The Orange Bowl was an ugly, ugly affair. Oregon won a 23-0 rock fight with Texas Tech that featured 2 defenses that combined to produce 5 takeaways and 17 tackles for loss. Neither team averaged more than 4 yards per play. The first half didn’t feature a single touchdown.
That continued an unsettling trend for top-seeded teams in the College Football Playoff.
Through the first 6 quarterfinal games of the 12-team CFP era, teams that received a first-round bye averaged 3.5 first-half points. Oregon and Boise State (both last year) are the only teams that managed a first-half touchdown.
With Texas Tech losing on Thursday and Ohio State losing on Wednesday night, higher-seeded teams are 0-6 in the CFP quarterfinals.
Last year, the Playoff format guaranteed first-round byes to the 4 highest-seeded conference champions. Boise State and Arizona State grabbed 2 of those spots as the Mountain West and Big 12 champs, respectively, but their immediate CFP exits led to a change this past offseason.
The 4 byes went to the 4 highest-ranked teams regardless of conference success.
But with 2 more upsets, the question must now be asked: Is rust outweighing rest? With almost a month-long layoff between games for the teams that earn a first-round bye, offenses have almost entirely lost their groove. How much of that has to do with non-contact rules in practice and how much of it can simply be attributed to rhythm?
In the first 6 quarterfinal games of the CFP era, lower-seeded teams have a plus-80 point differential.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
