Robert Griffin III passionately defends two college football teams amid backlash

The former Heisman winner sticks up for the College Football Playoff participants after Saturday's results.

Analyst Robert Griffin III defended the naysayers calling for changes to the College Football Playoff after Saturday's results. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Saturday’s College Football Playoff results ignited a fierce debate regarding the format of the postseason and the quality of its participants. Critics immediately pointed to lopsided scores as evidence that representation from smaller conferences dilutes the competitive nature of the field. The backlash was swift and unforgiving as pundits and fans echoed sentiments that the expanded bracket allowed for uncompetitive matchups against established powerhouses.

High-profile voices in the sport had already questioned the inclusion of these programs before kickoff. Prominent analysts argued that conference champions from outside the power structure typically lack the depth to compete on the biggest stage.

The results on the field seemed to validate those concerns for many viewers, who watched the games unfold one-sidedly as the favorites dominated from the opening whistle.

However, one prominent analyst refused to accept that a singular game result dictates the worthiness of a program's inclusion. College football analyst Robert Griffin III took to social media to push back against the narrative that these teams did not deserve their opportunities.

The former NFL quarterback-turned-analyst argued that historical context shows that blowout losses are not exclusive to the sport's smaller brands.

Robert Griffin III uses historical powerhouse losses to contextualize playoff defeats for James Madison and Tulane

The controversy centered on the Oregon Ducks dominating the James Madison Dukes 51-34 and the Ole Miss Rebels routing the Tulane Green Wave 41-10. The James Madison defense struggled to contain Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore, who helped his offense score touchdowns on its first five possessions.

Meanwhile, Tulane Green Wave quarterback Jake Retzlaff committed costly turnovers against a sharp Ole Miss Rebels offense led by quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. The lopsided nature of the contests brought renewed attention to comments made by ESPN analyst Nick Saban, who previously compared the inclusion of teams like James Madison to allowing a Triple-A baseball team into the World Series. Saban suggested organizers should "just give them the money" and put a team like the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the field instead.

Griffin argued that the results of the games should not diminish the accomplishment of earning a spot in the bracket. He noted that blueblood programs have suffered similar fates in previous years.

The 2011 Heisman Trophy winner posted that the teams "earned their way into the College Football Playoff and earned their butt-whooping" just like the Alabama Crimson Tide did in a 44-16 loss to the Clemson Tigers in 2019. He also listed the Ohio State Buckeyes losing 31-0 to Clemson in 2016 and the Oklahoma Sooners falling 63-28 to the LSU Tigers in 2019 as examples of elite teams getting crushed on the same stage.

The Results of the JMU and Tulane game don’t matter. They earned their way into the College Football Playoff and earned their butt whopping like:

-Alabama lost 44-16 to Clemson-2019
-Oklahoma lost 63-28 to LSU-2019
-OSU lost 31-0 to Clemson-2016
-OSU lost 52-24 to Alabama-2021 https://t.co/qdI9nLqIk1 pic.twitter.com/UTxqNuTVFa

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) December 21, 2025

The analyst emphasized that an undefeated or one-loss Group of Five champion earns the right to compete regardless of the brand size. Griffin stated that anyone trying to keep these schools out is "carrying water for the wrong people" and noted that football fans generally love underdogs.

He concluded his defense by reminding followers that winning games matters and the sport extends beyond just two major conferences.