Seven Takeaways: The College Football Playoff Semifinals Edition

The last semifinals of the four-team playoff era were a doozy.

Seven Takeaways: The College Football Playoff Semifinals Edition

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Seven Takeaways: The College Football Playoff Semifinals Edition

1. Michigan gets a program-defining win

It makes me sick to even write this, but I have to. As much as people might want to talk about Alabama's final play, Tommy Rees' playcalling in general, whatever was going on with their snapping, Jalen Milroe's fumble, or them being up seven points late and losing, Michigan deserved to win that game.

I thought they severely outplayed Bama in the first half, and the Tide were fortunate to only be down three. Bama fought back –like they always do– but Michigan didn't let it get to a two-possession game, which was obviously crucial. A lot of you might not be old enough to have experienced what video games were like when you were down to your last life and losing it meant that you had to start from the beginning, but that's what it felt like Michigan's tying touchdown drive was. It was do-or-die, and JJ McCarthy coolly led them down the field to tie it up. Their fourth down call to Blake Corum was excellent, and Roman Wilson's leaping catch over the middle is the type of play Michigan fans will talk about for decades: