CFP Teams With Byes Are 1-7 in New Bracket Format After Georgia's Sugar Bowl Loss
The College Football Playoff hasn't been very kind to teams that have earned a first-round bye.
Teams with byes are now 1-7 in the new bracket format after Ole Miss upset Georgia 39-34 in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday.
Ole Miss' shocking win came after Fernando Mendoza and No. 1 Indiana became the first team in the 12-team playoff era to earn a win after securing a bye thanks to a 38-3 drubbing of No. 9 Alabama in the Rose Bowl.
Teams with first-round byes were previously 0-6 after No. 10 Miami's 24-14 upset win over defending national champion Ohio State in Wednesday's quarterfinal matchup and No. 5 Oregon's 23-0 win over No. 4 Texas Tech on Thursday.
The College Football Playoff expanded from four teams to 12 in 2024, bringing first-round byes to the top four teams in the bracket. Unfortunately, the top four seeds in last year's CFP all failed to advance to the semifinals, and the Buckeyes continued that trend with their loss to the Hurricanes.
Miami was coming off a gritty 10-3 victory over Texas A&M in the first round, and it's clear that the team benefitted from having the hot hand. After the Hurricanes took a 7-0 lead on a nine-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Carson Beck to running back Mark Fletcher Jr., Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin opened the ensuing drive with a 59-yard bomb to star receiver Jeremiah Smith, and it looked like they were on their way to tying the game.
However, Miami defensive back Keionte Scott completely flipped the momentum when he picked off a screen pass from Sayin and returned it 72 yards for a touchdown. Ohio State closed the gap to three points in the second half, but Miami never relinquished the lead and managed to hold on for its biggest victory in quite some time. The Hurricanes will face the winner of Ole Miss vs. Georgia in a CFP semifinal on Jan. 8.
"Our players kept responding," Miami head coach Mario Cristobal said after the win. "Our players kept coming with their counterpunch. The touchdown drive at the end and then to finish it off with an interception … those are great counterpunches. Those are just really left hooks to the body and to the head. Those are great, great counterpunches by our team."
Texas Tech, meanwhile, got blanked by Dan Lanning's Oregon defense in what proved to be a slugfest in South Florida.
The Red Raiders managed a grand total of 215 yards of offense, including just 137 through the air.
With the win, Oregon advanced to the Peach Bowl on Jan. 9.
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