Today: Miami's statement, Alabama flips the script, No Kiffin, no problem, and the win that felt like a loss.

~10 minute read (2,299 words)

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF

Miami quieted the College Football Playoff debate at Texas A&M, now will chase a 25-year-old ghost

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — In the moments after Miami's 10-3 win over Texas A&M at Kyle Field, Mario Cristobal was still processing what had just happened when Hurricanes legend Michael Irvin suddenly appeared during his postgame interview and planted a kiss on his cheek. Cristobal laughed it off later, joking that he could not find enough wipes to clean himself. The moment felt fitting. This win nearly did not happen, and neither did Miami's path to this stage.

For weeks, Miami was dragged through the College Football Playoff debate, lumped into arguments alongside Notre Dame and Alabama about whether it belonged at all. Even as this game slogged along with little offense, critics were ready to mock the CFP Committee for including a team that did not even make the ACC Championship Game. Instead, Miami went on the road and beat a Texas A&M team that started the season 11-0 and sat in the top three of the CFP rankings late into November.

Miami now advances to face Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl on New Year's Eve, still chasing its first national championship since 2001. But more than the next game, Saturday served as a statement about where this program is headed. As Cristobal explained, getting into the Playoff mattered. Winning in front of more than 100,000 hostile fans mattered more. Forty days ago, Miami was at its lowest point. Now it is still playing.

Nothing about the game itself was clean. Miami missed multiple field goals in the first half, and offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson pressed at times to get the ball into the hands of true freshman Malachi Toney. That gamble backfired when Toney fumbled near midfield in a 3-3 game with seven minutes remaining, making it feel like the Aggies were about to steal one at home.

Miami's defense responded, forcing a stop and giving the ball back to an offense that finally leaned into what it does best. Running back Mark Fletcher carried the Hurricanes, finishing with 172 yards on 17 attempts. With 1:44 remaining, Toney redeemed himself, taking a shovel pass from quarterback Carson Beck 11 yards for the game's only touchdown.

The late drama only intensified from there. Texas A&M drove inside the Miami 10 in the final minute before quarterback Marcel Reed threw a game-ending interception to freshman Bryce Fitzgerald. The celebration that followed spilled beyond the field. In one postgame moment, Miami OL Francis Mauigoa trolled Notre Dame and Jeremiyah Love, a scene that was captured on video and quickly made the rounds online.

Cristobal was unmoved by the outside noise. Asked whether the win validated Miami's inclusion, he pointed to head-to-head results and common opponents. Miami beat them. That, he said, has to matter.

Throughout the CFP discourse, Miami was picked apart for its losses, its conference, and what it supposedly was not. What Saturday highlighted instead was how this team is built. Strong on the lines, punishing on defense, and capable of surviving ugly games. That identity was underscored again later when defensive star Rueben Bain Jr., who dominated the Aggies up front, cussed out Mike Elko and Texas A&M players in an emotional postgame video.

Now comes Ohio State and another test on college football's biggest stage. What happened in College Station was a massive step forward. The Hurricanes are still standing, and they are making the most of every opportunity they have been given to keep playing.

Read the full column from Ari Wasserman.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF

We wrote off Alabama, and the Crimson Tide rose from the dead to topple Oklahoma

NORMAN, Okla. — By halftime Friday night, the X account Freezing Cold Takes had already built a full arsenal of the hottest opinions surrounding Alabama's collapse. Danny Kanell comparing both teams to Notre Dame certainly made the cut. The Crimson Tide trailed Oklahoma 17-0, and the internet was ready to declare the program finished after its SEC title game loss to Georgia.

Then Alabama flipped the script.

The Tide stormed back to beat Oklahoma 34-24, silencing the Sooners at Memorial Stadium and punching a ticket to the College Football Playoff quarterfinals in the Rose Bowl against Indiana. Afterward, quarterback Ty Simpson acknowledged that Alabama players were well aware of how quickly much of the college football world had written them off.

"I guess we can thank you guys for that," Simpson said. "You kind of wrote us off. So we appreciate that."

Still, the comeback was about more than outside noise. Many of the Alabama players celebrating Friday night were also part of last year's humbling 24-3 loss in Norman to an Oklahoma team that finished 5-7. Head coach Kalen DeBoer remembered telling those players then that one score could change everything. It never came. Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said the offseason focus centered on building the mentality required to climb out of holes like the one Alabama faced again Friday.

"You don't win those games without great culture," Wommack said. "That wasn't who we were a year ago. We learned how to do that."

If we're being honest, that growth did not show up two weeks ago. Alabama unraveled in a 28-7 loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said the difference was addressed in the 13 days between Atlanta and Norman.

Even at 17-0, Grubb said there was belief. Talking with Simpson and the coaching staff, nobody panicked. The Tide focused on one score, one stop, then another score.

They also caught a break. With Oklahoma up 17-7, John Mateer's deep throw fell incomplete, forcing a punt that turned disastrous when the snap was dropped and then Tim Keenan III blocked the kick. Alabama turned that into a field goal. On the next possession, a miscommunication led to Mateer throwing directly to Zabien Brown, who returned the interception 50 yards for a touchdown.

Suddenly, the Tide were alive.

"We have a culture of fighters now," Wommack said, crediting DeBoer's approach for setting the tone.

All week, DeBoer had fielded speculation about Michigan's coaching vacancy. That noise disappeared quickly once Alabama kept playing. Instead, the night took an unexpected turn when 50 Cent emerged from the tunnel between the third and fourth quarters to perform Many Men, an anthem Oklahoma had embraced. Alabama players danced through it.

"The crazy thing is we always listen to that song on Fridays," LB Deontae Lawson said.

Alabama bent briefly after the performance but slammed the door moments later. A defensive stop set up Daniel Hill's 6-yard touchdown, sealing the comeback.

And since they're alive, they intend to keep playing for a while.

"What did Kobe say? We're not done yet," Simpson said. "That's all I've got to say."

Read the full column from Andy Staples.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF

Ole Miss makes history with Pete Golding coaching and Lane Kiffin tweeting

OXFORD, Miss. — About an hour before kickoff, athletic director Keith Carter stood along the sideline at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, a few yards from Eli Manning, and tried to explain what the previous month had been like for Ole Miss football. Chaotic barely covered it. Contentious worked. Maddening, at times, felt accurate.

Good luck, though, finding a more dysfunctional buildup to the most important game in modern program history.

"Somebody told me I ought to write a book about it," Carter said with a smile. "I said, 'No, I've tried to block it all out.'"

What Carter could not block out was Saturday. In its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance, Ole Miss overwhelmed Tulane 41-10 before a record crowd of 68,251, delivering a cathartic win for a program that spent the last month navigating Lane Kiffin's messy departure and the sudden promotion of Pete Golding to head coach.

The Rebels were ready from the start. Seven offensive plays into the game, Ole Miss led 14-0, and Tulane never recovered. Ole Miss pounced early and kept its foot down, turning a historic moment into a comfortable rout rather than a nervy introduction to the playoff stage.

The scene felt more like a football party than a pressure cooker. Fans embraced the moment, and by the fourth quarter, chants of "Pete! Pete!" echoed through the stadium as Golding soaked in his first win as head coach. Earlier in the game, the atmosphere veered into the absurd when Ole Miss fans broke a wacky Guinness World Record, a fitting snapshot of the surreal energy surrounding the day.

For Golding, the challenge was keeping emotions in check amid the chaos. He credited his players for doing exactly that, noting afterward that the magnitude of the playoff made focus easy. It was not about who ran the team out of the tunnel, he said. It was about preparation, development, and execution.

Ole Miss executed. The Rebels finished with 497 total yards, went 5-of-7 in the red zone, and committed just one penalty. It was a complete performance for a team many wondered how it would respond without Kiffin, who left for LSU just days after the Egg Bowl. Though Kiffin congratulated the Rebels on social media afterward, he was not in Oxford to see history, even as an odd financial wrinkle emerged later. Under his contract, Kiffin is still due a $250,000 payout for Ole Miss reaching the CFP quarterfinals.

Inside the program, the focus never drifted. Golding praised his staff and players repeatedly, even offering subtle contrast to the previous era by emphasizing routine and accountability over forced fun. The message resonated.

"This is the playoffs," Golding said. "These dudes want to compete."

Ole Miss now advances to the Sugar Bowl for a rematch with Georgia, the only team to beat the Rebels this season. As historic as Saturday felt, any celebration will be brief.

"The expectation is to make the Playoff every year," Golding said. "That's the standard now."

For a program that just survived its most turbulent month, Ole Miss made one thing clear Saturday: they're not done yet.

Read the full story from Chris Low.

🚨Headlines

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF

Oregon win against JMU felt 'almost like a loss,' Ducks must improve in Orange Bowl

Eugene, Oregon — It's been nearly a year since the greatest season in Oregon history crashed and burned in college football's most iconic setting.

Last season, the No. 1-ranked Oregon Ducks completed their first 13-0 regular season and captured their first Big Ten title before everything unraveled in the Rose Bowl. By halftime against Ohio State, the Ducks were down 34-0, on their way to a 41-21 College Football Playoff loss that turned a dream season into a lasting scar.

For 353 days, Dan Lanning has carried that result with him.

"I wake up thinking about that Rose Bowl game," Lanning said earlier this season. "Didn't do it the way I wanted to do it, so it motivates me."

Saturday marked Oregon's return to the Playoff for the second straight year, and on the surface, the Ducks delivered exactly what was expected. Oregon overwhelmed James Madison 51-34, scoring touchdowns on its first five possessions and racing to a 34-6 halftime lead.

And yet, it felt hollow.

"It's almost like a loss," senior WR Malik Benson said afterward.

Oregon's opening stretch was as dominant as any team has looked this postseason. The Ducks' first five drives covered 68, 75, 78, 63 and 80 yards, all ending in touchdowns. The offense moved at a blistering pace, and James Madison simply could not keep up.

But even with a cushion, Lanning's frustration was immediate.

"We started off hot," he said. "We can be better. In the second half, as a team, we didn't play the way we needed to play."

That second half became the defining issue. After halftime, James Madison scored 28 points against a mix of Oregon starters and backups. The Dukes finished with 509 total yards, more than Oregon allowed in last year's Rose Bowl loss.

"Defensively in the second half we didn't play close to our standard," Lanning said. "That's disappointing."

Instead of celebrating Oregon's first playoff win in 11 years, the Ducks walked into the locker room frustrated. Benson, who caught five passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns, said the usual postgame music was missing.

"Normally you hear the music," he said. "Tonight, we're kind of down right now."

The game also came amid transition. It was Oregon's first since offensive coordinator Will Stein and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi accepted head coaching jobs at Kentucky and Cal. Both remain with Oregon through the playoff run, but Lupoi made his frustration clear.

"I'm pissed off right now," Lupoi said.

Oregon now turns its attention to the quarterfinals against Big 12 champion Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl. Oregon opened as a narrow favorite, a sharp contrast to the three-touchdown spread against James Madison.

"If we play anywhere remotely close to the way we did in the second half, we're going to have a disappointing feeling after the game," Lupoi said.

The Ducks advanced. But winning, they made clear, was not enough.

Read the full story from Brett McMurphy.

TRIVIA

Now here's a guy...

Below, you'll find 3 facts about a random college football player. You'll try to guess who the player is based on the facts. Let's go.

I spent five seasons in the ACC, redshirting my first year before becoming a multi-year starter in Chapel Hill.
I set North Carolina's career passing yards record during my time with the Tar Heels, later surpassed by Sam Howell, and I also once held the school's single-season passing mark.
My best season came as a senior, when I threw for more than 3,400 yards and led UNC to one of its most productive passing offenses of the modern era.

Answer at the bottom.

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