Redemption. Retribution. Revenge.
Whichever of these R-words you revere most, they all relate as the College Football Playoff rolls into the reckoning that is this week's semifinals -- a quartet of stories that are wildly varied, but at their core essentially the same.
The long-awaited expanded playoff that began with a dozen teams is down to four. Glaringly absent from the remaining field are the teams that have dominated the CFP since its inception. Clemson and Georgia have been eliminated. Oregon, ranked No. 1 for much of the season, also has been sent home.