College Football Championship Weekend Recap: Chaos, Upsets & Playoff Seeds Set

College Football Championship Weekend Recap: Conference Title Winners, Playoff Implications

College Football Championship Weekend delivered exactly as promised, chaos, heartbreak, and huge national implications.

Sun Belt Championship — James Madison vs. Troy

James Madison 31, Troy 14

As both teams came out of the gate with their offenses stalling, JMU finally punched the clock late in the first quarter and only let Troy mount a sustained comeback on their next drive before a dominant final quarter to seal the deal. The win cements JMU’s rapid rise since joining the FBS and puts them squarely in the Group-of-Five conversation for major postseason placement at the 12 and final seed in the playoffs.

American Athletic Championship — Tulane vs. North Texas

Tulane 34, North Texas 21

After both teams took an extended drive on their first possession for a TD, Tulane was able to tighten up and pull away from North Texas. The Green Wave’s conference title and their resume for a top G5 bowl slot was achieved as they earned the 11 slot in the playoffs.

Big 12 Championship — Texas Tech vs. BYU

Texas Tech 34, BYU 7

Texas Tech’s offense clicked in phases while the defense turned up the pressure, turning the Big 12 title game into another statement win. A dominant performance that kept Tech in the first round byes at the 4 seed in the playoffs, and left BYU with a tough offseason of questions as the missed out on the playoffs thanks to two losses at the hands of the Red Raiders.

SEC Championship — Georgia vs. Alabama

Georgia 28, Alabama 7

Bama was unable to beat the Bulldogs twice away from home as they faced timely third down stops and clutch scoring drives by Georgia. However, both teams were able to still secure a spot in the playoffs with Georgia getting the first round bye at the 3 seed and Alabama hanging onto their pre Championship weekend 9 seed and a road first round playoff game.

Big Ten Championship — Indiana vs. Ohio State

Indiana 13, Ohio State 10

In a heavyweight clash worthy of its billing Indiana ground out a low scoring defensive battle and stole the Big Ten title with a field goal that the Buckeyes missed a chance to tie with a missed 4th quarter field goal of their own. The Hoosiers’ perfect record moved them into the number one playoff seed but the loss only dropped Ohio State to the number two spot in the bracket.

ACC Championship — Duke vs. Virginia

Duke 27, Virginia 20 (OT)

In perhaps one of the weekend’s biggest upsets, Duke delivered a balanced, efficient performance to outmaneuver Virginia in overtime, using timely play calling and a couple of explosive plays to secure the ACC crown and the program’s biggest win of the season. This left the ACC champs out of the playoffs altogether but instead of keeping the ACC to a regular bowl game, Miami was promoted in the rankings to the 10 seed, even while having the week off and pregame sitting behind the now left out Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Playoff Rankings Update: Backlash Builds After Notre Dame Drops

The newest playoff rankings released yesterday did not come without controversy.

The biggest headline? Notre Dame’s drop, a move that has sparked immediate backlash from fans and analysts across the country. Critics argue that the Irish were punished too severely compared to teams with similar resumes, and the committee’s explanation hasn’t exactly cooled tempers.

Since they are an independent football team they are ineligible to play in a championship game and it seemed to cost them while they had sat ahead of Miami (who beat the Irish in week 1) for weeks in the playoff rankings. And while Miami also did not play in a championship game they somehow jumped Notre Dame in the standings, again, raising questions about the committee.

With huge conference championship results in play, and the outrage from fanbases growing louder, the final bracket is set.

Top 4 Seeds (First-Round Byes):

1. Indiana

2. Ohio State

3. Georgia

4. Texas Tech

5–8 Seeds (Host First-Round Games):

5. Oregon

6. Ole Miss

7. Texas A&M

8. Oklahoma

9–12 Seeds (Travel to First-Round Games):

9. Alabama

10. Miami

11. Tulane

12. James Madison

First-Round Matchups:

• (12) James Madison at (5) Oregon

• (11) Tulane at (6) Ole Miss

• (10) Miami at (7) Texas A&M

• (9) Alabama at (8) Oklahoma

Pregame Sports Bar Crawl: Las Vegas Edition

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