia’s defensive line.
The Rebels’ triumph prevented Miami’s quarterback, Carson Beck, from having the chance to face his former squad for a spot in the national championship. However, based on the betting odds, an encounter with Ole Miss is perceived to offer Miami a stronger likelihood of advancing to the national title contest.
Peach Bowl
No. 1 Indiana (14-0) vs. No. 5 Oregon (13-1)
Jan. 9 | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN | Indiana -4 | Total: 46.5
Following their dominant 38-3 victory over Alabama in the Rose Bowl, the Hoosiers have emerged as the undisputed frontrunners for the national championship. Indiana’s odds to secure the national title are +130, placing them ahead of both Oregon and Miami, each at +300, and Ole Miss, which stands at +600.
Oregon achieved a 23-0 shutout against Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl. This marked the third shutout ever recorded in the College Football Playoff and the first such occurrence in almost a decade.
During the regular season, Indiana defeated Oregon by a score of 30-20. Due to Ole Miss’s matchups with Tulane and Georgia in the initial two rounds, a single rematch will have occurred within the first three rounds of this year’s playoff.
In the Ducks’ defeat back in October, Oregon’s quarterback Dante Moore was responsible for two interceptions, while the Hoosiers restricted Oregon to 267 yards across 64 offensive plays. Although Oregon’s victory against Texas Tech was notable, the margin could have been considerably wider. The Ducks’ offensive unit failed to capitalize on numerous scoring chances after advancing into Texas Tech’s half of the field.
