The predictions are in.<\/b>
\nHow old are we, dear friends?
Old enough to have lived to see Indiana favored against Alabama in a football game.
We\u2019ve had a couple of years to let this out-of-nowhere, Curt Cignetti-led Hoosiers rise sink in, and the same amount of time to witness the subtle, yet unmistakable, decline of the post-Nick Saban Crimson Tide from ultimate superpower to College Football Playoff bubble dweller.
basketball school no longer?
Bama \u2014 nothing extra-special?
Answer among yourselves. And while you\u2019re doing that, ask yourselves if you can point to a time when Miami began to fall \u2014 hard \u2014 from superpower status while Ohio State started to ascend toward its football peak.
I was at the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona, when the seemingly invincible 2002 Hurricanes \u2014 who rode in on a 34-game winning streak \u2014 were upset by the double-digit-underdog Buckeyes in double overtime for the national title. There haven\u2019t been many nights like it.
Miami finished the following season ranked fifth in the country but hasn\u2019t ended up in the top 10 or with fewer than three losses since. OSU, meanwhile, is working on what would be its 16th top-five finish over the same period \u2014 if it successfully gets past the Canes.
The playoff quarterfinals are here, with Texas Tech-Oregon and Georgia-Ole Miss as the other matchups. Let\u2019s get to some predictions:Cotton: No. 2 Ohio State (12-1) vs. No. 10 Miami (11-2)
Time, TV, location: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, ESPN, Arlington, Texas.
Line: Ohio State -9\u00bd.
Winner gets: Georgia or Ole Miss.
Last we saw the Buckeyes, they were losing 13-10 to Indiana in the Big Ten championship game. So much for going 16-0. Instead, it\u2019s the Hoosiers who have a chance to achieve that FBS first.
But are the Buckeyes still the real best team in the land? They do have the best odds to win it all. They\u2019d be favored in a rematch against the Hoosiers, at least for now. And if they overwhelm Miami, is anyone honestly going to be surprised?
In a 10-3 first-round win at Texas A&M, the Canes ran the ball at will and rushed the passer with game-long success. Those would be amazing places to start against the Buckeyes, who are night-and-day better than A&M defensively and have had three-plus weeks to get their protection in order.
\u201cIt comes down to our mindset and our preparation,\u201d OSU coach Ryan Day told reporters. \u201cWhen you get into the playoffs, you have to rebuild momentum, and that\u2019s exactly what we need to do here.\u201d
I\u2019m buying it. Buckeyes, 24-13.Orange: No. 4 Texas Tech (12-1) vs. No. 5 Oregon (12-1)
Time, TV, location: 11 a.m. Thursday, ESPN, Miami.
Line: Oregon -2\u00bd.
Winner gets: Indiana or Alabama.
Will Tech duo David Bailey and Romello Height, who have 22\u00bd sacks between them, live in the backfield against the Ducks? It seems unlikely. Oregon\u2019s offensive line finished as runner-up for the Joe Moore award, which goes to the best wall o\u2019 beef in the country. With excellent pass blockers and a mobile quarterback in Dante Moore, the Ducks should be able to handle themselves.
Oregon\u2019s size and speed on defense will challenge the Red Raiders, who didn\u2019t encounter an opponent this athletic in the Big 12. But the Ducks let James Madison score 28 in the second half of their playoff opener. That shouldn\u2019t have happened.
\u201cThey know they can play to a higher level,\u201d Ducks coach Dan Lanning said.
Tech is really good \u2014 better than Arizona State was last year \u2014 but this is a prime Big Ten foe. Give me the Quackers by a touchdown.Rose: No. 1 Indiana (13-0) vs. No. 9 Alabama (11-3)
Time, TV, location: 3 p.m. Thursday, ESPN, Pasadena, Calif.
Line: Indiana -7.
Winner gets: Texas Tech or Oregon.
In the first round, Alabama rallied from a 17-0 deficit to win at Oklahoma. If that doesn\u2019t scare the Hoosiers, nothing will.
My money\u2019s on \u201cnothing will.\u201d
\u201cYou probably know more about the [Alabama] mystique than they do,\u201d coach Curt Cignetti said in regard to his players. \u201cOur guys just know what they see on tape.\u201d
On tape, the Crimson Tide can be found looking nothing like a true contender to win it all. That\u2019s just reality. The Tide have plenty of NFL talent, without a doubt, but there aren\u2019t many things the Hoosiers haven\u2019t done better.
And the Hoosiers wear crimson, too, you know. IU, 27-21.Sugar: No. 3 Georgia (12-1) vs. No. 6 Ole Miss (12-1)
Time, TV, location: 7 p.m. Thursday, ESPN, New Orleans.
Line: Georgia -6\u00bd.
Winner gets: Ohio State or Miami.
This is a rematch of a fantastic mid-October game, which Georgia won 43-35 at home after trailing most of the way.
But there\u2019s no forgetting how brilliant the Bulldogs looked during a fourth quarter in which they dominated the Rebels 17-0. That\u2019s when the real Georgia stood up, and this team has been up ever since. The 28-7 revenge win against Alabama in the SEC championship was a serious exclamation point.
Congrats to Ole Miss\u2019 Pete Golding for moving up from defensive coordinator to head coach after Lane Kiffin\u2019s departure. But now Golding has to tangle with Kirby Smart, and that\u2019s some kind of dangerous. Dawgs, 38-24.<\/p>\n