The final four teams are set for the College Football Playoffs (CFP): Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Notre Dame. The selection committee’s final four are also the same teams that began this process back on October 25. The Fighting Irish (10-1) will play Alabama (11-0) in the Rose Bowl in Arlington, Texas, on January 1 at 3:45 p.m. The Rose Bowl was moved because of the state of California COVID-19 restrictions that ban spectators from sporting events. The Irish and the Tide will be able to have 16,000 fans attend the game in Texas. That night in the Sugar Bowl, Clemson (10-1) and Ohio State (6-0) will kick off at 7:45 p.m. These two teams met last year with Clemson holding off the Buckeyes, 29-22, in the semifinals. The winners will meet in Miami on Jan. 11 for the National Championship.
Mississippi State will be going bowling for the 11th straight year while Ole Miss will return to the bowl scene after a 5-year absence. State (3-7) will play No. 24 Tulsa (6-2) in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth on New Year’s Eve at 11 a.m. Ole Miss will play No. 7 Indiana (6-1) in the Outback Bowl in Tampa on Jan. 2 at 11:30 a.m. The bowl bids for the two Magnolia schools were made possible because the NCAA waived the requirement of each bowl team to have at least a .500 record. This is not a normal football season, but in a normal college football season if Ole Miss had gone 4-4 and Mississippi State 3-5 in SEC play and had won most of their non-SEC games, they would have been eligible for a bowl invitation.
State began playing more consistent football toward the end of the season even with their losses to Georgia, Ole Miss and Auburn. This past Saturday Mississippi State played their most complete football game of the year in their end of the season 51-32 win over Missouri (5-5). They ran the ball for 151 yards, and Will Rogers passed for another 295 yards as we saw what the “Air Raid” offense could look like in the future. The defense played better with each game.
Ole Miss (4-5) rallied from a 16-point deficit in the second half, but in the end six turnovers cost the Rebels in the 53-48 loss to LSU (5-5). Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral rallied the Rebels in the fourth period, but his fumble in the final minute inside the Tigers’ 30-yard line ended all hope for OM to win their fourth straight game.
In the end, the Southeastern Conference, who led the way to play college football this season despite the COVID-19 pandemic, will send a dozen teams to bowl games. Texas A&M (8-1) finished fifth in the CFP selection process, despite winning their final seven games, and had to settle for an Orange Bowl matchup with North Carolina on Jan. 2. Only LSU, who opted out, and winless Vanderbilt will not represent the conference this post season.
Former Delta State head football coach Jamey Chadwell’s and former Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze’s teams will meet in the Cure Bowl in Orlando this Saturday. Chadwell, who coached DSU in 2012, will lead No. 12 Costal Carolina (11-0) against Freeze and his Liberty Flames (9-1).
Odds & Ends
Ole Miss lost two of their best players in Elijah Moore and Kenny Yeboah before the LSU game, as they decided to prepare for the NFL draft. Moore was the nation’s leading receiver.
USM quarterback Jack Abraham, who opted out during the season, is transferring to Mississippi State. Former MSU quarterback Garrett Shrader is transferring to Syracuse.
The South All-Stars downed the North All-Stars, 16-10, in the annual Bernard Blackwell All-Star Football game played at Brandon High School this past Saturday.
Merry Christmas to all!
Editor's note: Dale is a Waynesboro resident who has been writing sports since 1973.
