College Football Playoff Previews 2025: Semifinals Recap, Championship Preview
- Om Brown
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
And just like that, we are down to two! After another wild college football season, the stage for the National Championship is set. The Semifinals of the College Football Playoff did not disappoint, leaving us with an intriguing final matchup. Let’s break down what happened in the semis, as well as preview the natty!
Quarterfinals Prediction Record: 1-1 (IND - Correct, MIA - Incorrect)
Total Prediction Record: 8-2
Semifinals Recap:
In a wild back-and-forth game that saw 8 lead changes, Miami came out on top via a last-minute drive, capped off by a scramble for a TD by QB Carson Beck. He's had many critics throughout his career, but the former Georgia signal-caller will play on Monday to try and win a third ring. Ole Miss’ dynamic offense did their thing once again, with a stellar game from RB Kewan Lacy. The All-SEC sophomore rushed for 103 yards and a score on just 11 carries.
Rebels QB Trinidad Chambliss got the ball back with 18 seconds left in the contest after the Beck touchdown and nearly won Ole Miss the game, but his 35-yard hail Mary fell harmlessly to the grass. The Hurricanes will return to their home field, Hard Rock Stadium, to play in the National Championship.
Play of the Game:
The Hoosiers jumped out to a 7-0 after a pick six on the first play and never looked back. They led 42-7 at one point. Heisman winner and projected #1 overall pick, QB Fernando Mendoza, threw for 5 scores and RB Kaelon Black rushed for another pair of TDs. Oregon’s offense surrendered a trio of turnovers, all in the first half, and they all gave Indiana a short field to work with. The Ducks also had a punt blocked in the second half. While Mendoza returns to his hometown of Miami to play for a title, Oregon will head back to Eugene after a crushing loss for a second straight season.
Play of the Game:
National Championship Preview:
Keys for Miami:
Maintain physicality
Win at the line of scrimmage
RB Mark Fletcher Jr. ran for 122 yards and backup RB CharMar Brown ran for 54 yards and a TD. Coach Mario Cristobal’s philosophy is centered around the ground attack and dominating the line. If the Canes offense can get the ground game chugging early on, it will make it much easier for QB Carson Beck to dice up the Indiana defense via the air. Defensively, Miami will look to shut down the Indiana run game. EDGE Ruben Bain Jr. is a likely Top-10 pick in the upcoming draft, and he's tasked to lead the Hurricanes force to stop the run. The Hoosiers have dominated both their opponents in this year's CFP. Indiana bases their attack around the run game, which has allowed QB Fernando Mendoza to throw for 8 TDs and just 5 incompletions. If Miami wants to win, their defense must stop the run.
Team X-Factor: RB Mark Fletcher Jr.
One of the many reasons why Oregon fell to Indiana was because they couldn’t run the ball due to their situation being so bleak so early. Fletcher Jr. can chew clock early and allow the Miami offense to settle in while they keep the ball away from Mendoza. If the Hurricanes win, Fletcher Jr. will have a big game.
Keys for Indiana:
Keep it up!
Indiana is 15-0 and just dismantled the #5 Oregon Ducks. I won’t say too much here because there isn’t much left to say. Coach Curt Cignetti is much like Georgia’s Kirby Smart from a few years back; a hard-nosed man that gets his guys to run through a wall for him. He's got a well-coached team that plays hard and plays smart. Both their offensive and defensive lines were huge early on in the Peach Bowl, allowing the skill positions to make big plays. I would expect the Hoosiers to have the same exact game plan.
Team X-Factor: QB Fernando Mendoza
This may not be the actual X-Factor for Indiana, but Mendoza has been on a tear through the Playoff. Like I mentioned earlier, he has 8 passing touchdowns to just 5 incompletions. Not interceptions. Incompletions. He's been playing out of his mind and proved why he won the Heisman.
Game Prediction: While it's cool that Miami gets to play a “home” game for the National Title, especially since they were criticized for getting into the field in the first place, Indiana has dominated very good teams this year, and is the most complete team in the country. I am not overthinking this one. Give me Mendoza and the Hoosiers.
Score Prediction: Indiana - 31, Miami - 17
Final Thoughts:
I had a blast covering college football for the second straight year, especially during the CFP! While I didn’t have a horse in the race, as Texas just missed getting in for what would have been a 3rd straight season, it was fun watching all the games. I am very glad I decided to track my game picks the way I did for the MLB Postseason. Thank you for joining me on this rollercoaster of a season!
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