Twelve has been trimmed to four as the College Football Playoff heads into the national semifinals with No. 1 seed Indiana set to meet No. 5 Oregon in the Peach Bowl and No. 6 Ole Miss matched with No. 10 Miami in the Fiesta Bowl.
The Hoosiers mauled No. 9 Alabama 38-3 in the Rose Bowl behind another perfect game from Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, who finished with more touchdown passes, three, than incompletions, two.
The Rebels dug out of a 21-12 halftime deficit and won 39-34 against No. 3 Georgia, pulling away late with a 47-yard field goal with six seconds left.
Oregon smothered No. 4 Texas Tech 23-0 in the Orange Bowl thanks to four turnovers by the Red Raiders, including a key end-zone interception by quarterback Behren Morton in the third quarter.
In the biggest upset of this year’s tournament, Miami outmuscled No. 2 Ohio State for a 24-14 win in the Cotton Bowl, sending the defending national champions into the offseason on a two-game losing streak.
