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College Football Recruiting, Opinion, and Analysis

CFP National Blitz: Michigan, Washington, Texas, and One More Moment for the Master

Rock Westfall breaks down the Conference Championship results and playoff picture.

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By Rock Westfall

Michigan, Washington, Texas, and Alabama are in the 2023 College Football Playoff.  Florida State and Georgia are out.  

A Cruel Squeeze Shows That Timing is Everything 

The coaching carousel and transfer portal are taking a brief respite for the ranting and raving controversy of the 2023 College Football Playoff Announcement.  

Joy, anger, and rage are on full blast upon the committee’s revelation that Michigan, Washington, Texas, and Alabama are in, while Florida State and Georgia are out.

In the College Football Playoff, Michigan will face Alabama, while Washington will take on Texas.  

There were six quality candidates for the 2023 College Football Playoff but only four slots to fill. The easy route was to take the three undefeated conference champions and Texas, who beat Alabama, who beat Georgia. But the committee consistently vowed to take the four best teams. And that is where things got dicey.

Florida State (13-0, 8-0) is the undefeated ACC champion but without QB Jordan Travis. Many observers believed the Seminoles would get passed over because of that. This became too much for the committee to ignore. 

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Also, the ACC was the weakest of the Power Five Conferences. Louisville (10-3, 7-1) was exposed in its ACC championship game loss to the Noles. NC State came on strong late but was (9-3, 6-2) overall. 

Georgia (12-1, 8-0) is the two-time defending national champion that went undefeated before its SEC championship game loss to Alabama (12-1, 8-0), who caught fire after a slow start in 2023. 

Critics attacked the SEC this season, yet it remained the best conference in college football. Behind the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide, Missouri (10-2, 6-2), Ole Miss (10-2, 6-2), and LSU (9-3, 6-2) were quality teams. In the Power Five, the SEC had the most legitimate depth.

Consider the Big Ten, which falls off considerably after Michigan (13-0, 9-0), Ohio State (11-1, 8-1), and Penn State (10-2, 7-2). The rest of the league was mired in mediocrity.

The Pac-12 was revealed as top-heavy as well, with Washington (13-0, 9-0), Oregon (11-2, 8-1), and Arizona (9-3, 7-2). The rest of the P12 faded down the stretch into run-of-the-mill ordinary status.

The same can be said for the Big 12, where runner-up Oklahoma State (9-4, 7-2) was outclassed in the championship game by Texas (12-1, 9-1). Oklahoma (10-2, 7-2) did get Texas’ scalp in the Red River Shootout but was humbled in losses to Okie State and Kansas (8-4, 5-4). After that, with the possible exception of Kansas State (8-4, 6-2), there were no serious threats in the B12.

One of the great ironies of arrogant SEC commissioner Greg Sankey’s obnoxious Sesame Street analogy is that he was adamant about automatic conference championships not being a requirement for College Football Playoff bids.

Sankey loves the sound of his voice and the word “smart.” He has also threatened to form his own playoff if he doesn’t get his way. Well, he got his way again.  

One More Moment for the Master 

Like Old Man River, Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide keep rolling along. Alabama defeated Georgia 27-24 in the SEC championship game, and it was no accident. The Crimson Tide was sharper than the Bulldogs, who committed five penalties, one turnover, and a key missed field goal in the first half.

Alabama QB Jalen Milroe threw two TD passes while his Georgia counterpart, Carson Beck, was shutout. In a game with a relatively even stat sheet, it came down to Alabama making fewer errors and more clutch plays.

Saban improved his career record to 9-1 in SEC championship games. The win capped off what could be the greatest coaching job of his career. Alabama was teetering on the brink throughout the first half of the season but rallied to play championship football in the second half.

Even at 72, Saban still rallies his team to the cause and inspires them with his leadership. Even the haters, and there are many, must tip their caps and salute the Mighty Nicktator. Unlike his NFL buddy Bill Belichick, Saban keeps delivering at an elite level with no signs of slowing down. He is the undisputed GOAT of college football coaches. His ability to adapt and change is unparalleled in football coaching, NFL, or college.  

For Saban, it had to be satisfying to stick it back to his old defensive coordinator and pupil, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart. The teams had not met since Georgia beat Alabama 33-18 in the 2021-season national championship game. If Kirby believed he was surpassing his old boss, he got a heaping helping of humble pie Saturday night in Atlanta.

A Pac-12 Final Climactic Curtain Call – A Couple of Years Too Late 

The other conference championship game that delivered was in the Pac-12, where Washington defeated Oregon 34-31. Washington was said to have been gifted its 36-33 win over Oregon on October 14. Oregon coach Dan Lanning was uber-aggressive with several blown fourth down calls in that first matchup.

Despite being undefeated, Washington was the underdog against Oregon on Friday night. Thus, the Huskies’ 36-33 win validated U-Dub’s regular season Pac-12 title and slapped down Oregon with some deserved humility.

The QB Duel between Heisman hopefuls Bo Nix (Oregon) and Michael Penix Jr (Washington) delivered in a heavyweight title bout sort of way. Nix threw for 337 yards and two TDs. Penix amassed 302 yards passing with four TDs.

The surprise of the game was Washington’s struggling, lower-ranked defense playing well enough to complement the prolific Husky attack. Washington bent but didn’t break in a clutch performance.

The game marked the end of the Pac-12 as we know it. Had the league performed this well a couple of years ago, it may well have survived. But under the “leadership” of previous commissioner Larry Scott and current commissioner George Kliavkoff, the Pac-12 proved to be the Titanic.

During the trophy presentation after the game, the humiliated Kliavkoff emerged from hiding with fellow fugitive Richard Kimble in the Montana Mountains to hand Washington the trophy without speaking a word. His fit of pique was an utter lack of class, leadership, and decorum from a beclowned clod. So long, Georgie Boy. You were Amateur Hour to the end.

Florida State Defense Guts Out ACC Title Triumph 

Florida State won ugly but won 16-6 over Louisville in the ACC championship game. Freshman QB Brock Glenn was thrust into the pit for FSU and did what was required (avoid turnovers). Glenn was 8/21 for 55 yards and no TDs. But he managed the game well enough under the bright lights of national attention and with FSU’s playoff hopes on the line.

The real star of the game was the Florida State defense. The Seminoles held Louisville to 188 total yards, 3-18 on third down conversions, and 0/3 on fourth down attempts. Louisville QB Jack Plummer had a miserable game, going 14/36 for 111 yards with a pick. The Seminoles sacked Plummer a staggering seven times. Braden Friske had a monster game for Florida State (9 tackles, 3 sacks, 4.5 tackles-for-loss).

That defense made the strongest case for Florida State to make the CFP. Ultimately, they couldn’t overcome the QB injury. 

Hello Harbaugh, Bye-Bye Brian, and Death to B1G Divisions 

As expected, Michigan mauled Iowa 26-0 in the Big Ten championship game. Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh returned to the sideline after a three-game suspension for the spying scandal. Harbaugh missed a total of six games in 2023 due to suspensions. And Brian Ferentz “coordinated” the Iowa “offense” for the final time in a Big Ten game. The matchup was a reminder of just how putrid the Iowa offense is and was a powerful closing argument in the case against Brian. Incredibly, there was some Iowa scuttlebutt leading up to Saturday about bringing him back in 2024.  

Thankfully, it was the final Big Ten championship game in the current divisional format. The West Division finished 0-10 in B1G title matchups. Outside of Wisconsin in 2016, 2017, and 2019, the West was not that competitive in the affairs. The lack of competitive balance turned what was supposed to be a marque event into a farce. It will not be missed.

Bevo Proves SEC Ready in its Big 12 Finale 

In its final Big 12 game, Texas routed Oklahoma State 49-21 in dominant fashion. The Longhorns outgained the outmanned Cowboys 662-281 and held the ball for 40:06. Texas QB Quinn Ewers lit up the Pokes for 452 yards and four TDs. Texas made its best case for the CFP and served a warning to the SEC that they will be a top-tier contender in their first season as a member in 2024.

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