The 12-team CFP was a terrible idea from the start, and this weekend provided further proof.

We got two blowouts and two poorly played games.

Texas A&M and Miami both belong in the field but have significant flaws. Either is certainly good enough to beat Ohio State on a given day, but that is beside the point.

Miami’s 10-3 win very much resembled an NFL Wild Card game between two teams that don’t look like championship material but are evenly matched at least.

Cotton Bowl matchup set: It's Miami

I guess the Oklahoma-Alabama game had some high points, but it felt more like a Sooner meltdown than a Tide triumph (admittedly I missed the first half because I was covering Stebbins at Troy boys basketball, but that definitely made for an interesting time catching up on the ol’ Twitter feed).

At least seeing Oklahoma get whipped in the CFP was a familiar feeling from the four-team…

If you missed it, I had a few more thoughts on the Hurricanes for the Sunday morning newsletter

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Nonetheless, we’re down to a proper final eight aside from having Alabama in over Notre Dame.

All four semifinals are interesting matchups on and/or off the field: Ohio State-Miami in the Cotton Bowl, Mississippi-Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, Alabama-Indiana in the Rose Bowl and Oregon-Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl.

The Buckeyes and Hurricanes could be the two most talented teams, and of course they have a bit of a history in the postseason.

The new-money Rebels get a chance to prove themselves against the old guard Bulldogs, who are looking to show the world they are still the Georgia program that reigned over the sport in 2021 and ‘22.

Oregon and Texas Tech are similar in a lot of ways: Start-up programs trying to buy their way to the top (for better or for worse). They both have talent, for sure, but we’re about to find out how much.

Then there is the Rose Bowl, an amazing setting for perhaps the best and worst programs in college football history to square off, and this looks like a very beatable Crimson Tide team Indiana gets to face.

The defense has its usual breakdowns in the first half against the Dolphins, but it forced some turnovers and helped the offense bury them.

Really, this was a total 2025 Cincinnati Bengals Performance (TM):

Actually, that last one might be quintessential Bengals as well. IF they can turn the opponent over, they’ve got a much better chance of winning because that is still the only way for the defense to get off the field, even against a rookie quarterback.

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Last week was one of the worst I can remember for the Bengals as far as off-the-field news.

In the aftermath of the debacle against the Ravens last Sunday, a report from The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. indicated Zac Taylor, Al Golden and de facto GM Duke Tobin are likely to be back in their roles next season.

Then Joe Burrow said he doesn’t see any way he won’t be the quarterback of the Bengals next season, but he also acknowledged playing his whole career in Cincinnati was not a foregone conclusion.

I don’t blame Burrow for anything he said.

Honesty is the best policy. Lots of guys like him end up finishing their careers somewhere else, even Tom Brady, Joe Montana and Brett Favre so it would almost be weirder if Burrow said the thought never crossed his mind.

Taylor should be fired even if they win out because he is a bad coach. He’s always been a bad coach, and I don’t see him ever being a good coach.

He did manage to stay out of the way enough for them to make the Super Bowl. Maybe he’s good with the locker room.

He’s continually mismanaged his role on game day after selfishly making himself the play caller and game-manager despite never doing either of those things in the NFL before getting the job.

I don’t have strong feelings about Golden, but I suppose if the defense looks competent for the last month of the season, that could be meaningful.

Tobin is probably the least popular of the trio right now with fans, but his name might as well be Brown so I never figured he was going to be shown the door.

I also think he’s done good things over the course of his time in charge of the roster, including assembling two different playoff teams for Marvin Lewis, whose coaching staff knew how to develop players.

Monday Musings: Heisman Trophy, Bengals atrophy, Buckeye basketball triumphs