And then there were four! Penn State, Notre Dame, Texas, and Ohio State all advance to the College Football Playoff Semifinals, where the Nittany Lions will renew their rivalry with the Fighting Irish in the Orange Bowl, while the Longhorns welcome the Buckeyes to Texas and the Cotton Bowl.
The Quartfinals were filled with exciting games (Texas-Arizona State), routes (Ohio State-Oregon) and a one-day delay due to an unthinkable tragedy in the French Quarter of New Orleans, but in the end, four Blue Blood college football programs reached the apex of the game.
The Drive
First Down: Jerod Mayo was fired by the New England Patriots after just one season. Are Deion and Shadeur a fit in New England?
Second Down: Alabama quarterback, Jalen Milroe, announced he will be entering the NFL draft. Why? What does this say about Milroe’s opportunities at the college level? What type of career do we see him having in the NFL?
Third Down: All four head coaches needed to be here to eliminate nagging questions about their ability to lead these programs. Is there one of the four coaches you think needs to win most?
Fourth Down: Georgia lost to Notre Dame. Alabama lost to Michigan. South Carolina lost to Illinois. For a conference where “It Just Means More,” what does this past week’s bowl performances say about the state of the SEC?
Read Brian’s Take on the SEC Gaslighting College Football:
Extra Points: Rest vs. Rust. All four bye teams lost in the quarterfinals. Should the CFP expand to 16 teams to eliminate the layoff for playoff teams?
Watch Tailgators Setup Podcast on Substack:
John’s Games of the Week:
CFP at the Capital One Orange Bowl
Penn State vs. Notre Dame (1.5) 7:30 p.m. Thursday, January 9th.
Notre Dame’s Defense vs. Penn State’s Tyler Warren of it All offense.
Get-in Price: $242
CFP at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl
Texas vs. Ohio State (-5.5) 7:30 p.m. Friday, January 10th
Ohio State is the most dominant team right now. Does Texas have a chance?
Get-in Price: $356
Just for Men (#notsponsored) Pick’em Challenge:
Brian poses a question: “Should we each have to dye our beards Ryan Day black if Ohio State wins the CFP National Championship?”
As we head to the Semifinals, the current standings are:
Brian: 193-105; Gary: 192-106; John: 188-110*
*-With only three games remaining, it is mathematically impossible for John to catch Gary, meaning he is the “winner” of the Ryan Day Dyed Black Beard.
Gary’s Cocktails of the Week:
After an all-out blitz for last week’s Quarterfinal games, Gary is ready to drop the “bomb” on us this week, with four “bomb” inspired drinks for the Semifinals.
I’m afraid what he’ll think up for the championship!
Nittany Lion Bomb:
Fill a shot glass with whiskey.
Fill a pint with beer.
Drop the shot with whisky into the beer.
Leprechaun Bomb:
Fill a shaker with ice.
Add vodka, rum, blue curaçao and orange juice.
Shake and strain into a large shot glass.
Fill a highball glass with lemon and lime soda and put the shot glass into the larger highball glass.
Bevo Bomb:
Fill a shot glass with amaretto and drop into a highball glass with some beer. (You can also add some cola to the amaretto shot.)
Brutus Bomb:
Pour some cola and spiced rum into a pint glass.
Fill a shot with Bailey’s, Jägermeister and butterscotch schnapps.
Drop the shot glass into the pint.
Before We Go…Brian is currently reading
’s Football for a Buck: The Crazy Rise and Crazier Demise of the USFL, a story about the brief history of the USFL. Brian asks John and Gary each of their favorite football books:John’s Favorite Football Book: The Fighting Spirit: A Championship Season at Notre Dame by Lou Holtz and John Heisler
Gary’s Favorite Football Book: The Education of a Coach by David Halberstam
Some of Brian’s Favorite Football Books:
The Boz: Confessions of a Modern Anti-Hero by Brian Bosworth and Rick Reilly
Next Man Up by John Feinstein
It Never Rains In Tiger Stadium by John Ed Bradley
When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi by David Maraniss
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