ATLANTA – I had 15 minutes till the kickoff of the Peach Bowl, yet I continued to decline to sit in the press section at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Several other sportswriters joined me near the televisions at the back of the press box as we watched the inaugural College Football Playoff semifinal race into a precarious finish on the other side of the nation. They were seated to my right, left, and back.
The No. 1 Georgia-No. 4 Ohio State matchup could wait.
The most exciting semifinal ending in five years was something I wasn't going to miss. An even more spectacular conclusion appeared hours later.
The nine-year history of the CFP has featured more routes than tension, but as it turned out, No. 3 TCU's upset of No. 2 Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl served as the first dish on this heart-pounding football feast on New Year's Eve. The abundance of talent offered by Georgia and OSU in the following exhibition undoubtedly had NFL scouts drooling.
College football fans undoubtedly fought the impulse to switch the channel to watch the ball drop as Ohio State and Georgia swapped scores as C.J. Stroud of the Buckeyes and Stetson Bennett IV of Georgia counterpunched.
This was the high-quality product that the CFP was intended to provide but has been unable to for so long. Before this past Saturday, a CFP semifinal had an average win margin of 21.1 points. The Sun Bowl had a higher probability of producing a nail-biting conclusion during the majority of the playoff's history than a CFP semifinal.
Then came Saturday, and when Georgia narrowly defeated the Buckeyes 42-41, I questioned whether we were giving up on the playoff system too soon.
OPINION: Georgia's incredible comeback culminated in a day that was, at long last, ideal for the College Football Playoff.
Ohio State (11-2) blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter. Bennett led the Bulldogs (14-0) to another participation in the national final despite a shaky third quarter. Stroud pushed the Buckeyes into position for a go-ahead field goal attempt, making the rabid Georgia fans clutch to their seats in anticipation. As midnight approached, Noah Ruggles hooked his 50-yarder to the left.
The reigning national champion made it through. Somehow.
How is it possible to improve upon this?
In 2024, a four-round, 12-team structure will replace the current four-team playoff system. As fantastic as Saturday's semifinals were, I have praised the move and I continue to support it.
I love how the 12-team structure gives a Group of Five qualifiers the chance to surprise a heavyweight once a year in a playoff game.
And register me for first-round playoff games played on university grounds. After Tennessee defeated Alabama in October, do you recall when the supporters tore down the goalposts and dipped them in the Tennessee River? Imagine the Vols triumphing in a postseason match at Neyland Stadium. The goalposts may be marched by Big Orange supporters all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.
In Alabama's Sugar Bowl victory, Bryce Young gave us one last performance of brilliance, but can't you picture the two Heisman Trophy winners squabbling with Caleb Williams in a playoff matchup? In a 12-team playoff, the first-round meeting between Alabama and Southern California would have taken place.
So, sure, let the playoff be enlarged, and don't let Saturday diminish its advantages.
These semifinal matches resembled a day of cordial laughter between lovers at the cusp of a relationship that has reached its breaking point. You start to think, "Maybe this might work." However, as wonderful as today was, there will be better days ahead.
But I wonder whether we would have ever believed we needed this development if there had been more semifinal doubleheaders like the one on Saturday. Because more playoff games result in more cash and because college sports are a business, the postseason was always destined to grow. But in a sport where change frequently occurs at a glacial pace, we probably would not have arrived here so rapidly.
Would we have felt the need to add seats at the playoff table for Tulane, Kansas State, and Utah if we had seen more of Stroud and Bennett exchanging blows like the Heisman Trophy contenders they were?
Stroud rapidly transformed Georgia's lauded defense, and his 348 passing yards and four touchdowns had me pondering more than just the CFP's future. I also gave my vote for the Heisman Trophy from December some second thought.
Stroud was one of the few quarterbacks I gave some thought to for my three-name ballot, but I did not choose him.
In a stadium that featured an opponent quarterback who improved to 28-3 as a starter, Stroud was the better quarterback for most of Saturday. Before regaining his position as the brave victor, Bennett made expensive errors and missed some reads. On Georgia's final two drives, he completed 6 of 7 throws for 143 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Stroud performed as well as any quarterback I have observed in person this season, and that list includes Young and Hendon Hooker of Tennessee. Ohio State's run game struggled, which put all of the pressure on Stroud.
Marvin Harrison Jr., a star wide receiver for OSU, shredded Georgia cornerback Kelee Ringo, but a crucial moment came late in the third quarter when Harrison took a hit that forced him out of the contest.
The Bulldogs quickly regained their championship form as the stakes rose and Harrison was injured.
Both semifinal games were decided by a single possession for the first time ever.
So let's look forward to the four-team playoff's glorious day. Now let's see more drama in the extended format like this.
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