For decades, the NFL’s popularity skyrocketed despite the main event. 38-9, 38-16, 46-10, 39-20, 42-10, 55-10, 37-24, 52-17, 30 for 20 years from 1983 to 2002 it was done. -13, 49-26, 35-21, 34-19, 34-7, 48-21. In the combined NFC and AFC 40 championship games during that period, 20 were decided by 17 points or better. The league has always strived for equality, but we rarely see evidence of that in the biggest games.
Elimination games can get out of hand, whether in the NFL or the lower levels of college football. One team comes out on top, the other lets go of the ropes a bit after a long season, and bad things happen.
However, sometimes a particularly good or bad game can follow. Over the past 19 seasons, the Super Bowl has delivered 12 serious classics. All seven playoff games since last year’s quarter-finals have been decided by three points or overtime.
College football has always been an oligarchy dominated by a few elected minorities, so it’s perhaps not surprising that the introduction of the College Football Playoffs in 2014 has seen several explosions. In CFP’s first eight seasons, he won only a handful of Classic games, and even fewer made it to the semi-finals. Maybe that’s the nature of the sport, but it was also just a stretch. We were due for some classics, but wow, we got them on Saturday.
First, TCU upset Michigan 51-45 in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl. The game was one that featured him one of the wildest quarters in the sport and a comeback his bid that seemed almost doomed before a bad snap on the final play of the game. Then, before getting his heart rate back on track, Georgia defeated Ohio State 42-41 in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, completing a comeback that Michigan couldn’t do and giving Ohio State his 2nd in the final. The second field survived with his goal. Take off in 2022 and sail wide in 2023.
Taking a breather and a breather, here are 6 takeaways from a great semi-final.
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Georgia Clutch Factor | Biggest Timeout Ever
Following the Script | 10 Greatest CFP Quarters Ever
Best Semifinal Ranking | Unpredictable