In less than 24 hours, all three College Football Playoff participants from the western third of the country were sent packing in fashions ranging from highly respectable to ignominious. It was less than 24, actually. Boise State's loss to Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl went final Tuesday at 8:15 p.
m. By 4 p.m.
on New Year's Day, Arizona State had lost the Peach Bowl to Texas and Oregon was down 34 points to Ohio State in the first half of the Rose Bowl. Officially, we'll set the elimination clock at 20 hours. All three were conference champions, and all three received opening-round byes.
Not surprisingly, those three-week breaks turned into competitive disadvantages: The Broncos, Sun Devils and Ducks were outscored 42-3 in the first quarter of their quarterfinal games by opponents that played 10 days earlier in the opening round. But that's where the connective tissue ends: — Boise State was competitive for large portions of the Fiesta Bowl but never generated true drama. — Arizona State rallied from a 16-point deficit and took the Longhorns to double overtime in a riveting Peach Bowl.
— And in the twist of twists, top-seeded Oregon was effectively a no-show in the Rose Bowl. Three teams, three byes, three degrees of competitive play — and three losses. The more the CFP changes, the more the situation remains the same.
This is the 11th edition of the playoff. Teams from the western third of the country have participated in the semifinals three times: Oregon in 2014 an.
