Championship week is over, and the College Football Playoff field is officially set! Andrew Stem and Jack provide a recap of the week's college football news, games and stories.
How concerning was Georgia's performance vs. Alabama for the Bulldogs, heading into their CFP matchup vs. Michigan? Michigan clinches its first CFP berth in the face of tragedy. Would Cincinnati over Alabama be an even greater upset than 16-seed UMBC taking down 1-seed Virginia in the 2018 NCAA Tournament? Did playing close games prepare Alabama better for postseason play? Was this the easiest time the committee has ever had picking a top four? Jack and Andrew discuss the weekend's games and how it shapes their view of teams entering bowl season. They also preview the College Football Playoff, share their thoughts on must-see bowl games and which teams got shafted this bowl season. Later, they talk Heisman and share their picks, and provide a rundown of coaching changes, including Lincoln Riley fleeing Oklahoma for USC, Billy Napier taking the Florida job, Brent Venables replacing Riley at Oklahoma, LSU paying a king's ransom for Brian Kelly, Marcus Freeman replacing Kelly at Notre Dame, Mario Cristobal potentially leaving Oregon for Miami and Washington hiring away Fresno State head coach Kalen DeBoer. Lastly, Jack reveals the first draft of his 24-team playoff bracket that he will be posting to jackvita.com later this week and running a simulation on next week.
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2021 Bowl Games (with College Football Playoff Rankings):
December 17: Bahamas Bowl (Nassau, Bahamas) — Middle Tennessee (6-6) vs. Toledo (7-5)
December 17: Cure Bowl (Orlando, Florida) — Northern Illinois (9-4) vs. Coastal Carolina (10-2)
December 18: Boca Raton Bowl (Boca Raton, Florida) — Western Kentucky (8-5) vs. Appalachian State (10-3)
December 18: New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque, New Mexico) — UTEP (7-5) vs. Fresno State (9-3)
December 18: Independence Bowl (Shreveport, Louisiana) — #13 BYU (10-2) vs. UAB (8-4)
December 18: Lending Tree Bowl (Mobile, Alabama) — Eastern Michigan (7-5) vs. Liberty (7-5)
December 18: L.A. Bowl (Los Angeles, California) — Utah State (10-3) vs. Oregon State (7-5)
December 18: New Orleans Bowl (New Orleans, Louisiana) — #23 Louisiana (12-1) vs. Marshall (7-5)
December 20: Myrtle Beach Bowl (Conway, South Carolina) — Tulsa (6-6) vs. Old Dominion (6-6)
December 21: Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise, Idaho) — Kent State (7-6) vs. Wyoming (6-6)
December 21: Frisco Bowl (Frisco, Texas) — UTSA (12-1) vs. #24 San Diego State (11-2)
December 22: Armed Forces Bowl (Fort Worth, Texas) — Army (8-3) vs. Missouri (6-6)
December 23: Frisco Classic Bowl (Frisco, Texas) — Miami (OH) (6-6) vs. North Texas (6-6)
December 23: Gasparilla Bowl (Tampa, Florida) — Florida (6-6) vs. UCF (8-4)
December 24: Hawai'i Bowl (Honolulu, Hawai'i) — Memphis (6-6) vs. Hawaii (6-7)
December 25: Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Alabama) — Ball State (6-6) vs. Georgia State (7-5)
December 27: Quick Lane Bowl (Detroit, Michigan) — Nevada (8-4) vs. Western Michigan (7-5)
December 27: Military Bowl (Annapolis, Maryland) — Eastern Carolina (7-5) vs. Boston College (6-6)
December 28: Birmingham Bowl (Birmingham, Alabama) — #20 Houston (11-2) vs. Auburn (6-6)
December 28: First Responder Bowl (University Park, Texas) — Air Force (9-3) vs. Louisville (6-6)
December 28: Holiday Bowl (San Diego, California) — UCLA (8-4) vs. North Carolina State (9-3)
December 28: Guaranteed Rate Bowl (Phoenix, Arizona) — Minnesota (8-4) vs. West Virginia (6-6)
December 29: Fenway Bowl (Boston, Massachusetts) — SMU (8-4) vs. Virginia (6-6)
December 29: Pinstripe Bowl (New York, New York) — Virginia Tech (6-6) vs. Maryland (6-6)
December 29: Cheez-It Bowl (Orlando, Florida) — #19 Clemson (9-3) vs. Iowa State (7-5)
December 30: Duke's Mayo Bowl (Charlotte, North Carolina) — North Carolina (6-6) vs. South Carolina (6-6)
December 30: Music City Bowl (Nashville, Tennessee) — Purdue (8-4) vs. Tennessee (7-5)
December 30: Las Vegas Bowl (Las Vegas, Nevada) — Wisconsin (8-4) vs. Arizona State (8-4)
December 31: TaxSlayer Bowl (Jacksonville, Florida) — #17 Wake Forest (10-3) vs. #25 Texas A&M (8-4)
December 31: Arizona Bowl (Tucson, Arizona) — Central Michigan (8-4) vs. Boise State (7-5)
December 31: Tony the Tiger Bowl (El Paso, Texas) — Miami (FL) (7-5) vs. Washington State (7-5)
January 1: Outback Bowl (Tampa, Florida) — #21 Arkansas (8-4) vs. Penn State (7-5)
January 4: Texas Bowl (Houston, Texas) — Kansas State (7-5) vs. LSU (6-6)
New Year's Six Bowls
College Football Playoff
January 10: National Championship (Indianapolis, Indiana) — Semifinal winners
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(Photo via Kareem Elgazzar/The Cincinnati Enquirer)
