SUBSCRIBER EPISODE: Once upon a time, Ole Miss picked segregation and the Stars and Bars over being good at football. Indiana picked basketball over being good at football. Miami never really chose not to be good at football, but made a series of mistakes and ran up against difficult modern realities that caused a long drought. Meanwhile, the story of Phil Knight rescuing Oregon is now so old-fashioned it’s basically quaint. In this subscriber episode, Richard and Alex talk about how the four 2025 Playoff semifinalists got out of their own way.

The second half of this audio file (starting at 39:43) is a resurfacing of our “Dead Letters” episode about the history of Ole Miss football, featuring Alex and Steven Godfrey. We’ve gotten a lot of new listeners since the episode came out in 2023 and wanted to make sure those folks had a chance to hear it.

Find all Dead Letters shows here.

Producer: Anthony Vito.

This is a subscriber episode of SZD

We are grateful for the several thousand people who pay $10 a month or $110 for the year to support Split Zone Duo. One thing you get is the knowledge that you are making this independent college football podcast possible. Another thing you get is a lot of bonus episodes, including weekly dispatches all offseason long. The football season is our busiest time, but we like to think the offseason is our most creative time, and there’s still a lot of news to talk about.

We’ll do a lot of that exclusively for subscribers. Thanks to everyone who’s already joined us, and if you haven’t yet, we think you’ll enjoy it if you check it out. Good for the soul but also good for the podcast queue.

Richard and Alex talk about the absurd FCS Championship that ended with Montana State claiming the national title over Illinois State. Then it’s time to preview the College Football Playoff semifinals in a lot of detail.

* 2:30 FCS Championship

* 15:42 Ole Miss vs. Miami

* 33:52 Oregon vs. Indiana

* 52:15 NFL playoff takes

Producer: Anthony Vito.

Become a paid subscriber in 2026!

We are grateful for the several thousand people who pay $10 a month or $110 for the year to support Split Zone Duo. One thing you get is the knowledge that you are making this independent college football podcast possible. Another thing you get is a lot of bonus episodes, including weekly dispatches all offseason long. The football season is our busiest time, but we like to think the offseason is our most creative time, and there’s still a lot of news to talk about.

We’ll do a lot of that exclusive for subscribers. Thanks to everyone who’s already joined us, and if you haven’t yet, we think you’ll enjoy it if you check it out. Good for the soul but also good for the podcast queue.

Thank you to Split Zone Duo’s sponsors

* 20% off Dad Water: https://drinkdadwater.com/discount/SZD

* https://www.nokiantyres.com/szd

* Shop Homefield at https://www.homefieldapparel.com/

* Modelo: Drink responsibly. Beer imported by Crown Imports, Chicago, IL

Richard (from the Sugar Bowl) and Alex (from the Rose Bowl) break down the College Football quarterfinal bowl games in this order:

* Ole Miss 39, Georgia 34

* Indiana 38, Alabama 3

* Oregon 23, Texas Tech 0

* Miami 24, Ohio State 14

Want much more? Become a paid subscriber

Subscribers get weekly bonus episodes, usually more than one during the season and postseason, as well as the chance to ask questions and engage more deeply with the hosts. We’d love to have you.

Thanks to our partners and subscribers

* 20% off Dad Water: https://drinkdadwater.com/discount/SZD

* https://www.nokiantyres.com/szd

* Shop Homefield at https://www.homefieldapparel.com/

* Modelo: Drink responsibly. Beer imported by Crown Imports, Chicago, IL

Producer: Anthony Vito