Boy oh boy, did we get a treat on New Year’s Day.
While two of the games were conventional blowouts, it was hard to take your eyes off of what happened at the Rose Bowl, where Indiana appeared to be fulfilling some sort of prophecy the way that they handled Alabama’s offense.
Then in the nightcap, chaos reigned supreme as defense was essentially optional but Kirby Smart finally met his match in terms of being cool, collected and making the necessary adjustments to win a wild one. Some may have guessed that could come at the hands of Mississippi, but very few would’ve also predicted that Lane Kiffin wouldn’t be involved.
Now we have two games to set up a national title which, while not the four many thought we would get, have created incredibly intriguing matchups.
Let’s take a look at the first of the two CFP semifinal matchups.
Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
#10 Miami (FL) vs. #6 Mississippi (Thursday, 7:30 PM ET – ESPN)
Anyone that saw this matchup incoming – kudos to you, because Around The Corn certainly did not. The Hurricanes have now stifled two Top 25 offenses in Texas A&M and Ohio State, while the Rebels have continued their offensive success sans Lane Kiffin in their victories over Tulane and Georgia. Neither was an expected outcome, but both programs have generally stuck to what has brought success during the regular season, so hindsight has diluted the level of surprise that initially followed the results. This is bound to be an entertaining affair – a chess match, you could say – between two teams that excel on opposite sides of the football.
Miami’s bet on Julian Sayin cracking under the pressure of its defensive ends in the Cotton Bowl proved to be a good one, as the 14-point hole that the Buckeyes dug themselves (in part due to Sayin’s pick six) in the first half was ultimately too much to overcome once the young quarterback began to settle down. It will be interesting to see whether the Hurricanes try to employ a similar strategy against the Rebels, who have allowed the fewest sacks in the SEC this season (18). That statistic is in part due to Trinidad Chambliss’s willingness to tuck it and run. Moreover, if Miami does decide to bring heat from the ends, the direction that Chambliss decides to run will be key. Scrambling in the East-West direction has not been a wise decision for quarterbacks facing Miami’s edge rush this season, though using that pressure against them has been possible. On the other side, Carson Beck playing like a veteran in the Cotton Bowl led to a methodical, effective Miami offense that did just enough to break down an Ohio State defense thanks to the Hurricanes’ own defensive efforts. Interestingly, neither team that has beaten Miami this season recorded any sacks against the Hurricanes. This contradicts my assertion that in order for the Rebels to win this game, they will need to send pressure at Beck to try to force mistakes. Trying to avoid paralysis by analysis, the Rebels should be in good position if they continue an up-tempo approach that tires out Miami’s pass rushers and prevents the Hurricanes from dominating the time of possession.
My Pick: 27-24 Mississippi
Bowl Mania Confidence: 19 points
