5 best games of the 4-team College Football Playoff

The four-team College Football Playoff era comes to a close this season — one season after it should have ended. It was far from perfect and left us with plenty of controversy over the years, but it’s safe to say it was a better postseason format than the BCS that preceded it.

While there’s an expanded 12-team field to look forward to next season, let’s first look back at the best games of the four-team playoff era.

5. Ohio State 42, Alabama 35 (Sugar Bowl, Jan. 1, 2015)

The first game in College Football Playoff history was a blowout as Oregon dominated Florida State in the Rose Bowl. The second game produced a memorable upset that will go down in Ohio State lore.

The Buckeyes entered the playoff with preseason No. 3 QB Cardale Jones as the starter following Braxton Miller’s August shoulder injury and an ankle injury that JT Barrett suffered against Michigan. Jones led Ohio State to a 59-0 win over Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game to get the Buckeyes into the CFP and it was clear early that the No. 4 seed wasn’t going to back down from the No. 1 team.

Alabama took a 21-6 lead halfway through the second quarter after a TD run by T.J. Yeldon. Ohio State responded with four consecutive touchdowns. The run was capped off by a 41-yard pick-six by Steve Miller that gave the Buckeyes a 34-21 lead late in the third quarter.

RB Ezekiel Elliott sealed the game in the fourth quarter when he broke off an 85-yard run with 3:24 to go. The TD run sent the Ohio State fans in New Orleans into a frenzy as the Buckeyes went on to win the national title over the Ducks.

4. Alabama 45, Clemson 40 (National championship, Jan. 11, 2016)

The first title game matchup between the two powers of the CFP era produced the wildest fourth quarter in playoff history.

Clemson scored 10 consecutive points in the third quarter to turn a 21-14 Alabama…

Source link : https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/end-of-an-era-5-best-games-of-the-4-team-college-football-playoff-154131046.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2023-12-27 15:41:31

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.