Those who have liked the consistency and tradition of some of the biggest schools in College Football may feel the final four of the 2025 season is one that should be treated with disdain, but welcome to the world of the NIL.
They may be considered upstarts rather than 'Blue Bloods', but there is no taking away from the successes these four teams have had and they all deserve their shot to win a National Championship.
It is the Semi Final between two Big Ten rivals meeting for a second time this season that will provide the favourite to win the Championship, but the Miami Hurricanes have shown they have deserved their spot in the Playoff Bracket, while the Mississippi Rebels are overcoming off-field drama and actually using that to fuel their own run.
With just three games left in the College Football season, it does feel that there is still some significant drama that has to be played out before the Championship can be raised.
Both Semi Final games look very intriguing and my thoughts can be read below.
Mississippi Rebels vs Miami Hurricanes Pick: There will be some serious questions asked about the current format of the College Football Playoff after the lower Seed won three of the four Quarter Final games played. That follows the opening season when all four Quarter Final games were won by First Round winners and there is a real feeling that those higher Seeded teams are being hindered by having a Bye and competing against teams who have not had a significant layoff between the end of the regular season and those Quarter Final games.
Expansion is surely going to be coming up again and that would mean all teams likely to be involved in First Round action, but for now we have a final four and all will feel they are capable of winning the National Championship later this month.
First up on Thursday is the Number 6 Seed Mississippi Rebels playing the Number 10 Miami Hurricanes, although it is the latter who have been set as favourites.
This could be down to the fact that the Hurricanes have had two impressive wins in their run to the Semi Final against the Texas A&M Aggies and Ohio State Buckeyes, but the Rebels will point to the win over SEC Champion Georgia Bulldogs in the Quarter Final as a reason to believe.
Prior to that, the Rebels had blown out an overmatched Tulane Green Wave at home, while a few more Coaches have now headed off to join former Head Coach Lane Kiffin.
The decision made by Kiffin has not gone down very well with the Mississippi upper management and the fans, but it is telling that the players have used the departure as motivation. Some have voiced their irritation about the former Head Coach and antics they feel are trying to overshadow what the Rebels continue to achieve and that certainly has been fuelling the desire to keep this season going.
Mississippi showed there is so much to like about them in the upset over the Georgia Bulldogs and they will believe they have the Offensive unit to give the Miami Hurricanes plenty to think about. Of course there will be a huge amount of respect for the Hurricanes who have restricted the Aggies to 3 points and the Buckeyes to 14 points in earning back to back upset wins, although this time the Miami Hurricanes will be set as the favourites and that can change some of the mentality around a team.
So much is going to be decided by what happens when the Rebels have the ball.
For all of the impressiveness around the Miami victories, it is clear the Defensive unit have been dominant and the Offense has been doing just enough so the key here is whether the Mississippi Rebels can find enough time to give Quarter Back Trinidad Chambliss a chance to move the chains.
An 'easy' way would be to establish the run and the Rebels have had success doing that, but they have not yet tried to run on this Hurricanes Defensive Line. This has been a strength of the Miami team and they are big winners if they can force an opponent to throw the ball out of third and long spots.
Over the course of the season, the Miami pass rush has been impressive, but players have dialled it up several notches in the post-season and they are creating havoc up front.
Trinidad Chambliss has been given time by his Offensive Line when he has stepped back to throw the ball and that has allowed the Quarter Back to put together a couple of very strong showings. This battle at the Line of Scrimmage is going to be hugely decisive to the final outcome, especially as there have been some holes in the Miami Secondary that have been exposed when Quarter Backs had had just enough time to make their plays down the field.
It is certainly something Chambliss is going to believe he can do and this is also a Quarter Back capable of moving the pocket with his legs and escaping pressure. This is also very important for the underdog and the Rebels will be looking for Trinidad Chambliss to continue what has been a really impressive first season at this level of College Football.
Much like the other side of the ball, the Hurricanes have to know that running the ball is essential to any success they are going to have in this game.
However, the difference here is that the Miami Offensive Line has shown it can open up significant holes up front and the Mississippi Defensive Line has had a season-long struggle against the run. They have been a little better in the Playoffs, but the Rebels had one of those games against a Power 5 Conference Champion at home and the Hurricanes are going to pose significant challenges for them.
If they can put Carson Beck in third and manageable spots, Miami will be very confident that they can move the chains with some consistency and it is yet another key battle ground at the Line of Scrimmage.
However, there has been some inconsistency in the passing game for the Hurricanes and they are facing a Rebels team that have been able to get some pressure up front to rattle Quarter Backs. That has aided the Secondary and Carson Beck will need plenty of support to keep things going in this one, although the Hurricanes have rightly been set as favourites.
The expectation is that this is going to be a close and competitive game, but one where the Miami Hurricanes perhaps have the stronger success at the Line of Scrimmage on both sides of the ball. That should ultimately see Miami pass the Mississippi Rebels, but Trinidad Chambliss is unlikely to roll over without a fight and that makes having the hook over a key number most appealing.
If it is going to end in a big win, the Hurricanes perhaps have the power to do that, but Chambliss and the Rebels are playing with real motivation right now and they can make sure this competitive for the full sixty minutes and perhaps even pull yet another upset.
Indiana Hoosiers vs Oregon Ducks Pick: The Big Ten has taken over from the SEC as the Conference with the most likely contenders to win the National Championship and this is a Semi Final involving two of those teams.
The winner is going to be the favourite in the National Championship Game later this month and the question is whether it will be repeat or revenge when the Indiana Hoosiers (14-0) face the Oregon Ducks (13-1) in Atlanta?
The Hoosiers put together an unbeaten season, which included winning a road game in Oregon, and Indiana have crushed the Alabama Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoff Quarter Final. Some were wondering if this upstart could even beat a blue blood school at a big moment, but the Hoosiers are the only team in two seasons who have been the higher Seed to win the Quarter Final game played.
There is no doubting how good this Indiana team are, but they are facing an Oregon team that have beaten everyone other than the Hoosiers. A comfortable win over James Madison Dukes at home in the First Round would not have concerned too many, but shutting out the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Quarter Final and avoiding going out at the same stage for a second year in a row will have some taking notice.
Of course beating the Big Ten Champion is a very different task than beating the Big 12 Champion and this looks like it is another Semi Final that could go down to the wire.
Unlike the NFL, it is rare to play the same team twice in a season when it comes to College Football, although it does happen.
This year it has happened nine times, but the team that have won the first game have only repeated twice and that is something that the Indiana Hoosiers will have to be wary of in this Semi Final. The Hoosiers won by 10 points on the road and were pretty dominant on both sides of the ball, but Oregon will take plenty of heart from the way rematches have trended this season and the Ducks are much better than what they were able to show in that regular season defeat.
The two teams that have repeated regular season wins in the second time round both won by at least 22 point margins the first time around and were 20 plus point winners again.
However, none of the other seven games had been decided by more than 17 points and six were by single digit margins, which suggests this game is going to be another close one and a Semi Final Oregon can enter with some confidence.
In saying that, Oregon will be well aware that they need to be better across the board if they are going to knock off the Number 1 Seed and Conference Champion.
For starters they have to find a way to run the ball with some productivity to at least keep Quarter Back Dante Moore in third and manageable positions. Third Down conversion is going to be absolutely massive to the final outcome of this game and a Quarter Back expected to go very quickly in the NFL Draft in April has to be better than he was the first time around against this Defensive unit.
Dante Moore can take encouragement from the recent numbers the Indiana Secondary have allowed, although running the ball against this Hoosiers Defensive Line is going to be incredibly challenging. If the Ducks Offensive Line are not able to win at the Line of Scrimmage as far as the run game goes, they must be able to stand up to the Indiana pass rush and at least offer the star Quarter Back time to throw the ball down the field.
Two Interceptions were thrown in the regular season and that is something the Ducks will not be able to afford if they are going to upset the odds.
Avoiding those and learning from what they have seen already in the regular seaosn should give Dante Moore a better plan from which to attack, but the Quarter Back cannot take too many risks in what is going to be a battle.
The same will apply to Indiana, but they will be confident with the way they approached the first game and only mistake by Fernando Mendoza in the Fourth Quarter almost flipped the momentum. The game was tied up he threw a Pick Six, but Indiana were the better team and ultimately ran out pretty clear winners, even if they are expecting different looks in this Semi Final.
Indiana were well balanced in the regular season game, and they did not shy away from pounding the rock.
They only managed 3 yards per carry, but had two scores on the ground and the Hoosiers Offensive Line have been in powering mood down the stretch. They will also have noted some of the successes teams have had moving the ball against this Oregon Defensive Line in recent games and putting this team in third and manageable spots could be the key to repeat, rather than revenge.
Some even see this as a fight between two Quarter Backs that may go First and Second in the next NFL Draft and third and manageable would certainly give Fernando Mendoza to produce stronger numbers than Dante Moore.
He had over 200 passing yards in the road win over the Ducks and would have more time in the pocket if the team are able to move the ball a little bit more efficiently on the ground. The Hoosiers had kept Mendoza well protected in that regular season win and doing the same here would certainly mean the Number 1 Seed can come out on top.
As mentioned a few times, beating a team twice in the same season is not easy in College Football.
The Ducks need to be given a lot of respect for the season they have put together and they are going to have a plan to turn around that home defeat to Indiana.
However, the Hoosiers have continued to pound out the wins and they will feel they can win the battle of the Third Down conversions, which ultimately will be a key to the final outcome. As long as the turnover battle is level at the least, the Hoosiers can find a way to come out on top and earn the opportunity to win a National Championship later this month.
MY PICKS: Mississippi Rebels + 3.5 Points @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)
Indiana Hoosiers - 3.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Quarter Final: 2-2, - 0.26 Units (4 Units Staked, - 6.50% Yield)
First Round Playoff: 3-1, + 1.67 Units (4 Units Staked, + 41.75% Yield)
Week 15: 2-2, - 0.29 Units (4 Units Staked, - 7.25% Yield)
Week 14: 5-2-1, + 2.44 Units (8 Units Staked, + 30.50% Yield)
Week 13: 3-3, - 0.35 Units (6 Units Staked, - 5.83% Yield
Week 12: 4-2, + 1.64 Units (6 Units Staked, + 27.33% Yield)
Week 11: 1-5, - 4.09 Units (6 Units Staked, - 68.17% Yield)
Week 10: 3-3, - 0.33 Units (6 Units Staked, - 5.50% Yield)
Week 9: 3-3, - 0.19 Units (6 Units Staked, - 3.17% Yield)
Week 8: 2-3, - 1.18 Units (5 Units Staked, - 23.60% Yield)
Week 7: 4-1, + 2.62 Units (5 Units Staked, + 52.40% Yield)
Week 6: 2-4, - 2.22 Units (6 Units Staked, - 37% Yield)
Week 5: 1-5, - 4.20 Units (6 Units Staked, - 70% Yield)
Week 4: 2-4, - 2.14 Units (6 Units Staked, - 35.67% Yield)
Week 3: 4-4, - 0.36 (8 Units Staked, - 4.50% Yield)
Week 1: 1-4, - 3.14 Units (5 Units Staked, - 62.80% Yield)
Week 0: 2-1, + 0.75 Units (3 Units Staked, + 25% Yield)
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