College Football recently added a 12 team playoff to the end of the season instead of the previous four team playoff. The first round will be played under thrilling, rowdy fan bases as the higher seeded teams will receive a home field advantage. Teams that barely missed the top 12 were Alabama, Miami, Ole Miss, and South Carolina.
No. 12 Seed Clemson Tigers (10-3)
The Clemson Tigers are turning back the pages to the once powerhouse football school in South Carolina. Their last National Championship was in 2019 with a stacked roster of NFL talent including Jaguars quarterback, Trevor Lawrence. Now Cade Klubnik has a chance to fill Lawrence’s shoes. As a junior, Klubnik was one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC and played an impeccable game in the ACC championship against SMU racking up four touchdowns to give Clemson the victory. They will face Texas Saturday, December 21st.
No. 11 Seed SMU Mustangs (11-2)
The SMU Mustangs are another ACC team that barely snuck into the playoffs. Despite losing to Clemson in their final game of the season, their 11-2 record and fight against the Tigers was enough to send them to a game against Penn State in the first round of the playoff. They are an all around solid team and have shown off a stifling defense except for earlier in the season against the 8-4 TCU Horned Frogs who scored 44 points on the Mustang defense. Their defense will be a deciding factor in their matchup against Penn State who has scored a combined 81 points between their last two games.
No. 10 Seed Indiana Hoosiers (11-1)
The Indiana Hoosiers, well-coached under Curt Cignetti, are 11-1 with their only loss being to a talented Ohio State team. This is an unusual spot for Indiana, as they were 3-9 last year. Defending the run will play a major role in this matchup with Notre Dame. Indiana is the best run stopping team in the country while only allowing 70 rushing yards to their opponents. However, Notre Dame is 11th in the country running the ball and average almost 225 rushing yards per game. This season regardless of the result against the Fighting Irish will be a major success for the Hoosier program. Their game will kickoff the CFP on a Friday night, December 20th.
No. 9 Seed Tennessee Volunteers (10-2)
Tennessee finished 3rd in the SEC led by true Freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava and 3rd year running back Dylan Sampson. Their best win was over Alabama where they stuck to running the ball and won 24-17. Their key to success against Ohio State will be to get Sampson going early and often as Ohio State’s weakness is defending the run game as this was recently proven in an upset by Michigan. They face Ohio State Saturday Night, on December 21 to cap off the first round.
No. 8 Seed Ohio State Buckeyes (10-2)
Ohio State has an incredible duo in the backfield, with Judkins and Henderson as their talented running backs. This year, Judkins made the right choice transferring from Ole Miss who barely missed the CFP this year. Another transfer, Will Howard has performed exceptionally for the Buckeyes offense except for in the painful loss versus a rival in Michigan. Ohio State is accustomed to the big stage, and it will be interesting to see if Ryan Day can finally win his first championship after making the playoffs almost every year since he became head coach.
No. 7 Seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-1)
The Fighting Irish lost their 2nd game of the year in upset fashion. 7-5 Northern Illinois exploited Notre Dame in the 2nd week of the season with the biggest upset of the year. Since then, Notre Dame regained their status by winning their next 10 games and finishing the year 11-1. However their competition can easily be argued as worse than many other teams because Notre Dame does not belong to any conference. It will be interesting to see if not belonging to a conference is fraudulent to how good a team actually is. James Slankas, a proud Notre Dame fan, offers, “Notre Dame is going to destroy Indiana offensively and defensively in their first round matchup.” This is most definitely a bold take from the young fan, but he may know what he is talking about.
No. 6 Seed Penn State Nittany Lions (11-2)
Penn State won their first 7 games of the season, but since then they are 4-2. Their losses however were against two impressive teams including Ohio State during the regular season, and Oregon whom they just played in the Big 10 Championship game. They have definitely shown they can compete with anyone, so do not be surprised if their matchup is decided on the last play of the game against SMU. Their home field advantage will also be extremely important in the matchup by heavily improving Penn State’s odds to win.
No. 5 Seed Texas Longhorns (11-2)
The Texas Longhorns are 11-0 against everyone except for Georgia. They lost twice to the Georgia Bulldogs who beat them in overtime by three in the SEC championship. The roster is clearly talented as they are the 3rd highest paid roster in college football. This year they proved they can be just as effective in the SEC as they were in the Big 12. Connor Elio, a freshman at Hingham High School, and a Texas Football fan states, “Overall, I believe the Longhorns will battle their way to the championship with skill and generational talent on the roster.” Connor knows well as the Longhorns are a favorite to win.
No. 4 Seed Arizona State Sun Devils (11-2)
The winner of the Clemson vs Texas game has to face the red hot Arizona State Sun Devils. In their first season in the Big 12, the Sun Devils won the championship over Iowa State giving them the four seed in the playoffs. Star power in their offense is their best aspect as freshman quarterback Sam Levitt is having an incredible season with his favorite target being Jordyn Tyson. Alongside these two, the Sun Devils have a top 5 running back in the country with Cam Skattebo. Tyson and Skattebo are responsible for over 50% of the offense’s touches alone. The key to stop this offense will be a stifling defensive line, and a lockdown defensive back.
No. 3 Seed Boise State (12-1)
Boise State led by the incredible running back, Ashton Jeanty who led the Broncos to a 12-1 season. He is only 130 yards away from breaking Barry Sanders’ all-time rushing record. Liam Merrigan, a freshman at Hingham High School suggests, “Boise State has a chance to win the entire playoffs all because of Ashton Jeanty. He should win the Heisman Trophy in my opinion over Travis Hunter. He also opens up many opportunities for his teammates because the defense is always hyperfocused on Jeanty.” He is one of the favorites out of the finalists for the Heisman Award. No team has found a way to slow him down. Not even the number one team in the country, Oregon who he ran for almost 200 yards against and scored 3 touchdowns.
No. 2 Seed Georgia Bulldogs (11-2)
The Georgia Bulldogs were nothing but dominant this year against their top competition. They beat three teams who found their way in the college football playoff this year including Texas twice, Tennessee, and Clemson. Carson Beck, the starting quarterback and finishing piece to this offense, recently went out with an injured arm. There is no timetable on his return, but luckily for Georgia they have until January 1, 2025 to play the quarterfinal match. They will face either Indiana or Notre Dame.
No. 1 seed Oregon Ducks (13-0)
The Oregon Ducks finished undefeated this season in the Big 10. They beat 3 teams that are in this tournament including Penn State in the championship game, Ohio State by one point, and Boise State in a non-conference game. They are led by Oklahoma transfer and Heisman Award Finalist, Dillon Gabriel. He has the 2nd highest quarterback rating in college football and is looking to cap off his season with a championship. The roster is the most paid in the league with NIL money racking up an expensive $969 million roster.
