College Football Live - CFB Live - CFP Semifinals Preview

Episode Date: January 7, 2026

Join our crew Joe Fortenbaugh, Harry Lyles Jr and EJ Manuel for College Football Live. We're one day away from the semifinals beginning and we'll detail some big picture strategies needed for each team. We'll hear from Holly Rowe and Laura Rutledge who'll give live reports from site and also talk about some top stories to pay attention to around the college football landscape. That and much more on CFB Live! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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So no matter what day of the week, Go's got you covered. Find out more at goadransit.com slash tickets. No matter what they put in front of us, we're going to attack. You have tried for this. You're a sacrifice for this. About what you do when your opportunity comes. You've got to be in your best when your best is needed. Boys, you're in the playoffs.

They're stealing it right now. Take a big whiff of that, America. It's the smell of high leverage football right around the corner. Alongside E.J. Manuel and Harry Liles, I'm Joe Fortinball. We've got an absolute freight train of a show for you today with the Verbo Fiesta Bowl just over 27 hours away, as Miami is seeking its third appearance in a national championship game since the inception of the title game in the 1919. season. Cain's last won the title in 2001. Ole Miss, however, has never played in a national championship game.

We've got you covered on both sides of this matchup. Holly Rowe and Laura Rutledge are on the ground in Arizona. Holly, let's begin with you and what you've learned from Miami. Miami head coach Mario Cristobal addressed the media today and talked about the emotional roller coaster, the ups and downs of this season and how his team is ready to play on Thursday. Start the season with 100 plus teams and now there's four. Everybody's banged up. Everybody's hurting numbers are down.

People have exited. So that's the approach, you know, making sure that we understand that you're here for a purpose and your intent. And what you've done throughout the entire season leads you to this. You approach it with gratitude and full throttle. Their season turned on one meeting. After their second loss of the year against SMU, a team meeting that Monday morning was the turning point. Players told me guys were in tears, speaking their heart.

The turning point was, what kind of team do you want to be? They made the decision in that meeting. They've been undefeated since, and they say that is what's fueling them to prove to the world what kind of team they are. Now for more on Ole Miss, let's go to Laura Rutledge. Thanks, Holly. Well, as Ole Miss is making this playoff run, A big question is about the assistant coaches that have already been hired by Lane Kiffin at LSU.

Eight of them coming from Ole Miss to go to LSU. Six of the eight are on the offensive side. And some are going to stay for the stretch run. Some are not. Pete Golding talked about that today. Do they want to be here? You're damn right. They do.

But again, I mean, the situation that it is, right, they've got a job to do and they've got to build a team where they're at. And where their window is right now, we've made it when it's in the semifinals in the national championship. But we can take a two-week with a by-week and play a 1-8 team with no portal open. And not have to worry about retention of your players. But you get off of a plane at 3 a.m. and you've got six days to play one of the best teams in the country,

right? And you're trying to retain your own roster from going in the portal. Then you've got to do visits because you've got from the second from the fifth because you've got to be out here at the fifth, right, to get official visit in, right, up portal guys. Okay, on top of guys have taken other jobs at other places that have to build a portal.

So to answer your question, yes, we've got plenty of people. One of the assistant coaches that will be here at the Fiesta Bowl, Charlie Weiss Jr., the offense of coordinator, the voice that's been in Trinidad Chambliss, the quarterback's ear this entire time. He said it was already determined prior to the playoff run that he would stay with Ole Miss as long as they continued to play. And Lane Kiffin backed that up. He wanted that to happen for Charlie Weiss Jr. Weiss Jr. said, look, it's a lot right now, but this is a dream. This is what I wanted my entire life.

He said, if you had told me that I would be in the semifinals of the college football, playoff, also having to recruit for my new job at LSU, but trying to see it through for this team that means so much to him. He said, I wouldn't want anything else. Thank you, ladies, and thank you Pete Golding for the most detailed timeline I've ever received for anything in my entire life. Gentlemen, let's go to work. Harry, we begin with you. We've got two teams in this matchup, each with a chip on their shoulder. How much is that going to play a role in the showdown? Yeah, Joe, I think it does play a role, but in a way in terms of who can contain what they feel about what the narrative is in their locker room.

Every single college football team has something that they tell themselves, whether it's motivational, who they think they are, things of that nature. Coaches will tell you that they're okay with those things, as long as it doesn't affect their play on the football field. What I mean by that is if you are Ole Miss, you're telling yourself, hey, our coach left us. We still think we're good enough to go win this national championship. On the Miami side, it's, hey, a lot of people thought we didn't even deserve to be in

this tournament. Here, we've already got a couple wins. We're looking for another one looking to play for a national. national championship. The emotional hold is that, hey, yes, those things can motivate you, but don't allow them to get you too emotional and make mistakes out there on the football field. So to me, that's going to be the key for both of these teams. And I really feel like both of them have shown that they have been able to keep those in check and play really good football. Yeah, Harry, they've done that, but I got to say for both of those coaches just

watching them speak in those pressers, it seems like they both could use a massage, maybe, you know, some chamomile tea, just something to help them relax, man, because you think about the last couple of weeks. And this is supposed to be a joyous part of the season, right? When you make it to a CFP, you win your quarterfinal, you win and get into this semifinal, and I've opportunity to win a championship. I almost feel like they just want the season to be done with, right?

And look, the distraction for both of these teams, of course, is guys leaving the team, guys joining the team. You've got official visits coming in. You've got to divvy out money to certain players, players that are probably already on your roster. So it's a lot going on. But ultimately, whichever team can compartmentalize all of that and still play well here in a few days, that's the one that's going to win. Yeah. Chaos is the word that comes to mind. Beautiful chaos, which is a summation of college football more so than any other sport.

Gentlemen, excellent start. Sit tight. We'll be back to you in a minute. We may be counting down the minutes to the Fiesta Bowl, but we've also got some big news around college football, beginning with the other semifinal matchup and some injury concerns. Oregon running back Jordan Davison has been ruled out for Friday's 7. semi-final against Indiana, Davison is the Duck's second leading rusher and has 15 rushing touchdowns this season. That's tied for second most in the Big Ten. Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson will forego his senior year and enter the NFL draft. Simpson was second in the SEC in passing yards this season and posted 28 touchdowns to just five interceptions. He's currently projected to be one of the first quarterbacks to hear his name on draft night. Ohio State

statewide receiver, Carnell Tate, also off to the NFL. Tate racked up 875 receiving yards and nine touchdowns during his junior campaign. He'll likely become the sixth Ohio State wide receiver to be selected in the first round under head coach Ryan Day. And a surprise last night as Washington quarterback DeMond Williams announced he will enter the transfer portal just days after he signed a contract to return to the Huskies in 2026. Pete Thammel has reported that Washington is prepared to pursue all legal avenues to enforce Williams signed contract. And the latest from Pete Thamble, two key items in Williams signed contract as he attempts to answer the portal and transfer. Washington continues to pursue legal options to enforce the contract per ESPN sources. Number one, the buyout in the contract

reads, the cost of the buyout is in the sole discretion of Washington. Number two, the contract specifically states that the institution is not obligated to enter the student athlete into the transfer portal or otherwise assist or facilitate the student athlete's transfer to another college or university. Seems a little one-sided if you ask me, what do I know? I'm just hosting a college football show. The portal drama continues, gentlemen.

We'll continue to feed you information on this topic as we receive it. But guys, Harry will start with you. Your thoughts on the drama surrounding Williams, the portal, and Washington. Yeah, my initial reaction, seeing that he was transferring was I had to kind of go back and check, wait, didn't he just agree to a contract? I think it's great that he is going to try to do the best thing for himself. I am mostly just curious to see how this plays out in court. Because if you're the University of Washington, you're trying to enforce his contract.

Well, I guess if you're enforcing it, you're also trying to force him to play. So then is it a pay-for-play situation because the NIL deals aren't supposed to be that? So how does that play out in court? I have more questions and answers, honestly, for you at this point, Joe. Hey, look, Harry, I'm right there with you. I got a ton of questions, but I'll say this. This is, I mean, the amount of stress that we've started with this show, and a lot of it to do with the transfer portal in NIL is just so crazy in this day and age in college sports.

And, you know, look, DeMont Williams just had a fantastic season here for Washington. First year's a start of there, 3,000 years, or, excuse me, 3,000 yards passing, a bunch of touchdown passes, had a good bowl game against Boise State. So I'm sure he knows he can go somewhere else and probably get more money than what he technically may be assigned for there. at Washington, but I would imagine, guys, once you sign the dotted line of a contract, you're kind of got to see it through. And so now do you want a disgruntled quarterback there at Washington, kind of there against

his will, just because he signed a contract the day before he made a decision. So talk about a debacle. And I'm very curious to see how this plays out, because this could set a new precedent that we've seen here in college sports. And that's the key word is precedent, right? We're still in the early stages of this free-for-all in college football. So how this plays out, a lot of teams around the country will be keeping a close eye on the Speaking of the transfer portal, coming up on college football live, we're talking quarterback

transfer Fernando Mendoza and how his journey through the portal brought him to the semifinals. And he'll be facing a team he's seen once before this season. Will the ducks be able to slow down the high octane Indiana offense? More college football live and a flash. Hi there. Surprise. 30 for 30 presents Boo-ya. Can I get a woman? Witness from the congregation.

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Number one, Indiana, 7.30 p.m. Eastern, both games on ESPN. Speaking of number one, Indiana and Heisman Trophy winner, Fernando Mendoza, Jen Lada has more on how Mendoza has gotten to this point. All right, so about 365 days since you announced you were coming to Indiana. What has the last year been like for you? Taking myself back to that decision, it was a leap of faith. I'm gonna take this big swing. If I whiff, so what?

But if I hit, maybe I can accomplish my dreams of making the NFL and getting drafted. Do you have a picture of yourself from that day that you decided to come to Indiana? The picture of me committing. What was going through that, Fernandez? through that Fernando's mind. What was he feeling? Wow, I hope I made the right decision. Day one on campus.

I wanted to establish myself as a leader and establish myself as one of the guys to create that connection so we could all go towards a common goal. Us linebackers, we kind of want to see what he was made up of mentally. I would give him some crap here and there. And at first, he wouldn't talk back.

But after a couple of practices, he started to talk back a little bit. Once I knew that he was ready to kind of come back and bring some fire with him, I knew he had somebody that was a little bit different. It rose the intensity. And that intensity rolled over in summer lifts in summer runs.

First game of the season, what do you remember about it? First game was tough. I had zero passing touchdowns. I was trying to do too much and be the Superman. And that's not my game. My game is being the point guard, dishing it out to my receivers, hand off to the right running backs, making checks the line, that is my game.

See that, Blake. About the second or third game, you could really see it develop, and then he had a huge game against Illinois, and then he was off in a run from there. The Oregon game, Alton Stadium's not quiet. You know, he throws a pick six. Down to left-hand side, it's intercepted.

Testdown, Oregon! So it erupts. Top ten matchup like that. I thought you'd be shaking a little bit, and I would have a little bit. up to him and he was like, who cares? Like, I'm good. We're going to win this game.

There's definitely a little bit of bluff there. I couldn't think about, oh, is that going to lose this game? So that point I'm like, I'm like, control or control balls. We got this. Fernando takes the snap, the throw to the end zone. Touch stop! It was like no one could stop us when we know our guys locked in like that.

That's when not only are we playing efficient football, but we're also playing resilient football. And that comes with a comeback at Penn State. We have a minute 40 to go 80 yards and we get sacked on first time. I'm gonna lie, I was a little nervous. But we all believe that we're gonna win this game. Third down, they called cover zero. Our offensive line blocked perfectly.

Leaping ground! Touchdown! Whoa! We needed every blade of grass there. This is gonna be just a special, special night for Indiana football. I'd never experienced anything like that before, playing in an NFL stadium. In warm-ups, you see the Big Ten banners hanging up, and you see Ohio State. You see Michigan.

It's the same couple schools winning in the past 10 years. And at that point, like, okay, cool, like, let's change that. Fernando Mendoza is on the ground, on the first play of the ball game. I looked out there, and it didn't look very good. But that guy is a warrior and a lion between the white lines. To see him walk off that field, it's getting hit like that, and then come right back in, that boy's a dog. Absolutely incredible.

This Indiana football team wins the Big Ten championship. The most gratifying moment of this year has been after the Big Ten championship game when all the teammates were all on the stage with the Big Ten T trophy because that's what we set our sights off. It might have been a reach for a lot of people. However, we're able to do it and we're able to accomplish it together. Picture this.

Fernando Mendoza today is speaking to Fernando Mendoza from one year ago. What would you say to that young man? I don't even know if I would want to tell Fernando Mendoza from a year ago or anything, because I wouldn't want anything to be different. The lows, the ups. The winner is Fernando Mendoza. I wouldn't want to give him any spoilers. Fernando is, of course, a Miami native.

And with one more win in the college football playoff, he would return home for the national championship for what he called a full circle moment. It'd be incredible to see, but I'd have to imagine Oregon might have something to say about that. E.J., what do the ducks need to do to slow this Indiana offense down

and keep that from happening? Yeah, well, Joe, it's one player specifically. Mateo Oiunga Laleigh is going to have to get after Fernando Mendoza. I'm saying maybe two or even three sacks in this game by Uiungalai. And I think one, that's going to help that secondary, kind of maybe not have to cover, you know,

Elijah Sarat and Charlie Becker and Omar Cooper, you know, three, four seconds into the down. If you can force and speed up the play clock of Fernando Mendoza, I think that's a huge benefit for the Oregon Ducks. So Mateo Inoula, who I got a chance to talk to after the Orange Bowl, he's about as big as me, maybe another 40 or 50 pounds. So he's a big, big dude. I expect him to have a big day out there against the Hoosiers.

Yeah, no, E.J., he's a heck of a player. and I think that's going to be a huge factor in this game. But also with this Oregon defense, I think it's going to be slowing down this Indiana run. They're really physical. To me, that was one of the sticking points of their last matchup, was just the physicality in general between both of these teams. But I think if you stop the run, you heard Fernando Mendoza talk about it in his interview with Jen, about how he views his job as being a point guard.

And to be a point guard at the quarterback position, it starts with establishing the run. Indiana does that very well. But then obviously it opens up things for those receivers that you mentioned, whether it is Elijah Surat or Omar Cooper. But another guy to keep an eye on with this Indiana offense is going to be Charlie Becker. He has really come on in their last five games for this Indiana offense. And to me, it has made what was already an efficient offense with a bunch of talent that is hard to cover, whether that be in the backfield or on the outside, more difficult.

So to me, I think stopping the run is sort of where everything begins for this Oregon defense to try to slow down the efficiency of this Indiana offense, which is one of the more complete ones in the nation. Harry, let's keep it right there with you. If I was to ask you the always popular, what's the key to this game question? What would you say? Yeah, to me, I think Fernando Mendoza obviously should feel confident about this particular factor, which is which team is going to make the first mistake. To me, that could sort of swing this game.

Obviously, Fernando Mendoza, again, had the biggest one of this last matchup. He threw the pick six, any other quarterback. it really could have derailed the rest of the football game for them. He didn't allow that to happen. And that happened on the road in Austin Stadium. We all know that's one of the toughest places to play in college football. So if you're able to avoid the mistakes, the turnovers, don't get yourself behind the chains. To me, that is going to be the X factor in this game because these are both football teams that are going to make you typically pay for those mistakes.

So, but I do think, again, if you are Indiana, if you're Fernando's, you should feel confident because you've already seen. you sort of had the antidote to that as long as you stay calm and poised. Yeah, Harry, for Oregon's defense, I think it's really the secondary and even the linebackers of Oregon tackling these running backs of Indiana. And if they allow him being in black to get off to fast starts, I think that's going to one, put Oregon behind the eight ball a little bit just because now time of possession, more so leans to Indiana. But also don't give up the explosives.

They did give up a 50-yard of the Jacoby Williams of Texas Tech there in the Orange Bowl. So the big key, tackling in space, getting those running backs down, they're going to get theirs, but don't allow an eight-yard rush to then turn into an 80-yard touchdown. That's going to be a big key for the Ducks defense. Indiana started a bit slow in that first quarter against Alabama, and then they turned the gas on. Oregon started slow in the first half against Texas Tech and then put them away late. Very interested to see who opens the scoring in this showdown. Excellent work, gentlemen.

Coming up, good luck keeping me away from a friendly wager, or really any wager for that matter, will dissect the odds of these semifinal showdowns and how a rematch could change that perspective next. All right, let's lock in on the Fiesta Bowl a little bit more here. Both quarterbacks playing at a very high level down the stretch. Carson Beck has not surpassed 150 yards in either of Miami's college football playoff games, but he's completed 72% of his throws and has not committed a turnover. Meanwhile, Trinidad Chambliss has been electric with over 600 yards through the air

and a 92 QBR in two college football playoff games for Ole Miss. Both quarterbacks were asked yesterday about the defense. they'll be facing this weekend. They're dudes, you know, they're studs, you know, that they got guys and, you know, they love football. You can just tell how they play. And just know that, you know, it's going to be a great, great battle. You know, have a timer in my head.

You know, I know the defensive line is, you know, really good, and they're fiscal and they get to the quarterback. So just got to know when to get rid of the ball, when to scramble, when to dump it off to my checkdown. Just, you know, have great execution. You know, we have great preparation throughout the whole week. throughout the whole week. They have a really good defense and we just have to be prepared for that.

They're obviously a very talented defense. I've had the, you know, opportunity to play them twice before, once in 23, once in 24 last year. And then obviously now this year and I mean each and every year they've had a lot of talent. Obviously, you know, their DC does a really good job of mixing things up with different blitzes and pressures and different coverages and looks. So again, we're going to, you know, have it out for us. It's going to be a challenge, but we're looking forward to the opportunity. Harry, you just heard Carson Beck talk about going against his defense every day, which is making him better. He's also played Ole Miss a bunch coming from Georgia.

How much do you see that playing into this game? You know, I think there's some value to it. It helps going up against your guys in practice. You know, when Carson was at Georgia, Kirby Smart would talk about, hey, you're going up against the best guys you're going to see all year in practice, which while that might be true, we've got a quarterback in our show here today that could probably tell you that the practice reps are not the same as game reps guys want to take your head off in the game they're not really trying to do that in practice a because they're not allowed to and be that's not for the better than the football team so i do think there will be value in it his past

experience is going to be good for him he's played at high level football but in terms of talking about practice reps i don't know how valuable those are going to be for carson bet coming into this football game yeah harry that's a good point and i'll say this for us as quarterbacks when you play against your defense especially if they're one of the top in the country like Miami has. It does help. One thing it helps you when you're going good on good

in practice and two-minute drill or in third downs, those situational parts of the game that when you get into the flow of the game, you're not going to be flustered. You've been in this moment before. And look, even in the psyche of Carson Beck, the fact that he's played on Miss before

and then certainly he's been able to execute in practice against his own defense will naturally give you a tick more of confidence. So yes, they can't hit us in practice, but I will say this. You know, the ante is still as high as possible when you're in those practice reps because you try to emulate the game as much as possible. Harry, which quarterback got the tougher matchup in this showdown? Carson Beck going up against

Ole Miss who looked pretty good against Georgia when they needed to or the other way around. Trinidad Chamble is going up against the stout Miami front. Joe, I think it's Trinidad Chambliss and I don't even think it's particularly close. I mean, just watching the way that this Miami defensive line has just been so menacing. And, you know, I think about all the moves that happened. And, you know, we talk about the offseason and the biggest benefits for teams. When Miami hired Corey Heatherman as their defensive coordinator, to me, that immediately was the best move. I had one of his games last season when he was with Minnesota, and that defense had made a vast improvement.

And he said, hey, like I understand we're not really supposed to be telling guys this nowadays in modern football, but we tell our guys to play violent. And when you watch this Miami defensive line, these guys play violent. They play relentless. So if you're Ole Miss, you want to try to wear those guys down to make things easy. on Trinidad Chamblis. Harry, I agree. It's certainly Trinidad Chamblis as far as this matchup. And we all know the movie Friday.

And when Debo used to come down on the bike, you start hearing that music right from Jaws. And I think it's not just about Ruben Bain or Kim Mezador. It's also a Maudeau. Mohamed Tore. You've got a bunch of different guys that can get after you in the past rush. Now, here's what does help Chamblis. He can run himself.

He's extremely strong. And he has an offense where they use a lot of quick game to get the ball out of his hands. But as far as the matchup, QB versus a defense, 100% Trinidad Chambers is going to have the ball. Don't lie. Y'all some high rollers and you say you're broke. I don't know how many people are you going to get that reference, but E.J., if you're going to team me up, I'm going to roll with it. I'm going to tuck my chain in. In the most awkward transition imaginable, we now move over to Holly Roe, who caught up this afternoon with one of those crazy defenders, Akeem Mesidore.

Akeem, I was watching practice today, and I saw you and Rubin going one-on-one and helping each other with some edge drills. How are you a better player because you've played with him, and how is he a better player because he's played with you? I think for both of us is because we push each other. If one day he doesn't want to work, or not like he doesn't want to work, but he's, you know, maybe just hanging out, I'll put him aside. We'll do some work. Vice versa. So if I'm just hanging out, he'll pull me aside. All right, let's go hit the bag.

Let's go do this. Let's go do that. Just whenever one is down, and if I'm down, he's up. If he's down, I'm up. And we're always pushing each other and make each other better. And the trash talk, you know, the competitiveness that we both have, it really elevate it to a game. What's it like when you two meet at the quarterback and you get somebody down

or you put pressure on somebody and you look over and he's right there? I love it. You know, I try to celebrate with him. But the crazy thing is when we get to the same, sideline, now it comes an argument of who got it, who got there first. Miami is favored by three and a half over Ole Miss and the Fiesta Bowl. The rebels are two and one outright as underdogs this season, including a win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

Indiana also favored by three and a half over Oregon. The ducks are two and oh outright as underdogs this season, while Indiana, seven to five against the number when favored. All right, boys, let's have some fun and lean on our friends from Draft Kings to analyze both semi-final matchups through a bit of a different lens. The Fiesta Ball, excuse me, saw Miami Open as a three-point favorite before Hurricane's money hit the market, moving that price up to three and a half. I like the dog here in Ole Miss.

Chamblis is the better quarterback, and if the rebels can play with the lead, I think that puts Carson Beck in a very tricky situation of needing to win this one for his team, which worked out very poorly in that game against Louisville. E.J., do you see Ole Miss playing with a lead in this game? Well, here's the thing, Joe, I don't see them playing with the lead, but I do like the plus three and a half because I got the Keynes winning this matchup, but it's going to be close. This affair is going to be one where both offenses are going to be able to score in the second half. They're probably going to have some stubbing of the toes in the first half just because they're trying to figure themselves out. But third and fourth quarter, expect some points.

So I like to lean here with the plus dog, plus three and a half of Ole Miss, but ultimately Miami does win this game in close fashion. For those who think it could be a slow start, that first half under is always where. considering as well. Harry, to you, the Miami defense has been an absolute brick wall this postseason, surrendering just 17 points per game against Ohio State and Texas A&M. Over under for this matchup is 52 and a half. I'm curious, do you think this game trends more towards a shootout or a rock fight? I think we're going to get more of a rock fight here. I understand Ole Miss is going to want to keep this a track meet. I think a higher scoring game goes in their favor. But I do think the way that Miami has been playing, Carson Beck, has not.

and turning the football over. I think that they're going to be able to control the pace of this game a little bit more. Because of that, I think it's going to be a lower scoring affair. So I would go under on this one. I like where your head's at. And again, if you think this game could start slow, that first half under could be a direction you want to lean into. Those Miami games have come nowhere close to soaring over the total. Friday's Peach Bowl hit the board with Indiana as a four and a half point favorite.

But despite everyone's love for the Hoosiers, we've seen some underdog money that has moved this price down to Indiana minus three and a half. E.J. back over to you. These two met in Eugene back on October 11th. Indiana wins 30 to 20. When two teams rematch in the same season, I'm curious, who do you think has the edge? The winner from the first game or the loser? You know what?

The winner should have the edge because you have that confidence and because, look, you can go back and watch the tape and see of things that already worked against that opponent, right? And so you come into this matchup feeling extremely confident. So as far as the line, I do like Indiana, not only to win, but also to cover. And I would say it's a late cover, too, Joe. I'm trying to speak a little bit of your jargon here.

I think this game's going to be close in the first three quarters, but ultimately, now, fourth quarter, the run game of Indiana is what's probably going to propel them ahead of Oregon. I like them to cover in this match up. I love it. The one rematch that always stands out to me, and I'm dating myself here, Florida, Florida State, Seminals take out Spurriers, Gators, in the regular season.

They meet in the Sugar Bowl for the National Championship. Florida puts it on them. But again, one very specific reference from a very long time ago. Speaking of that first game between Oregon and Indiana, Oregon was a seven and a half point favorite in that matchup. We now see them as a three and a half point dog, which represents an 11-point adjustment to the spread. You're moving to a neutral site.

Indiana is obviously better than we thought back then, so an adjustment's necessary, but I think it's too much. Harry, I like the dog a little bit here because I think we've had an overreaction to the market, and Indiana's blowout win over a questionable Alabama squad has got people really gassed up. Do you think Oregon gets its revenge here? I think they cover. I don't know that they get revenge, though. I look at that last one that Indiana had. Again, you go into Austin Stadium on the road. I talked earlier about Fernando Mendoza's pick six. He overcame that. They still held on to win that football game by 10. I still think now that we're moving this game onto a neutral site, and Indiana has continued to see the ball go through the basket. You beat Ohio State and grinded out game in the Big Ten championship. They did play an Alabama team that I agree with you. It probably wasn't great the last six weeks, but they did.

something with them, didn't they? I mean, they really did the business where if you're like, hey, if Indiana is the team that we think that they are, they put that type of performance out. So I'm still going to stick with the Hoosiers here, but I do think Oregon keeps it close. Our fearless leader, Zubin has to be watching this, just shaking his head thinking, why are we letting Fortinball dictate content? He's going to just be talking spreads with these two all game. Job well done, gentlemen. When we return, the Ducks are getting a second crack at the Hoosiers. Can Dante Moore stay on his feet following that six-sack disaster? Oregon's sustained against Indiana earlier in the year.

More CFB Live ahead. At MedCan, we know that life's greatest moments are built on a foundation of good health, from the big milestones to the quiet winds. That's why our annual health assessment offers a physician-led, full-body checkup that provides a clear picture of your health today and may uncover early signs of conditions

like heart disease and cancer. The healthier you means more moments to cherish. Take control of your well-being and book an assessment today. Medcan, live well for life. Visit medcan.com slash moments to get started. You guys come down to boys. They come down to how bad you wanted. Boys, you're in the playoffs.

Everyone else will be a dogfighter. You've got to be at your best. This is the greatest era of Ole Miss football. ever. The U is back. The college football play for this. That's an accepted. Touchdown of Miami. He's on fire right now.

He can't miss. The college football playoff national championship trophy presented by Dr. Pepper. One of the four remaining teams will be presented with this trophy, January 19th in Miami.

But first, they have to survive the semifinal matchups. Here's general. Lada with more on this stout Miami defense. Akeem Mesidore told me he wants to be the best pass rusher in America. Ruben Bain is his buddy and they are beating off of each other. I think we have a very similar game, very explosive and violent. I get excited when I finally got the quarterback in my hand.

You know they run away from Akeem Mezator for so long. He's just like more knowledgeable, wise with the brother and I'll be the one that's just like, you tell him to go do something, go hit somebody, I'll go ahead. This Miami defense led by that man, Rubin Bain Jr. When I got that shot, I'm gonna try to take it at all times. These terrific defensive ends have taken over on the last couple of plays. Bain and Mazzador form an edge tandem that is not only the best in the ACC, but it might be the best in the coachman.

They say games are won in the trenches. This season, Miami's defensive line, led by Rubin Bain Jr. and Akeem Mezzadour, posted the second-best pass-rush defense in all of FBS, thanks in part to one of the greatest to ever suit up on Sundays. I didn't really watch a lot of NFL football growing up. I played the video game a ton. But I didn't really know much about the old guys in the league. People are telling me, yeah, you're going to get coached by Jason Taylor, you know, Hall of Famer.

And I'm like, okay. So I look at his highlights, and I'm like, oh, she's serious. Jason Taylor, what a place. I don't talk about me. I guess the credibility is there based on my resume, but I'll never throw it in their face. Last season, Miami's defense was a liability. Finishing eighth in the ACC in points allowed. But this year, during post-practice workouts that Bain and Mezador did with Coach Taylor, something clicked.

Do it like he does, like where he takes a step and you punch it, and it allows you to stay square because you've got to get breaks. Those guys willing to work. Coach, can we get the slater? I talk to you. Can we walk through such as such? They asked, like, how did you do it? How did you approach it? How did you tackle the long arm?

Over some of your counters off of your long arm, things like that. Everybody passes five days a week. Everybody around the country is doing it. same thing so you gotta find ways to get that edge yeah stick around and make sure we actually getting productive things in there you go good the violent part is when I come back to you yeah when you rock back it's gonna be pushing off of that and that's gonna be the violent part your hand placement this feet work anything that's kind of blows past your mind when you think of the defensive line that's what we really focus on actually doing stuff

that's gonna translate to the game I put this defensive line up against any offensive line or You're really getting two physical blunt edges bookends that really shrink the field for your defense because they can set edges and can change angles for offenses. Just having that elite competitiveness, elite mindset, elite talent. This is something that we hope to be. You know some guys have people that made it to the league, but we got a person that made it to the league and succeeded. The individual success leads a team success. Everybody does their job. Everybody's successful.

The team is going to be successful. So whatever we did at the beginning of the season, keep doing it. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. We have to be physical. We can be violent. We have to be nasty. We're going to do that every damn day. Miami's playoff hopes look to be on life support after losing the SMU on November 1st,

But since then, the Keynes have turned things up a notch defensively. Over its last six games, Miami ranks in the top 10 among FBS teams in scoring defense and rushing. The Keynes also led the nation in sacks over that span. All right, let's change things up. Oregon's offense against Indiana's defense is a matchup between two elite units as well. Both rank in the top 10 among FBS teams in scoring, while Indiana has allowed the second fewest yard yards per game in the country this season. But no team has more 20-yard plays on offense this year than Oregon.

Here's quarterback Dante Moore. You say, you know, in the past, I talked about it. It was just made the game bigger than what it was. And this week, I kind of just attacked it, like, how I've been doing these past weeks. You know, making sure I have the same routine when it comes to, you know, watching film, preparing my body. He's getting right for this moment. Like I've been doing with, you know, JMU and, you know, Texas Tech.

At the end of the day, of course, you know, they might throw some something new out there. It's just how game plans work. And they might get us on it. And that's when you go to the sideline and watch your film and see you can go from there and just learn from it. Org's an explosive offense, one that'll hurt you quick if you're not, you know, on your P's and Q's. You know, they're really good when they get vertical. They're really good in the run game. You know, quick game, the quarterback does a great job with his eyes, reading coverages. And the running backs run hard. They're not easy to bring down with one guy. So for me, I'm scouting a whole new team. Schematically, yeah, there's some things that

will carry over a little bit. But for me, I have to treat it like a whole new game, a whole new team. Because, you know, we're in a different spot than we were. We were playing them in, I think it was week six or week five. One very important reminder, Oregon will be without running back Jordan Davis in this week. So one man down already. Harry, what will be the key for more to stay on his feet in this rematch and for Oregon's offense to thrive in the process?

Joe, it's all about this offensive line. Dan Laining talked earlier this week about how relentless this Indiana defensive line is and you can't really key on one of those guys, but I don't know that that's particularly going to be the biggest issue here for this Oregon offensive line. This is an offensive line that was a Joe Moore Award finalist. They were number one in rushing success rate.

I mean, they run the ball by committee. So yes, Jordan Davidson being out definitely hurts them, This was certainly a running back room by committee. I mean, there was so much going on that Mackay Hughes had to take a red shirt. So I think that it all starts with them. If they play their best game, then I think that that is going to give them a chance no matter what, especially given how creative this offense is and how successful they are, whether that is in the run or in the past.

As long as he stays within himself, I think that he's going to have a good game. Yeah, the offensive line is going to have to hold point. But I would also say Dante Moore himself has to get the ball out of his hands. And I think what will help Dante is if there's a lot of quick game and opportunity to get the ball in receivers, you know, chances of just making plays, whether it's a slant or a follow route. Some of the short to intermediate passes, I do think will help Dante. One, it gets him in the rhythm. And then, two, it does slow down the pass rush. And when you're a defense, you're bringing six or seven different guys in a blitz package.

And that quarterback gets to a hot route. He gets the ball off to a receiver who then can make a guy miss and then get a field. That's a huge plus. Now, the other parts of this, even though Jordan Davidson's out, you still. We've got Dierre Hill Jr., another young running back, who's probably more of a speed guy versus a power guy. So I would say for Dante, hey, hit your checkdown, find those tight ends like Kenya Sadiq, those running backs out in the flat and make Indiana rush out there to go get the tackling space. Harry, it's interesting. There's so much focus on how good this Indiana defense is and how much of a problem it could pose for Oregon.

We're just one week removed from Oregon going up against one of the nastiest defenses in the country in Texas Tech. And while it took some time, they still figured out how to put some points on the board. Do you think that helps them coming into this matchup, having just seen a defense like Texas Tech before they face Indiana? Without question. I mean, there's a bunch of big bad wolves on that Texas Tech defense, right? Whether it's Jacob Rodriguez, David Bailey, Romelo-Height. And so if you look at the performance that you just had against that team, again, Indiana's different. They're still physical.

They've got their own issues that they present. But if you are Oregon, you have to come into this game feeling confident what you are able to just do against the United States. that Texas Tech football team. So to me, again, confidence coming to this one for Oregon, not just because of that performance as well, but I promise you, given their last game against Indiana, Dan Lending is going to have these guys ready, confident, and hungry because he feels like that performance was not indicative of the team that they are,

and they're hoping to show that here moving forward. Yeah, Harry, I agree. And also the fact that Dante Moore hit 11 different receivers with a pass. And so now when you play against the Indiana defense, You don't have to worry about who's going to be able to make a play. Everybody can make a play. And I think that's the kind of offense you have here when you look at the Oregon Ducks. You come off of playing one of the best pass rushers in the country right there,

David Bailey for Texas Tech. I think he got two sacks in that matchup. So again, as long as Dante can continue to get that ball out, don't allow Indiana's pass rushes. They pin their ears back. They'll be fine. If Dante Moore somehow figures out how to be Texas Tech, Indiana, and then Miami's defense in the final to win the national championship,

He may have done everything he needs to do to solidify that number one overall pick, but we'll leave that conversation for another day. Gentlemen, we're not done yet. Reports from Holly Roe and Laura Rutledge on how practice has gone for Miami and Old Miss. Plus, we're talking X factors for the Fiesta Bowl. The show goes on next. Malachi Tony, the electric freshman This kid is so talented

He can do it all This guy is must see TV It's one-handed catch Malachi Tony It's one of the best players I've ever played with And he's only 18 years old Which is unbelievable I've guarded a lot of guys in the slot And 10 man 10's different

Malachi Tony Touchdown Miami Our coaching staff has done a good job scheming around him Tony he's a former high school quarterback All the way inside The five. How about the throw?

He'll play in the slot. He'll put him at running back. He'll put him at quarterback. When he throws, he kind of just slings it. I'm very surprised at the ball. Gets to where it's going so accurately. He's committed to the game in every way, shape, and form. And he just wants to win.

He'll do whatever it takes for this team to advance. Miami and Texas A&M ready to go in this college football playoff first round game. Back over the middle, caught. Tony, the ball's out. Strip at the end of the run. Everybody makes mistakes. We're all human. You could see him on the sidelines.

He's upset. He's mad. Fletcher trying to console Tony on the sideline. Nobody smacks their lips. Nobody complains. Everybody's trusting their brothers. Football's all about the next play. You have to have him amnesia, and he put it behind him.

He got right off the mat, and he had all the confidence in the world of him to come back and make a big play. They're going to give it to Tony. Tony scores a touchdown. He ended up coming to. a big for us. You know, he just don't give up. Malachi, Tony, gets tremendous redemption, sending the hurricanes to the quarterfinal. The ultimate test to who he is, not only as a football player, but as a person as well. Malachi, Tony, just one of the pieces of that offense that will be taking on Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl tomorrow. Old Miss head coach Pete Golding

had a message today to some of those who may have doubts about his team. Yeah, I don't have a message for anybody else. You know, I think our team, right, our team had a message. They had a message by how they prepared and how they play and that they weren't tired of playing. And I do think the message is, I'm replaceable, you're replaceable, our players are replaceable, right? I think you want to build a program to where it's heading in the right direction

in one person, one player, or anything like that. Like, that's not going to derail that. The timing of when it happened, in my opinion, couldn't happen at a better time for the players because everything was already in place. Everything was on the track. It's headed the right direction. We got really good players.

There was already a culture created. They knew the expectation. The only thing that was different, who's running out of the tunnel. And to be honest with you, I don't think the players give a damn who runs out of the tunnel. Does it make sense?

They care about their plan. They care about getting held accountable, right? And how they're going to prepare. and they care about people that care about them, right? And I think that's been the message our players have created. But I don't have to say to anybody else. I love this guy. There is a message.

There isn't a message. There is a message quintessential college football. Two contrasting offensive styles in the Fiesta Bowl, Miami and Ole Miss both rank in the top 30 among FBS teams in scoring in yards per play as well. They've also allowed the lowest opposing quarterback pressure rate of anybody in the country. But while Miami plays a more. ball control style of offense, Ole Miss is looking to put up points in a hurry with

tempo. And for more on what's been going on with practice today, we bring back Holly Roe and Laura Rutledge. Holly? Miami quarterback Carson Beck said the Ole Miss defense is one that can beat you many different ways. But he will rely on some of his experience playing Ole Miss twice when he was the quarterback at Georgia. He's faced a peak holding defense before. In fact, his center, James Brockermeyer told me that Carson Beck is one of the smartest football guys he knows. They get talking ball. Carson will be drawing on the whiteboard and he said sometimes it's like Einstein back there. He will have to do that quickly, dissect and adjust to a defense that likes to post-snap disguise at every turn. One other note, Jacoby Thomas, the safety for Miami, who I think is their best hitter and tackler, said he hasn't felt this fresh or good in five years.

The recovery process for Miami is a lot of peer pressure. If you're not getting your recovery work in, you'll hear about it from your fellow players. They are fresh and ready to rock Thursday in this game. Now, for more on Ole Miss, let's check in with Laura Rutledge. Well, Holly, as you know, there was a three-play stretch in the fourth quarter of the Sugar Bowl where Trinidad Chambliss basically turned into Houdini. He talked about that moment and said that everything quieted down from. He wasn't even really thinking as he was making these incredible plays.

And it almost felt like the Sugar Bowl turned into his backyard. growing up as a kid, playing with his brother, playing with his dad and his cousins. He said that flow state that he got into is something he's hoping to capture again against this Miami defensive front that he acknowledges is different. Either way, he said this is the moment he's been waiting for his entire life. And even back to his time at Division 2, Ferris State, that's what taught him how to be a champion and how to win these big games. Thank you, ladies.

We've talked about this game and these stars at length. So now it's time to zero in on the X factors. EJ, let's start with you and Miami. Who's your X Factor? I'm going on the defensive side for the Keynes, and it's Jacobi Thomas in the secondary, and really it's not even so much the interceptions, guys. It's his tackling ability in space,

and you look at the receiving core for Ole Miss, Deson stribling, Harrison Wallace, the third. Both guys went for over 100 yards receiving against Georgia's defense, and a big key to that was their yards after the catch. So Jacobi Thomas, at this point, it's done fantastic. He had seven tackles against Ohio State, nine tackles against Texas A&M. He will be a huge key with the other guys in the secondary tackling and getting those receivers down by Ole Miss in that matchup. Yeah, EJ, I think that's a major one.

And I think sort of one somewhat related to that is going to be Carson Beck. Is he going to be able to protect the football, which he has so far during the playoff. One common thread in their two losses this season, Carson Beck was turning the football over. He had a combined, he had a combined, rather, six interceptions in their two losses this season. I think that this defense at each layer is going to be good enough to keep them in this football game, even with Ole Miss's offense. They're probably going to hit on some licks, but I think that they're going to be able to do enough to keep them in the football game

as long as Carson Beck doesn't do anything to lose them the football game. All right, to the underdog in this equation, Ole Miss, E.J., your X factor for the rebels is who? Yeah, on defense, it's the linebacker, T.J. Dottery. Now, he is the quarterback of this defense. But also, I think T.J. is going to have to do a great job of tackling in those gaps. You look at Mark Fletcher and the way that he's been able to run behind his pads, getting those dirty yards for the Miami offense. And also, if you're stopping the run of Miami, you're going to do exactly what Harry's talking about,

put more pressure on with Carson Beck, though I do believe Beck can handle that. So I'm calling out for the linebacker, T.J. Dottery, to have a great day and certainly tackle in those gaps inside there for the run game. And E.J., for me, I think it comes down to the efficiency of this Ole Miss offense, not just because they need to do well and to score, but because they need to wear down this Miami defense. To me, if you're able to sort of tire them out, bring down the intensity of that particular group, allow your offense to do the simple things, which they're going to try to do regardless, right? But obviously, protecting Trinidad Chambliss is one, two, is being the distributor of this offense that we know that he can be. But you've got to give yourself a chance by, wearing out these guys, especially on that Miami defensive line. They've given every single team that they've seen this year problems. They can't be the biggest problem on the field for you guys in this football game. Otherwise, they're probably going to come out with a victory.

The incredible thing about this schedule is that we're barely going to be able to come down from the high of this game before we turn our attention to Indiana and Oregon Friday night. 7.30 p.m. Eastern right here on ESPN. It's the the Fiesta Bowl between Ole Miss and Miami. College Football Live returns tomorrow 3 p.m. Eastern on ESPN. Thank you for watching.