After this past Monday night, college football has officially come to an end for the 2021-22 season. With that being said, a lot has happened since my last article wrapping up the regular season and conference championship play. Without further ado, let’s get into it!

Starting off the New Years Six Bowls was the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, which featured the University of Pittsburgh and Michigan State. This game was back and forth between the two teams, as Pitt surprised many people with the solid contribution from the backup and third-string quarterbacks, who played in place of Kenny Pickett, who chose to sit out to prepare for the draft. The game came down to the wire, but Michigan State ultimately pulled out the win after sealing the game with a pick-six late in the fourth quarter. For bettors of that team on sites such as slot27, they would surely be filled with joy.

The next game was the Playstation Fiesta Bowl, which included Notre Dame and Oklahoma State. Coming off of their crushing loss to Baylor in the Big 12 Championship Game, I didn’t expect the Cowboys to be motivated to win. This, however, was quite the contrary. The Fighting Irish and the Cowboys went head to head in what was one of this year’s best bowl games. Oklahoma State came back from a 21 point deficit to beat Notre Dame by a score of 37-35. 

The third game was the iconic Rose Bowl, which was played this year between Utah and Ohio State. While I am quite biased, I think that the Rose Bowl, without a doubt, was this year’s best college football bowl game. It had everything a football fan could ask for: high-octane offense, big plays, and the drama and stress that accompanies a game of great importance. The Utah Utes were trying to prove to the world that they are a “legit” program and that they will be in the conversation for the College Football Playoff for the next couple of years. While Utah tried to pull off the upset, they could not prevail, as they lost to Ohio State, led by Jaxon Smith-Njigba and C.J. Stroud, by a score of 48-45.

The fourth and final New Year’s Six game, besides the two College Football Playoff games, was the All-State Sugar Bowl, which featured the Baylor Bears and the Ole Miss Rebels. The story of the game had nothing to do with the actual game itself, but rather Ole Miss QB Matt Corral. Matt Corral was projected to be one of the first quarterbacks taken off the board in the 2022 NFL Draft, as he took over the college football world by storm this year. While there was speculation about whether or not he would sit out to prepare for the draft, he insisted on playing one final game. This, sadly, did not work out for him the way he hoped it would. Corral was sacked by the Baylor defense in the first quarter and was injured on the same play. Ole Miss’s star quarterback suffered an injury that could possibly have a major impact on whether or not NFL teams choose to draft him this year. After Corral’s injury, Baylor and Ole Miss went back and forth in what was a total defensive battle. Late in the game, however, Baylor sealed the game with a 96-yard pick-six to take the lead 14-7. Baylor would end up beating Ole Miss by a score of 21-7.

The major event, however, that has happened was the College Football Playoff. The 9th annual playoff featured college football powerhouses Alabama and Georgia, while also featuring Michigan and Cincinnati, who were both making their first appearance. The semifinal games were #1 seed Alabama vs #4 seed Cincinnati in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl and #2 seed Michigan vs #3 seed Georgia in the Capital One Orange Bowl. Both games played out exactly as I had anticipated in my previous article, with Georgia and Alabama winning their respective games handily. After New Year’s Day, the stage was set: Alabama vs Georgia: the rematch. Needless to say, the game definitely lived up to expectations this past Monday night. While I thought it would be reminiscent of the SEC Championship Game, it was quite the opposite. Georgia’s defense had an amazing game, showing why they are considered to be the best defense in all of college football. They were able to limit Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young and the rest of the Alabama offense, holding them to 18 points. The Bulldogs finally were able to accomplish something they had never been able to do before when facing the Crimson Tide in the National Championship Game, which was beat them. Georgia earned their first National Championship since 1980. While my prediction of the outcome for this game was incorrect, I am glad to see a new winner that was able to disrupt what seems to be a dynasty for Alabama. 

Sadly, we must say goodbye to yet another amazing college football season. Thankfully, college basketball is in full swing, and March Madness is just around the corner. While college football is gone for right now, there is no better replacement for it than college basketball.