Oregon quarterback Dante Moore needed just 11 seconds to deliver the Peach Bowl’s defining moment – a pick-six that foreshadowed a long night for the Ducks against unbeaten Indiana. What followed was an avalanche of an ass-beating, one that saw Indiana rack up 35-first half points en route to a jaw-dropping 56-22 Peach Bowl rout. 

Indiana’s first-half performance was the textbook definition of putting belt to backside. The Hoosiers overwhelmed the Ducks at the lines of scrimmage, forcing Moore into more than one uncharacteristic mistake. The offense was like a hot knife through butter, with Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza wielding the blade. Every play felt like a statement of intent from the CFP’s top seed. Dan Lanning’s Oregon isn’t supposed to be physically overwhelmed, which made watching the Ducks get stuffed into a locker all the more surreal.

After D’Angelo Ponds intercepted Moore’s first pass attempt of the game to put Indiana up 7-0 in the blink of an eye, Oregon, if just for one drive, looked like it had settled in for the game. Moore responded nicely, leading a 14-play, 75-yard drive that finished with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Jamari Johnson to tie things up. Then the avalanche happened.

Mendoza and company quickly answered, with the nation’s best quarterback leading a stress-free drive to put the Hoosiers up seven late in the first quarter. The teams then traded punts before Moore fumbled in the process of throwing when clipped by a running back. Indiana recovered on the three-yard line, scored three plays later, and went up 21-7.

Later in the half, Mendoza laced a 36-yard touchdown pass to receiver Charlie Becker on a ridiculous shot play. The very next drive, Moore coughed up another fumble on a sack, and the Hoosiers capitalized again when Mendoza found superstar Elijah Sarratt on a three-yard touchdown pass to put Indiana up 35-7 at the break. Mendoza finished the night with five touchdowns and continued to look like the best player in the sport.

To Oregon’s credit, the Ducks played hard to the very end. Oregon was more competitive in the second half and did what they could considering they were missing multiple running backs. On a related note, Moore has an interesting decision on his hands. Does he come back next year in hopes of making another title run with the Ducks? Or does he leave for the NFL as the projected second quarterback taken in April’s draft? His decision could have widespread ramifications for not only Oregon but the transfer portal, quarterback dominoes.

We didn’t need another reminder, but we got it anyway: Indiana is an absolute wagon. The Hoosiers are a group that operates with machine-like efficiency and looks far and away like the best team in college football. With Friday night’s win, the bloodthirsty Hoosiers move on to the national championship game against No. 10 seed Miami. Best of luck, Hurricanes! You’re probably going to need it.

With 3:13 remaining, the weight of the world rested on Miami quarterback Carson Beck.

Across the field, Ole Miss had just punched home an emphatic touchdown and two-point conversion to put the sixth-seeded Rebels up 27–24. After a game filled with self-inflicted penalties, costly mistakes, and good-but-not-good-enough defensive stands, it felt as if the Hurricanes might’ve let a chance to play for a national championship slip through their fingers.

But Beck—who a year ago was knocked out of the SEC Championship (and CFP) with a nasty arm injury while playing for Georgia—had a chance to cement his legacy. And boy, did he ever.

Beck put the offense on his back, flawlessly executing a two-minute drill and leading Miami on a 15-play, 75-yard march, capped by a three-yard scramble touchdown to put the Hurricanes up 31–27 with 18 seconds remaining. Ole Miss got one last shot, but the desperation heave into the end zone came up incomplete as time expired, albeit among some intense handfighting. 

Carson Beck’s legacy drive put a bow on a frenetic 31-27 Fiesta Bowl victory, pushing the Hurricanes into the College Football Playoff national championship game. For Beck, that final Hurricanes drive felt like a seminal moment for a player who has received more than his share of grief throughout his career. You could see the relief and excitement on his face as he crossed the goal line. A very cool moment indeed.

Perhaps it goes without saying, but Thursday night’s Fiesta Bowl was one heck of a football game.

Out of the gates, Miami forced Ole Miss to play its style of football. The Hurricanes owned the lines of scrimmage, using their brute force running game and slow pace to take a lot of the air out of the game early. It worked like a charm as Miami forced back-to-back three-and-outs from the Rebels' offense and chipped in an early field goal to lead 3-0 after one quarter of play.

But they could only contain a track-meet offense for so long. After being held down for 15 minutes, Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy broke off a ridiculous 73-yard touchdown run. 

Miami answered with its first touchdown of the game on a CharMar Brown four-yard touchdown to go up 10-7. Ole Miss later chipped in a field goal to tie the game, before Beck laced a 52-yard broken play touchdown to put Miami up by another score. Ole Miss would knock down another field goal before the half—this time from 58 yards—and the score sat at 17-13 at halftime.

In the second half, things got crazy. Miami missed a long field goal on its first drive. Then, Ole Miss doinked one of two field goals in the second half. The first kick was no good. The second one found its way through the uprights. Crazy times.

After playing a pretty clean game in the first half, Miami started to unravel in the third quarter. Offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson got a little too cute with playcalls. The defense dropped what felt like three or four near interceptions. The offensive line kept jumping early, and the defense kept racking up penalties.

Ole Miss capitalized on Miami playing with its food. After trimming the lead to one point (on the successful doinked field goal), the Rebels sacked Beck on back-to-back plays and later knocked home another field goal attempt to take a 19-17 lead. 

Miami found itself in need of a spark and turned to its best playmaker in freshman standout Malachi Toney. Toney, who finished with five catches for 81 yards, made his biggest play of the night, house-calling a 36-yard tunnel screen to put Miami up 24-19 with 5:04 remaining.

With their backs against the wall, the Rebels needed a moment of magic. Chambliss and company answered the bell. Chambliss, who finished 23-of-37 for 277 yards, found tight end Dae’Quan Wright for a 24-yard touchdown pass and later executed the two-point conversion play before Beck and the Hurricanes ripped their hearts out in the end. 

With the win, Miami moves on to the College Football Playoff national championship game to face Indiana. It’ll be a homecoming for the Canes, who will play for their first title in over two decades in their home stadium. 

It’s quite a story for the last at-large team to make the field. Three games later, they’ve validated the committee’s decision to put them through.

The college football transfer portal is a year-round engine of anxiety. ESPN’s Max Olson joined on our latest episode to unpack a wild portal season, from $6 million quarterback price tags to the legal mess surrounding Demond Williams Jr. at Washington. Why are some schools like Indiana and Texas Tech winning the arms race while others remain quiet? We go deep on the mechanics, the money, and the "fire hose" of news currently reshaping the sport.

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