College football fans and sports fans alike were blessed on New Year’s Eve. A pair of instant classic College Football Playoff games swept everyone off their feet and excited everybody.
The CFB Playoff has had mixed results in its first eight years. It’s crowned rightful champions, and rarely has anyone felt really snubbed. But the semifinals have been disastrous at times. The average margin of victory in the CFP semifinals going into Saturday was roughly 21 points, so three touchdowns. It’s not the shiniest example of what the sport can be. Especially considering that everybody has all their eyes on it, and, for the most part the games have been duds.
Not so much on New Year’s Eve 2022. The 2023 Fiesta Bowl was a magnificent, high-scoring, bonkers affair, as TCU defeated Michigan, 51-45. Then the 2023 Peach Bowl was an ultra-competitive, back-and-forth affair with future NFL stars strutting their stuff, as Georgia narrowly defeated Ohio State, 42-41.
The results? A pack of sensational games and a lot of happy fans and personalities.
ESPN’s Mina Kimes tweeted, “Good lord these games,” speaking for everyone watching.
The Ringers’ Kazeem Famuyide tweeted, “What a crazy college football playoff. We’re probably going until 2023 at this rate. Lol.” Just about right! Georgia-Ohio State concluded after Midnight 2023.
ESPN’s Myron Medcalf also tweeted, saying, “I can’t believe all these people didn’t want an expanded playoff with more opportunities for great action and games like these too.” Fair, there are drawbacks, but fair.
Danny Kanell added onto Medcalf’s tweet, as he said, “Can you imagine not wanting more of these playoff games??? 12 team playoff is going to be insanely fun.”
247Sports’ Dean Straka was boggled, as he said, “Two competitive College Football Playoff semifinal games on the same night? What a concept.”
And as the night neared its end, Jason Gay tweeted, “How can Ryan Seacrest compete with this?” Hey, it’s a fair question.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022