The College Football Playoff field is down to the final eight with this week's quarterfinals set to cut that group in half. The field represents a well-varied mix of NIL spending and roster construction strategies.

Hodges was Louisville's primary punter and holder for two seasons. Redshirt freshman Carter Schwartz took over those duties in the Cardinals' 35-34 Sun Bowl win. Schwartz averaged 43.7 yards on six punts, with two downed at the Washington 3-yard line and another at the Huskies 16.

Louisville punter Brady Hodges said he opted out of the Sun Bowl this week because the Cardinals' NIL collective did not pay money promised to him in September.

Some of it may be overboard, dancing on the grave of a not-dead patient by SEC haters who finally see their chance. Some of it is a chance to vent back at the loud pro-SEC voices, at ESPN and elsewhere. And a lot of this may be premature. New arrival Texas could still bring the SEC its sixth national title in eight years.

Most expected two blowouts in the quarterfinal round of the College Football Playoff. The routs, however, were anticipated in the Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl. Instead, the Rose Bowl between (8) Ohio State and (1) Oregon turned into one of the biggest mismatches of the entire CFP.