After an impressive regular season and a championship weekend that delivered some upsets, the real fun begins now—the newly expanded 12-team College Football Playoff. Four teams were given a bye to the second round, but eight teams played in round one in straight knockout football.
To make things even more interesting, these games will be played at the home stadiums of the higher-ranked teams, meaning that the atmosphere will be electric. So, how did the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Texas Longhorns, and Ohio State Buckeyes (among a few others) fare in Round 1 of the Playoffs?
Notre Dame (#7) vs Indiana (#10)
The first-ever playoff game in the new 12-team format was between the 10-seeded Indiana Hoosiers and the seven-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish. It is no surprise that Notre Dame would make the playoffs, but for Indiana, this appearance makes school history. The Hoosiers have had their best season, going 11-1, but could they cause an upset win against their state rivals?
The Hoosiers did not have the best start to the game, quickly going three and out on their opening drive. However, they almost immediately regained possession, as Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard threw an interception on his first throw of the game. However, Indiana would soon make a mistake of its own.
Hoosier quarterback Kurtis Rourke brought the offense down to the Fighting Irish’s 17-yard line. Here, the Notre Dame defense intercepted his pass, which led to the goal. On the next play, they would be able to take the lead when running back Jeremiah Love found the endzone from a 98-yard rushing touchdown.
The Fighting Irish would add to this lead on their next drive. Starting from their 17-yard line, the Leonard lead offense slowly went down to the Hoosiers’ five-yard line. From here, Leonard found Jayden Thomas for the touchdown pass. This touchdown drive also made history, being the longest in terms of number of plays (16) in the CFP.
Near the end of the first half, the Hoosiers could finally put some points off the board. The Rourke lead offense would be able to make its way down to the Notre Dame 16-yard line, where it would stall. This set up a 34-yard field goal attempt from kicker Nicolas Radicic, which was successful. In response, the Fighting Irish could score a field goal, with Mitch Jeter successfully finding the uprights from 49 yards out.
This meant that the Fighting Irish had a 17-3 lead over the Hoosiers at halftime.
The Fighting Irish were able to add to their lead in the third quarter. Their drive again stalled, this time at the Hoosiers’ 15-yard line. Jeter would then successfully kick a 33-yard field goal. However, Notre Dame would not be as successful on their next drive. Again, They were forced to take a field goal from 37 yards out. But this kick was blocked by the Hoosiers. Luckily for the Fighting Irish, Indiana could not do anything with this new possession.
Notre Dame would put the game out of reach on their next drive. Leonard and company were able to move down to the Hoosiers’ one-yard line, and then the quarterback found the endzone for the rushing touchdown.
But the Hoosiers did not give up, despite the game being more or less over for them, unless they could score three touchdowns in five minutes quickly. On their next drive, they did find the endzone. Rourke moved his offense down to the Notre Dame seven-yard line, and here, he found Myles Price for the touchdown. Indiana would then attempt a two-point conversion, which they were successful with.
Then, the Hoosiers could keep possession after recovering their on-side kick. This started their drive a the 50-yard line. Indiana was then able to move down to the Notre Dame 23-yard line. From here, Rourke found Omar Cooper Jr for the touchdown pass. They attempted (and then failed) a two-point conversion, but it was all irrelevant in the grand scheme.
With 25 seconds left, Notre Dame held onto the ball to seal the win.
This means that the number seven seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish had defeated the number 10-seeded Indiana Hoosiers 27-17.
For Notre Dame, they expected victory and this is what they got. Tougher tests will come in the coming weeks, and this team is going to have to improve if they are going to make a challenge for the national championship seriously. As for the Hoosiers, their season will always be remembered. They are historically one of the worst teams in college football, so having a season like this is fantastic for their program. The real test is upon the program, as they will want to keep this form up and not revert to their usual form.
With the win, Notre Dame advanced to the next round and will face the number two-seeded Georgia Bulldogs.
Penn State (#6) vs SMU (#11)
Like Indiana, the number 11-seeded SMU Mustangs were a team the fans wanted to see in the bracket. It was either them or Alabama, and as the Mustangs had the better season and nearly won the ACC, they were in. Winning the ACC would have given them a bye, but this did not happen. They traveled to Happy Valley to face the number six-seeded Penn State Nittany Lions.
Neither of the two teams had the best start to the game, with the Nittany Lions punting on their first drive and the Mustang turning the ball over on downs. However, soon after this, SMU would make a very costly mistake.
The Mustang offense, led by quarterback Kevin Jennings, was on their 20-yard line. Here, his pass would be intercepted by Dominic DeLuca, who would return the ball to the endzone for a Pick Six touchdown to give Penn State the early lead.
A few drives later, the Mustangs would make the same mistake. This time, they were able to get down to the Nittany Lions’ 47-yard line. However, Jennings’ pass from this location was again intercepted, this time by Tony Rojas. Rojas would return the ball to the endzone for a 59-yard pick-six touchdown.
It would happen a third time soon after. Penn State would intercept Jennings’ deep pass from his seven-yard line. However, this time, the defense was unable to find the endzone. But the offense was able to a few plays later when Kaytron Allen found the endzone to score a 25-yard rushing touchdown to increase the Nittany Lions’ lead further.
This lead was even larger on the next drive from Penn State, which took advantage of an SMU turnover on downs. From the Mustangs’ 38-yard line, the Nittany Lions’ offense, led by quarterback Drew Allar, moved the team down to the one-yard line. Here, Nicholas Singleton found the endzone for the rushing touchdown.
This meant that the Nittany Lions had a 28-0 lead over the Mustangs at halftime.
SMU would finally have some luck on the first drive of the second half. Jennings did not throw an interception on this drive and was able to move the offense down to the Nittany Lions’ 11-yard line, where it would stall. This set up a 28-yard field goal attempt from kicker Collin Rogers, which successfully gave the Mustangs their first set of points in the game.
In response, Penn State immediately gained what they lost from the field goal by scoring one of their own. Penn State kicker Ryan Barker was successful from 40 yards out to add three more points to the Nittany Lions’ already large points total. Rogers had another field goal attempt on the next drive from the Mustangs, but this kick missed.
On the next drive, Penn State extended their lead when Allen found the endzone to score a four-yard rushing touchdown. But, on their next drive, the Nittany Lions would make a mistake. Backup quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer’s pass was intercepted. This was something that SMU would capitalize on, as Jennings would find Roderick Daniels Jr for a 28-yard touchdown pass. This wasn’t going to change the game, but it was something for the Mustangs fans to smile about.
In the end, the number six seed Penn State Nittany Lions defeated the number 11 seed SMU Mustangs 38-10
During this game, there was an active debate about whether SMU was the right team for the playoffs. They were, but they crumbled under pressure. However, this will not diminish their strong regular season in the ACC, and if they keep up their form in the ACC, we should expect them back in the playoffs in future years.
The win means that Penn State will advance to Round 2, where they will face the Boise State Broncos.
Texas (#5) vs Clemson (#12)
The number five-seeded Texas Longhorns come into the playoffs as one of the favorites to win the National Championship. Apart from two defeats to the Georgia Bulldogs, this team has played flawlessly this year and should be able to make a deep run. Their first test came against the ACC Champions, the number 12-seeded Clemson Tigers, who only got into the playoffs as they won their conference. Could they upset Texas?
The Tigers had the opening drive of the first half and would be able to get the game’s first points. Starting from their 25-yard line, the Tigers’ offense, led by quarterback Cade Klubnik, would be able to reach the Longhorns’ 22-yard line. Klubnik found Antonio Williams for a 22-yard touchdown pass to give them the lead.
This lead did not last long. On their first drive of the game, the Longhorns offense, led by quarterback Quinn Ewers, made their way down to the Tigers’ three-yard line. Here, Quintrevion Wisner found the endzone for the rushing touchdown to level the scores.
On their next drive, Texas took the lead. The Longhorns quickly descended to the Tigers’ 38-yard line, relying heavily on their run game. From here, Jaydon Blue found the endzone for a 38-yard rushing touchdown. This lead would grow even larger on the Longhorns’ next drive, as Wisner found the endzone for a 16-yard rushing touchdown.
The good luck kept coming for Texas, as Klubnik threw an interception on the edge of the Clemson red zone. However, the Longhorns could not convert his into more points, as Blue failed to convert the fourth down attempt from the 17-yard line.
It would be Texas who made the next mistake in the game. Ewers threw an interception, which was returned by the Clemson defense to the endzone for a pick-six touchdown. However, there was a penalty on the play against the Tigers, so while the interception stood, the touchdown did not. Clemson tried to find the endzone in the resulting drive but could not get past the Longhorns’ offense. They settled for a 32-yard field goal from Nolan Hauser.
Just before halftime, the Longhorns would again find the endzone. Ewers found Gunnar Helm for a 19-yard touchdown pass.
This meant that at halftime, the Longhorns had a 28-10 lead over the Tigers.
The Longhorns would add to their lead to begin the second half. From their 25-yard line, Ewers and company could make their way down to the Tigers’ four-yard line. This is where their drive would stall, but kicker Bert Auburn would be successful with the 22-yard field goal.
A few drives later, Clemson could slowly bring themselves back into the game. Their offense made it down to the Longhorns’ 25-yard line, and Klubnik found Jarvis Green for the touchdown pass. After their next drive, the Tiger was very much back into this game, with Kubnik’s seven-yard touchdown pass to T.J Moore making it a one-possession game.
This only lasted two plays, as Blue would score an impressive 77-yard rushing touchdown to restore the Longhorns’ two-possession lead.
But the Tigers did not give up. On their next drive, they made their way down to the one-yard line and faced an important fourth down attempt, where a touchdown scored here would put them back into the game. This was unsuccessful, and Clemson could not challenge the Longhorns’ red zone for the rest of the game.
This meant that the number five-seeded Texas Longhorns had defeated the number 12-seeded Clemson Tigers 38-24.
This was a game in which the Longhorns’ run game showed its true face. Jaydon Blue stepped up to show that the Longhorns are not even when Quinn Ewers struggles.
With the win, Texas advanced to round 2, where they will face Big 12 Champions, the Arizona State Sun Devils.
Ohio State (#8) vs Tennessee (#9)
The weekend’s final game was between the number eight-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes and the number nine-seeded Tennessee Volunteers. Out of all the games played this weekend, this one had the most potential to be a nail-biter, especially with Ohio State coach Ryan Day’s ability to struggle in big games like this. Could the Buckeyes avenge their final-week loss to Michigan and get back on the right track, or will Tennessee become the only road team to win this weekend?
The Buckeyes had the game’s opening drive and would be able to get the first score from it. Starting from their 25-yard line, the Buckeyes’ offense, led by quarterback Will Howard, made their way down to the Volunteers’ 37-yard line. From here, Howard found Jeremiah Smith for the touchdown pass.
This lead would increase on the next drive from Ohio State. They quickly reached Tennessee’s one-yard line, thanks to a 40-yard pass from Howard to Emeka Egbuka. Quinshon Judkins would find the endzone to double the Buckeyes’ lead down at the one. The advantage would become even bigger after the following drive from the Buckeyes, as TreVeyon Henderson found the endzone on a 29-yard run.
In between these three scoring drives, the Volunteers did have possession. However, they were unable to do anything with this, with the team something going backwards more than they would be advancing.
But, this poor luck for Tennessee would end on the next drive from Ohio State. As normal, the Howard-led offense could move down into the Volunteers’ red zone. Here, a mistake happened. Howard’s pass into the endzone was intercepted. In response, the Tennessee offense, led by quarterback Nico Iamaleava, could go down to the Buckeyes’ 18-yard line. The drive stalled here, but kicker Max Gilbert succeeded with the 36-yard field goal attempt to give Tennessee their first points.
They would add to their points total before halftime when Iamaleava found the endzone for a two-yard rushing touchdown.
This meant that at halftime, the Buckeyes had a 21-10 lead over the Volunteers.
Tennessee had the opening possession of the second half, but the momentum they gained at the end of the first half seemed to vanish into the cold Ohio night, and they punted on this drive. But, while the Volunteers struggled, the Buckeyes returned to their dominance in the game. On their first half drive, Howard found Smith for a 22-yard touchdown pass to extend their lead.
This lead was made even larger on their next drive. On this occasion, the Buckeye’s offence went down to the Volunteers’ one-yard line, thanks to numerous penalties against the Tennessee defence. Here, Judkins found the endzone for his second touchdown of the game.
Just like the first half, the Buckeyes went three from three as Henderson found the endzone on their next drive for a 24-yard touchdown drive. Interestingly, the same three touchdown scorers in the first half scored touchdowns in the second half in the same order (Howard to Smith, Judkins, Henderson).
The game was out of reach, and for most of the fourth quarter, both teams had drives that ended in punts. The Volunteers salvaged something at the end of the game when Iamaleave found the endzone for a two-yard rushing touchdown (as he did near the end of the first half), but it had no major impact on the scores.
Ultimately, the number eight-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the number Tennessee Volunteers 42-17.
What was on paper likely to be a close game was anything but. This was a blowout, not the best way to end the weekend. All four home teams won, emphasizing the importance of home-field advantage. The weather affected some of these results, as the southern teams would have struggled to adapt to the cold northern weather at this time of year.
With the win, Ohio State advanced to the next round, setting up a rematch with the number one-seeded Oregon Ducks in round 2.
So, that was the first round of the 2024 CFP. Are there problems with this format? Yes. We should not be seeing four blowouts. But, as with all new ideas, there are teething problems that will be sorted out in the future. Round 2 is on New Year’s Day, as the games are played as neutral-site bowl games.
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2024-12-23 04:08:40