The College Football Playoff is here, and with it comes a unique opportunity for programs to put their brand and stars on display in front of the whole country. The stage couldn't be much bigger. The spotlight couldn't be much brighter.
This, of course, also means that amusing postgame quips that would normally get written off in the moment garner increased attention. In addition to high-stakes football, this weekend brought plenty of such those quotes. From Ty Simpson referencing Geno Smith to Dan Lanning being morose after a win, there were plenty of memorable moments in front of postgame microphones across the bracket.
Here are the top quotes from the first round of the College Football Playoff.
'We ain't write back!' -- Alabama QB Ty Simpson
The Crimson Tide made College Football Playoff history on Friday night, becoming the first team to win a road playoff game (all four home teams won their first-round games in last year's bracket).
The victory didn't come without some early struggles. Oklahoma raced out to a 17-0 lead, and by the second quarter it looked possible that Alabama would be left in the dust. But Simpson and the Crimson Tide rallied, scoring 27 unanswered points to erase the deficit and enter the final quarter with a 27-17 lead. The Sooners didn't go away, but Alabama eventually closed it out for a 34-24 win. After the final whistle, Simpson referenced Oklahoma's early lead, paying homage to Geno Smith by co-opting the Las Vegas Raiders quarterback's line from the 2022 season.
'I couldn't find enough wipees to clean myself.' -- Miami coach Mario Cristobal
While Miami-Texas A&M wasn't exactly a high-scoring affair, the matchup was far from a disappointment in terms of entertainment and drama. The two teams combined for a remarkable four missed field goals and four turnovers, with the Hurricanes eventually intercepting Marcel Reed in the end zone with less than 30 seconds remaining to stop a potential game-tying drive by the Aggies.
Miami's win prompted a jubilant scene on Cristobal's sideline -- including Hurricanes alum and superfan Michael Irvin giving the coach a kiss during his postgame interview. Cristobal said Irvin is "awesome" but made his opinion on the sanitary nature (or lack thereof) of that form of celebration clear.
'PG is not going to change when you change a label in front of his name.' -- Ole Miss quarterbacks coach Joe Judge
You'd be hard-pressed to find many head coaching debuts better than that of new Rebels boss Pete Golding, who took over in Oxford at the conclusion of the regular season when Lane Kiffin accepted the LSU Tigers job.
Golding got off to a 1-0 start on Saturday, leading the Rebels to a dominant 41-10 win over Tulane. The Rebels amassed 497 yards of total offense in the triumph. After the game, former Giants coach Joe Judge, one of Kiffin's former staff members who will be staying in Oxford with Golding, complimented his new boss' ability to stay the course after being promoted under chaotic circumstances.
'You got to be able to choke somebody out. We didn't do that.' - Oregon coach Dan Lanning
Don't get it twisted: Oregon defeated James Madison 51-34 to move on in the College Football Playoff. But if the way the Ducks played in the second half is any indication, Lanning was right to be concerned.
Up 34-6 at halftime, Oregon let James Madison score 28 points in the second half while putting up only 17 of their own. While his squad was never truly in danger of losing the game, Lanning clearly wasn't happy with how they closed things out.
