The new-look College Football Playoff debuted with four opening-round games decided by a combined 77 points. This wasn’t an instant-classic weekend, to be sure.
Notre Dame opened the 12-team format with Friday night’s 27-17 win against Indiana. That was followed by another two duds on Saturday afternoon. Penn State breezed past SMU 38-10 behind a dominant performance on defense. Texas allowed Clemson to draw within a score in the fourth quarter but was in control for most of a 38-24 win.
The nightcap seemed headed in the same direction, with Ohio State storming out to a 21-0 lead against Tennessee and threatening to put the game away in the second quarter. An interception in the end zone gave life to the Volunteers, who made it 21-10 at the break. But the Buckeyes responded with a score early in the third quarter to get back on track for an eventual 41-17 romp.
The playoff now turns to the quarterfinals, set for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Notre Dame will face Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Penn State will take on Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl and Texas will meet Arizona State in the Peach Bowl. The Buckeyes will play Oregon in a highly anticipated rematch in the Rose Bowl.
After coming under fire for making SMU the final at-large playoff team over three contenders from the SEC, the playoff selection committee will face another round of controversy following lopsided losses by the Mustangs and Hoosiers.
In that sense, the 12-team tournament has something in common with the four-team era. Blowouts were common in the national semifinals, leading to round after round of debate over which teams actually deserved to make the playoff. The one major difference is that there’s still three weeks of football left to be played before crowning the national championship.
Ohio State, Texas, SMU and the committee lead the winners and losers from the opening round:
Winners
Ohio State
In terms of quality of competition and performance, no double-digit win from the opening round will move the needle more than the Buckeyes’ showing against Tennessee. Last seen getting bullied by Michigan, Ohio State’s rebound shows why this team may be the favorite to win the national championship despite failing to even play for the Big Ten crown. Will Howard played extremely well outside of that interception in the first half, finishing with 24 completions in 29 attempts for 311 yards with two scores while focusing on receiving Jeremiah Smith (103 yards) and Emeka Egbuka (81 yards). Defensively, OSU lost track of Nico Iamaleava at times but benefited from Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson’s apparent hamstring injury, which limited him to just two carries. Overall, the Buckeyes outgained Tennessee by more than 200 yards.
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Ryan Day
Day continues to prove he’s one of the best coaches in the country — as long as the Buckeyes aren’t playing Michigan. Freed from the stress and mental strain of that rivalry, Ohio State looked comfortable and energized by the chance to play at home against one of the best teams in the SEC. While the idea that Day might’ve lost his job had the Buckeyes lost was never rooted in reality, a loss on Saturday definitely would’ve put his job security on notice heading into next season. Now, after the way Ohio State looked against Tennessee, Day might take his team all the way to the national championship.
Texas
The Longhorns were knocked back by Clemson on the game’s opening drive and nearly coughed up a 21-point lead in the fourth quarter. That Cade Klubnik was able to work himself into a rhythm and throw for 336 yards and three touchdowns was surprising, given how the Longhorns’ pass defense was by far the best in the FBS during the regular season. Otherwise, the defense was able to control the line of scrimmage, holding the Tigers to 76 yards on 24 carries; the offense ran for 292 yards and four scores on 6.1 yards per carry.
Penn State
The 38-10 win was over by halftime, after a pair of defensive touchdowns helped the Nittany Lions build a 28-0 lead. The most impressive aspect of the win was the way Penn State clamped down on SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings, who was harassed into three interceptions while averaging 5.4 yards per attempt. The next challenge will be even harder: The Nittany Lions will face off against Boise State running back and Heisman Trophy finalist Ashton Jeanty in the Fiesta Bowl.
Notre Dame
Notre Dame’s defense slammed the door on Indiana to score a 27-17 win that only looks respectable because of the Hoosiers’ two meaningless scores in the final two minutes. Mirroring the offense’s disappearing act in Big Ten games against Michigan and the Buckeyes, Indiana managed only 278 yards on 61 plays and averaged 2.3 yards per carry. Defensively, this was the Fighting Irish at their very best; if this continues, Notre Dame has to be seen as a strong contender to beat Georgia in the Sugar Bowl and reach the playoff semifinals.
Losers
Playoff selection committee
The committee might have thought the hard part was over after weathering the decision to choose SMU over Alabama, Mississippi and South Carolina. But what unfolded in the opening round is a nightmare for the committee, since the series of double-digit losses threatens to define the new format while reopening the controversial decision to choose the second-place team from the ACC over any one of the three options from the SEC.
Indiana and SMU
By essentially getting locked into the bracket before the conference championship games, Indiana had largely avoided the same controversy that embroiled the Mustangs’ selection. The uncompetitive loss to Notre Dame feeds into the debate over the absence of a fourth team from the SEC. Worse yet for the Hoosiers, the way the Fighting Irish dominated threatens to overwrite the good vibes coming out of the most successful regular season in program history. While it was inevitable the Mustangs’ performance would be compared to the perception of how an SEC team would’ve fared against Penn State, the vitriol aimed at SMU will be even worse. By failing to mount a real challenge against the Nittany Lions, the Mustangs are is the biggest loser of the opening round.
Tennessee
Tennessee’s stock remains on the rise despite the early playoff exit. Looking ahead, this will be a crucial offseason for Iamaleava, who has to continue developing as a passer to bring more balance to this offense. The worst part about Saturday night was the rough start and the inability to capitalize on the strong close to the second quarter: Ohio State bloodied the Volunteers’ nose early and was clearly the more prepared team coming out of the gate.
