Indiana, Miami (Fla.) Vie for National Championship

The semi-final games were a tale of opposite Bowl Games. Thursday night's Fiesta Bowl was a cliffhanger with Ole Miss holding a 27-24 lead with just over 2 minutes left in the game. But Miami (Fla.) moved a stunning championship drive that will surely go down in Hurricane history and took the lead 31-27. Ole Miss just flat ran out of time, ending as one of the greatest teams in Mississippi football history. The Peach Bowl was a blowout from the beginning and never slowed down. The final of 56-22 didn't really tell the story of the dominance Indiana inflicted on the Ducks. The Championship Game, played in Miami (Fla.)'s home stadium will pit a powerful #1 Indiana team against #2 Miami (Fla.) on January 19th.   

Playoff Semi-Finals Set; 4 Teams Left as Possible National Champions

Indiana, Ole Miss, Oregon and Miami (Fla.) still have their hopes alive to win it all in 2025. The Rebels and the Hurricane will kick things off in the Fiesta Bowl January 8 and the Hoosiers and Ducks will meet in the Peach Bowl January 9.  Indiana destroyed Alabama and the SEC myth of superiority by rolling over the Tide 38-3. Oregon completely shut down Texas Tech 23-0, Miami (Fla.) surprised Ohio State with an overwhelming defense 24-14, and Ole Miss shocked Georgia with a late surge to nip the Bulldogs 39-34. The next Billingsley Report will be released January 10. The Championship game will be played January 19, and the Final Billingsley Report will be released on the afternoon of January 20.   

CFP Quarter-Finals Set

The field for the National Championship has narrowed to 8 teams. On December 31 Ohio State will meet Miami (Fla.) in the Cotton Bowl while on Saturday a trio of games will take place as the day unfolds. In the early game the Orange Bowl will feature Oregon and Texas Tech followed by the Rose Bowl where Alabama will meet Indiana. The Sugar Bowl is the late game and is a rematch of the SEC's hard fought regular season game of Georgia and Ole Miss.  Several other Bowl Games continue to be played, scattered out through the week all the way to January 2. The Semi-Final is set for January 8 and 9 and the Championship on January 19. The next Billingsley Report will be posted after the quarter-finals. Enjoy!                   

CFRC Bids Farwell to Old Friend Roy Kramer

I've always said it was Roy Kramer who made me famous, and it's true. When he invited me to join the BCS in the organization's second season the statistics on my website soared to over 1 million users each of the 16 years I was a member. “Be prepared for almost anything Richard”, He warned. Was he ever right. I received death threats so serious the FBI got involved. I was burned in effigy on the California campus and threatened with bodily harm almost every day. So much for being famous. Roy was there, standing beside me every time the heat got too hot. He was a dear friend and I will miss him. College Football lost a giant. Without Roy Kramer we would not have conference championship games, and the National Championship would still be in the hands of the AP and UPI rather than being decided on the field of play. It took years of delicate negotiations to bring the BCS into reality and he was the only man with the patience and power to do it. God Bless Roy Kramer. He died December 4, 2025 at the age of 96.   The next Billingsley Report will be released on December 28, right before the CFP Quarter Finals are played. Alabama, Ole Miss, Oregon and Miami (Fla.) were victorious in the first round. The Report on the 28th will include those new ratings as well as all the Bowl Games played through December 27th.