College Football Wrap-Up

By Alex Gianotti

Entering the College Football Playoffs, many fans believed TCU to be a fraud after just losing to a low-ranked Kansas State football team. Many also claim they did not deserve the 3-seed playoff spot because their schedule consisted playing low-level teams, in contrast to the grueling matchups scheduled by Alabama, Tennessee, and LSU. When TSU defeated football powerhouse and #2 seed Michigan, some still doubted their abilities, especially against #1 ranked Georgia. Many analysts said that Michigan should’ve won and that TCU only came out victorious because of a controversial no-call on a very important targeting review. 

On the other side of the bracket, Georgia defeated the #4 seed Ohio State Buckeyes in an instant classic by a score of 42-41. Although this was sought to be a blowout by many, Georgia led by 25-year-old Stetson Bennett kicked the game-winning field goal just as the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve (Eastern Time Zone). 

When it was time for the College Football National Championship, at SoFi Stadium, to kickoff, many believed TCU would lose by at least 2 touchdowns. Georgia exceeded this margin, rolling over the Horned Frogs by a whopping score of 65-7. Although many people say TCU had this coming, being the “frauds” that they were, TCU still played some of the best football fans have seen in a while from a previously unranked team. Georgia continued its emerging dynasty in the college football world and has caught the attention of many fans as the new Alabama. 

NFL Playoffs:

AFC Divisional Round 

In the Wild Card round of the 2022-2023 NFL Playoffs, the games kicked off with the Los Angeles Chargers vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Chargers started this game with a 27-0 lead, and many viewers, including myself, went to bed thinking the game was practically over at halftime. I woke up to see that the Jaguars had come back to win with a go-ahead field goal to complete one of the biggest comebacks of not just the playoffs, but of all time. They advanced to play the #1 seed Kansas City Chiefs coming off their rewarded bye in the Divisional round.

Baltimore and the Bengals had a typical AFC North “ground and pound” kind of game. Although a low-scoring, defensive game, the favored Bengals came out on top of Tyler Huntley and the Ravens. This game and the game-sealing fumble against the Ravens at the end of the game sparked tension around the quarterback position. Questions about whether or not injured Lamar Jackson should have played or not and his future on the team flooded over the league.

The #2 seed Buffalo Bills matched up against Skylar Thompson and Mike McDaniel’s Miami Dolphins in Orchard Park. Pretty much any NFL fan would have picked the Bills to destroy the Tua-less Dolphins, but Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and especially their defense, worked hard to keep the Fins in the game. Although they fell up short, this was an OK sign for the Dolphins heading into the offseason and a wake-up call for the Bills heading into the next round

NFC Divisional Round

The NFC side of the games was not nearly as exciting as the AFC side but was still fun to watch. Although entering the playoffs as a higher seed, the NFL community and Vegas/Sportsbooks favored the hot New York Giants. Coming into the playoffs with tons of momentum swung them into the favorite, and they just brushed past the Vikings (34-27). As their hot streak continued, the Giants and their fanbase were excited to travel to Philadelphia to face the #1 seed Eagles. The Vikings, on the other hand, were pushed to a very disappointing end to their season despite their impressive regular season record. 

On Saturday of Super Wild Card Weekend, the super hot, Mr. Not so Irrelevant rookie Brock Purdy-led 49ers hosted Geno Smith and the Seahawks at Levis Stadium. Now Mr. Relevant, Brock Purdy made a definitive statement in his first NFL playoff game, which was no different than all his regular season games. He totally exceeded expectations after Jimmy Garropolo and 1st round pick Trey Lance fell to injuries. His magical season continued as they hosted the Dallas Cowboys next round. For the Seahawks, this season was supposed to be a rebuilding year with unproven Geno Smith as their best option for QB. Geno turned out to have a career breakout year and made his case for next year’s starting position. Although they did not finish where they wanted, the team exceeded their preseason expectations. 

In the final game of this exciting Wild Card Weekend, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosted the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night. This matchup magnified two significant storylines around the league: Can Dak Prescott state his case for the QB for the Cowboys?.. And Can Tom Brady still play top-tier football after the worst year of his extensive career? Well, Dak Prescott and his team totally shut down Brady and the Bucs and won convincingly 31-14. This once again raised questions surrounding Tom Brady’s future in the league and with his team.