The College Football Playoff has finally arrived, with matchups finalized and awards season ending.
Although we will not get to see the Heisman Trophy winner, Travis Hunter, the playoffs are still set to be phenomenal.
While there are a multitude of storylines to look at and teams to break down, the focus of this article will be providing insight into the first round and predicting scores.
#7 Notre Dame vs. #10 Indiana
Kicking off the new 12-team playoff will be the Notre Dame Fighting Irish taking on the Indiana Hoosiers. The fact that this is potentially the least exciting game of the first round shows how sensational college football will be this weekend. Both teams finished their season with a singular loss, but who will come out on top?
Right off the bat, the eye test has to tell you that Notre Dame will win. They have been steamrolling teams as of late, and they have three ranked wins on the year (Texas A&M, Navy, and Army) compared to Indiana who have a whopping zero. While the two sides have the same number of losses, the difference is that Indiana’s loss came from their only ranked opponent of the season — and they got battered.
Good morning from Notre Dame Stadium.#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/AdPyaXPuuE
— The Fighting Irish (@FightingIrish) December 20, 2024
The best argument to look at for the Hoosiers is their red-zone conversion rate. This season, they have converted 62 of 66 chances with those conversions resulting in 54 touchdowns and eight field goals. If Indiana can move the ball and enter that final third of the field, it will be a challenge for Notre Dame to stop the exciting offense. On the contrary, we don’t know if Indiana will move the ball down the field with fluidity or if they will succumb to the moment as they did against Ohio State.
Prediction: Notre Dame 31, Indiana 21
#6 Penn State vs. #11 SMU
Kicking off the Saturday slate at noon, fans will see the Nittany Lions take on the Mustangs. In nature, it is fairly easy to predict the winner of the matchup, and the same goes for the CFB Playoff. Although Penn State has looked to be one of the most fraudulent teams in the country, unable to beat a true competitor, they win the games they are supposed to.
Whiteout Energy on Saturday is going to be INSANE!
It’s going to be a movie 🍿 pic.twitter.com/puVztTnhHE
— Barstool Penn State (@PSUBarstool) December 19, 2024
Beaver Stadium will be electric for this showdown as Penn State declared the event a whiteout. The energy combined with the weather conditions will be too much for SMU to handle. Southern teams have a bad track record going into cold weather, and much like the ACC Championship in Charlotte, Kevin Jennings and the offense will have a difficult time moving the ball. This isn’t to say that SMU has no chance in this game, but with the defense that Penn State has fueled by Abdul Carter and the exacerbating atmosphere, this game should go Penn State’s way.
Prediction: Penn State 24, SMU 13
#5 Texas vs. #12 Clemson
At 4 p.m., the Longhorns will face the Tigers in what should be a star-studded game. When looking at the current rosters of the two sides, fans see that this game will be filled with highlight plays and moments of individual brilliance. However, the true battle of this game will be conducted from the opposing sidelines between two of the nation’s top coaches, Dabo Swinney and Steve Sarkisian. While Swinney has established Clemson as one of the nation’s top programs for over a decade, Sarkisian has taken Texas to the heights.
Texas is coming off a heartbreaking SEC title game that they could not win in overtime; Clemson earned the last spot in the playoffs due to their win over SMU. Tigers junior quarterback Cade Klubnik has been putting up astounding numbers this season with over 40 total touchdowns and 3,300 yards in the air. The only issue is that against the two SEC schools he faced this year (South Carolina and Georgia), he combined for an astounding zero passing touchdowns and two interceptions. That is not to say the same result will come against Texas on Saturday, but it does raise the question: “Can Klubnik handle the intensity of a big game and SEC opponents?”
Clemson and Texas in 1st rd of CFP. A lot of interesting storylines:
– Cade Klubnik returns to Austin
– Several of his Westlake teammates are on the Texas roster
– QB duel part 2 between Klubnik and Quinn Ewers following 2020 state championship game— Mike Roach (@MikeRoach247) December 8, 2024
Although Texas averaged fewer points in the regular season (33.7 points per game) than Clemson (34.1 PPG), it will be hard for Clemson to keep up with the star-studded Texas offense. With that being said, questions still revolve around Quinn Ewers, who has not been able to carry out his regular mobility since coming back from injury.
Texas sits even with Oregon at +360 as the favorite to win it all. While many believe this to be a “trap game,” Texas is favored for a reason: they are the better team from top to bottom on both sides of the ball.
Prediction: Texas 34, Clemson 23
#8 Ohio State vs. #9 Tennessee
Finally, we get to the main event. Two of college football’s biggest juggernauts this season will face off in Columbus in a matchup that can go either way. Ohio State is coming off a very disappointing ending to their season, losing to their biggest rival, Michigan, for the fourth year straight. This was a Michigan team that had no business winning amidst one of their worst seasons in the past decade. The loss enraged the state of Ohio so badly that the governor tried enforcing a law to prevent the planting of flags in the Buckeyes’ stadium. The loss also caused Ryan Day to fight for his job in one last push, and it starts with Tennessee.
Both of these programs have proven that they can compete with any opponent over the past season. Although they both walked away with two terrible losses (OSU to Michigan, Tennessee to Arkansas), they also had key wins. Tennessee took down No. 15 Oklahoma and No. 7 Alabama to secure their path to the CFP. Ohio St took care of No. 3 Penn State and No. 5 Indiana (unbeaten at the time), and they lost to the eventual top-seeded Oregon in the final seconds.
Tennessee strikes again! Vol fans have turned Ohio State’s Stadium into “Neyland North on Apple Maps and have been playing Rocky Top via the Touch Tunes app in restaurants and bars all over Columbus. 😂#GBO #BeatOhioState #CFBPlayoff #Vols pic.twitter.com/rNLEqSXr2d
— chris kilby (@TomahawkVol) December 18, 2024
In looking at the circumstances of the game, Ohio State has the upper hand when it comes to the climate. Colder conditions will favor their play style as Tennessee’s gun-slinging offense may be “cooled down.” The game being in Columbus should also give Ohio State the edge, right? Wrong. Ticket sales have shown that Tennessee is traveling, and they are traveling in herds. A reported 42 percent of the ticket sales on SeatGeek have gone to Tennessee fans, who are looking to make Ohio Stadium a “home away from home.” Coming off a season-ending loss to your biggest rival and then seeing your fans not be able to provide you with electrifying energy could be terrible for the Buckeyes’ morale.
Although Ohio State is the slightly better team and has the defense to stop this invigorating Tennessee offense, the Vols are going to walk out of the stadium with a win. Being able to make the game almost a mutual setting when Ohio State is at its most desperate time for a bounceback puts them over the edge.
Prediction: Tennessee 27, Ohio State 24
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