It’s a fantastic weekend to be a college football fan. A new era of the post-season kicks off Friday, Dec. 20, with the first ever 12-team College Football Playoff.
In one month, football fans will have a new national champion and no matter which of the 12 teams comes out victorious, they will have earned it. Here’s a quick break down of the first-round games.
No. 7 Indiana vs. No. 10 Notre Dame
The first matchup comes Friday night between the No. 7 seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the No. 10 seed Indiana Hoosiers.
Good morning from Notre Dame Stadium.#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/AdPyaXPuuE
— The Fighting Irish (@FightingIrish) December 20, 2024
There’s a possibility of snow in the forecast in South Bend, Indiana, so the ground game might be key. Notre Dame ranks 10th in the nation running the football. Meanwhile, Indiana’s defense under first-year coach Curt Cignetti is the best in the country at stopping the run. The team only allowing just 70 yards per game.
Irish quarterback said Reilly Leonard feels like his team is ready for whatever comes their way.
“Definitely the biggest game of my career. had a lot of time to prepare and I won’t take it for granted. really cool experience, to get to where we are now is kinda why I came to Notre Dame,” Leonard said.
No. 11 SMU vs. No. 6 Penn State
A Saturday, Dec. 21, triple-header begins with underdog SMU, the No. 11 seed, taking on the Big Ten Conference runner-up Penn State, the No. 6 seed, in frigid State College, Pennsylvania. Temperatures are expected to be in the 20s. Both teams have high powered offenses that can score with any player.
The Mustangs made it into the playoff even though their comeback against Clemson in the ACC championship game fell just short. They may need to put up at least 30 points to hang with Penn State. The Nittany Lions, on the other hand, have just two losses. Both of them to were playoff teams, but head coach James Franklin’s record against top-10 opponents stands at three wins and 19 losses.
His counterpart on the Mustangs, Rhett Lashlee isn’t buying that, he just wants a fast start.
“The first quarter is big because starting fast is important in football anyways, but we’re on the road 106,000 plus, the atmosphere will be electric, they will have all the momentum and adrenaline on their side. It’s going to be important, yes to start fast but also just to hang in there,” Lashlee said.
With a win over the Nittany Lions, Lashlee and the Mustangs can silence a lot of the critics that said they shouldn’t be in the playoff. Some believe that three-loss Alabama from the powerful SEC conference had a better resume. Pollers put SMU just one spot ahead of Bama in the College Football Playoff final poll.
No. 12 Clemson vs. No. 5 Texas
On the other side of the bracket, the second game on Saturday, Dec. 21 is a big-time matchup in Austin, Texas, between the ACC champions, No. 12 Clemson, and the No. 5 Texas, who finished second in the SEC.
The Tigers would likely not be in the dance had they not hung on to beat SMU in the final seconds of the ACC title game. Quarterback Cade Klubnik will need to be play a great game against the Longhorns defense. The unit is currently ranked second in the nation allowing just 12 points per game.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney is well aware that Texas is a 10-point betting favorite over his Tigers.
“I mean we’re the 12 seed, happy to have a chance, I mean, we’re in there, anything can happen,” Swinney said. “The players know not a lot of people don’t give us an opportunity to win. That’s their mentality, they believe in themselves and that’s all that matters.”
No. 9 Tennessee vs. No. 8 Ohio State
The nightcap Saturday features the two closest seeds in the first round, The No. 9 seed Tennessee Volunteers travel to Columbus, Ohio, to take on the No. 8 seed, Ohio State.
The Vols have had a balanced attack all season. However, the question of whether their freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava will be able to handle the pressure the top ranked defense in the nation will bring remains.
The Buckeyes allow just 11 points per game and are second in the Big Ten in sacks, with 35.
However, Ryan Day’s Ohio State gang lost to bitter rival Michigan in their last game. Day said he believes the team has moved on and will focus on the task at hand.
“Once you get into the playoffs it’s a brand-new start,” Day said. “Our guys have recognized that now. They’ve earned the right to play in the playoffs and that’s it. We have two top five wins and 10 wins. A lot of teams in the country are not in the playoffs the bottom line is we’re in the playoffs.”
They’re in, but how long will each team last? Day added one more thought when asked how he approaches the tournament.
“Look, we all have our issues and deficiencies, the team that can address those the best is going to win this thing,” Day said.
