We have reached the college football semifinal, and we are graced with a rematch of one of the premier games of the regular season with Indiana taking on Oregon with a spot in the National Title Game on the line. Will the Ducks avenge their midseason defeat at the hands of the Hoosiers, or will Curt Cignetti's squad continue their undefeated run? Ryan and Clinton break down the matchup and pick the winner.

Join us on our Youtube channel live Saturday/Monday/Thursday for shows, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Live time for Monday/Thursday shows will remain 9 pm, while we will go live for instant reactions Saturday night following the games. Follow us on Twitter to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show.

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The CFP quarterfinals have come and gone and with a lone exception the first-round bye was once again unkind to teams, with the purported top-4 seeds falling to a combined 1-7 in the two-year history of the 12-team playoff. However, a midwest school was able to buck that trend, set up an anticipated semifinal rematch, and ensures the Big Ten will be playing for a national title for the third consecutive season.

In the first game, Ohio State was befuddled by a violent Miami front seven. The Hurricanes, with few exceptions, kept Ohio State's offense bottled up with seven tackles for loss, including five sacks. Heisman finalist Julian Sayin threw for 287 yards, but had two interceptions -- including a crucial pick-six in a decisive second quarter that gave Miami a 14-0 lead. Has Clinton recovered? And where does he think things went wrong for Ohio State?

In the early New Years Day game, Oregon's defense out-dueled Texas Tech's elite unit with a 23-0 win. Dan Lanning seemingly had little concern for the Red Raiders's offense with multiple fourth-down conversion attempts near midfield. Like Miami, the Ducks had seven TFLs, including four sacks, and picked off Texas Tech Behren Morton twice.

In the catharsis matchup of the day, Indiana did to Alabama what so many Saban-era 'Bama teams did to others, with a smothering 38-3 win that was never in doubt. The Hoosiers stifled the Tide running game, and battled QB Ty Simpson out of the game. The win sets up a rematch with Oregon in this Friday's Peach Bowl.

Join us on our Youtube channel live Saturday/Monday/Thursday for shows, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Live time for Monday/Thursday shows will remain 9 pm, while we will go live for instant reactions Saturday night following the games. Follow us on Twitter to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show.

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The quarterfinals are here and a trio of Big Ten teams will took to extend their seasons and keep national title hopes alive.

In the Cotton Bowl -- for just the fifth time in history, and the first time since 2011, Ohio State faces off against Miami. The 'Canes boast strong offensive and defensive line play -- which gave the Buckeyes trouble in the Big Ten title game. However, Miami's offense struggled in the wind against Texas A&M in the first round. Can Ohio State keep its national title defense hopes alive?

In the Orange bowl, Oregon takes on Texas Tech's vaunted defense, which is led by All-Americans David Bailey and Jacob Rodriguez. The Red Raiders also boast a strong rush offense, 26th nationally with 191 yards on the ground per game. Can Dante Moore and the Ducks' offense continue their recent ascent?

And in the Granddaddy of Them All, newblood Indiana takes on blueblood Alabama in the Rose Bowl. Can the Hoosiers avoid the No. 1 see curse the befuddled Oregon a year ago against a Crimson Tide team that came out of its shell in the last 2.5 quarters against Oklahoma, but still cannot run the ball?

Join us on our Youtube channel live Saturday/Monday/Thursday for shows, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Live time for Monday/Thursday shows will remain 9 pm, while we will go live for instant reactions Saturday night following the games. Follow us on Twitter to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show.

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Round one of the playoff is finished and the semifinal field is set. Many things were learned this weekend, mostly not for the better.

In the lone midwest action of the weekend, Oregon predicably thrashed James Madison in a game that was 34-6 at halftime. Dakorien Moore returned for the Ducks but he was unneeded, with Dante Moore hitting explosive pass plays to Trey Benson, Jamari Johnson and Dierre Hill. Did we actually learn anything from this game? And how will the Ducks match up with Texas Tech.

Elsewhere in the playoff Ole Miss crushed Tulane for the second time this season. Alabama Oklahoma'd Oklahoma. And Miami defeated Texas A&M in a mid-off.

Join us on our Youtube channel live Saturday/Monday/Thursday for shows, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Live time for Monday/Thursday shows will remain 9 pm, while we will go live for instant reactions Saturday night following the games. Follow us on Twitter to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show.

LINKS:

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Ryan and Clinton return for a first-round playoff pick 'em. With a light midwest flavor, the guys briefly talk all four first-round games.

The big question of the weekend: will chalk prevail or will we get chaos? In the later games Friday, we get Tulane (+17.5 vs Ole Miss) and James Madison (+21 vs Oregon) as three-score underdogs in games both appear to be heavily outmatched, but stranger things have occurred. Will either team cover, let alone win outright?

Friday night, we get a rematch of 9-seed Alabama vs 8-seed Oklahoma, but this time in Norman. The Sooners came away victorious only a month ago, despite being out-gained by nearly 200 yards, thanks to a 3-0 turnover advantage. Can a Crimson Tide team that is 1-2 its last 3 FBS games and has not exceeded 30 points against an FBS foe since mid-October right the ship against an Oklahoma defense that is among the best in the nation, but also boasts a offense that has struggled mightily since QB John Mateer's hand injury?

In the first game Saturday, Miami takes on Texas A&M for a brunch affair at Kyle Field. Both teams have shown elite flashes, but also have bottomed out abysmally at separate points this season. Which version of each team shows up, and will the crowd noise in College Station play a factor?

Join us on our Youtube channel live Saturday/Monday/Thursday for shows, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Live time for Monday/Thursday shows will remain 9 pm, while we will go live for instant reactions Saturday night following the games. Follow us on Twitter to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show.

LINKS:

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Dale Bliss from Autzen Zoo returns to the show to help the guys break down Oregon's encore season in the Big Ten and look ahead to its first-round playoff matchup vs James Madison.

After winning the league with a perfect 13-0 season in year one of their Big Ten journey, the Ducks had a masterful follow-up campaign at 11-1. However, that loss to Indiana ended the Ducks' chances at defending their Big Ten title. Did the regular season meet expectations? And how far do the Ducks need to go in the postseason for this season to be considered a success?

Few, if any, are giving James Madison a chance of upsetting the Ducks at Autzen in round one of the CFP this weekend. For the Ducks to advance, what will the keys to victory be?

Join us on our Youtube channel live Saturday/Monday/Thursday for shows, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Live time for Monday/Thursday shows will remain 9 pm, while we will go live for instant reactions Saturday night following the games. Follow us on Twitter to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show.

LINKS:

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Just when we thought the couching carousel was done spinning, Wednesday afternoon brought another bombshell with news dropping of Michigan's dismissal of head coach Sherrone Moore (and his subsequent arrest). Ryan divulges on some of the rumblings around Ann Arbor, and the guys talk where Michigan goes from here.

Later in the show, the guys revisit their preseason playoff brackets and laugh at how incorrect their fields were, and Ryan talks through his preseason Big Ten record predictions vs actual results. The guys also reveal their bracket picks.

Join us on our Youtube channel live Saturday/Monday/Thursday for shows, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Live time for Monday/Thursday shows will remain 9 pm, while we will go live for instant reactions Saturday night following the games. Follow us on Twitter to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show.

LINKS:

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In what would have seemed fictitious two years ago when Indiana hired Curt Cignetti away from James Madison, the Indiana Hoosiers are champions of the Big Ten, 13-0, and the No. 1 team in college football. The guys talked about the Hoosiers stymying previously-unbeaten Ohio State en route to their first outright Big Ten title since World War II.

The playoff field is set. The guys talk about the bracket, the paths for Oregon, Indiana and Ohio State, and the spineless Committee protection of Alabama. that found Notre Dame on the outside looking in.

Join us on our Youtube channel live Saturday/Monday/Thursday for shows, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Live time for Monday/Thursday shows will remain 9 pm, while we will go live for instant reactions Saturday night following the games. Follow us on Twitter to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show.

LINKS:

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Championship week is here and we have been blessed with a matchup between Nos. 1 and 2 in the country for the Big Ten Title Game. Ohio State and Indiana face off for conference supremacy. The guys discussed the matchup and keys to look out for. Who has the advantage, and do both teams have a first-round bye locked up anyway?

The guys also discuss the penultimate CFP rankings and their implications, and pick the other conference title games.

Join us on our Youtube channel live Saturday/Monday/Thursday for shows, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Live time for Monday/Thursday shows will remain 9 pm, while we will go live for instant reactions Saturday night following the games. Follow us on Twitter to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show.

LINKS:

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The guys take a break from breaking down the games to talk some off the field stuff. With the regular season finished, the coaching carousel is spinning and it has already affected the midwest.

The headliner was Michigan State parting ways with Jonathan Smith and quickly tapping former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald as it's next head coach. How will Fitzgerald fit with the Spartans?

Elsewhere, UCLA is looking to tap into past JMU magic by hiring Dukes' head coach Bob Chesney. While not in the midwest for his next job, Oregon OC was hired by Kentucky to be its next head coach.

The big one still on the board is Penn State. Where are the Lions at and who are names to know?

The guys finish the show by breaking down what to watch for in the penultimate college football playoff rankings Tuesday night, and what could transpire this weekend to affect the field? Ryan also pontificates on the debate surrounding the tail end of the field.

Join us on our Youtube channel live Saturday/Monday/Thursday for shows, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Live time for Monday/Thursday shows will remain 9 pm, while we will go live for instant reactions Saturday night following the games. Follow us on Twitter to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show.

LINKS:

Twitter: https://x.com/ITPCFB

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Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-the-pylon-a-midwest-college-football-podcast/id1729819040

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