College Football Playoff Winners and Losers: Ohio State, Texas Thrive

The new-look College Football Playoff debuted with four opening-round games decided by a total of 77 points. This was certainly not a typical weekend.

Notre Dame opened the 12-team format with Friday night’s 27-17 win over Indiana. Two more unexploded bombs followed on Saturday afternoon. Penn State used a dominant defensive performance to beat SMU 38-10. Texas allowed Clemson to get within a tie in the fourth quarter but was in control for most of the 38-24 win.

The nightcap seemed to be headed in the same direction, as Ohio State took a 21-0 lead over Tennessee and was in danger of losing the game in the second quarter. An interception in the end zone gave life to the Volunteers, who made it 21-10 at halftime. But the Buckeyes responded with a score early in the third quarter to get back on track for an eventual 41-17 win.

From the playoffs we now move on to the quarterfinals, which are scheduled for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Notre Dame will face Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Penn State will face Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl and Texas will face Arizona State in the Peach Bowl. The Buckeyes will play Oregon in the Rose Bowl in a highly anticipated rematch.

After coming under fire for lopsided losses by the Mustangs and Hoosiers for making SMU the last major playoff team against three SEC contenders, the playoff selection committee will see another round of controversy.

In this sense, the twelve-team tournament has something in common with the four-team era. There were frequent breakdowns in the national semifinals, leading to debates round after round about which teams actually deserved to make the playoffs. The only major difference is that there are still three weeks of football to be played before the national championship is crowned.

Ohio State, Texas, SMU and the committee list the opening round winners and losers:

winner

Ohio State

In terms of quality of competition and performance, no double-digit win in the opening round will be more moving than the Buckeyes’ performance against Tennessee. Ohio State’s rebound, recently bullied by Michigan, shows why this team may be the favorite to win the national championship despite not even competing for the Big Ten crown. Will Howard played extremely well outside of that first-half interception, finishing the game with 24 completions on 29 attempts for 311 yards and two scores while focusing on receiving from 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 runs. Overall, the Buckeyes outgained Tennessee by more than 200 yards.

REVIVAL: Ohio State, Ryan Day recovers and shows championship ability

CALM DOWN: Critics of the College Football Playoff losses should relax

Ryan Day

Day continues to prove that he is one of the best coaches in the country – as long as the Buckeyes don’t play Michigan. Freed from the stress and mental toll of this rivalry, Ohio State looked comfortable and energized by the chance to play at home against one of the SEC’s best teams. While the idea that Day would have lost his job if the Buckeyes lost was never anchored in reality, a loss on Saturday definitely should have jeopardized his job security before the start of next season. Now, after the way Ohio State looked against Tennessee, Day could lead his team all the way to the national championship.

Texas

The Longhorns were bounced by Clemson on the game’s opening drive and nearly jumped out to a 21-point lead in the fourth quarter. That Cade Klubnik was able to find a rhythm and throw for 336 yards and three touchdowns was surprising considering the Longhorns’ pass defense was by far the best in the FBS during the regular season. Otherwise, the defense was able to control the offensive line and hold the Tigers to 76 yards rushing on 24 carries; The offense ran for 292 yards and four scores on 6.1 yards per carry.

Penn State

The 38-10 victory was over at halftime after the Nittany Lions scored two defensive touchdowns to help them take a 28-0 lead. The most impressive aspect of the win was the way Penn State handled SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings, who was forced into three interceptions while averaging 5.4 yards per attempt. The next challenge will be even more difficult: The Nittany Lions face 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, earning a 27-17 victory that only looks respectable because of the Hoosiers’ two meaningless scores in the final two minutes. Indiana mirrored the disappearance of its offense in Big Ten games against Michigan and the Buckeyes, managing just 278 yards and an average of 2.3 yards per carry in 61 games. Defensively, the Fighting Irish were at their best; If this continues, Notre Dame must be considered a strong contender to beat Georgia in the Sugar Bowl and advance to the playoff semifinals.

loser

Playoff Selection Committee

The committee would have thought the hard part was over after surviving the decision to choose SMU over Alabama, Mississippi and South Carolina. But what unfolded in the opening round is a nightmare for the committee, as the string of double-digit losses threatens to define the new format while reigniting the controversial decision to pick the ACC’s second-place team over one of the three options from the SEC.

Indiana and SMU

By essentially being stuck in the bracket before the conference championship games, Indiana was able to largely avoid the same controversy that ensnared the Mustangs’ selection. The uncontested loss to Notre Dame adds to the debate over the SEC’s lack of a fourth team. Worse for the Hoosiers, the way the Fighting Irish dominated threatens to overwhelm the good vibes of the most successful regular season in program history. While it was inevitable that the Mustangs’ performance would be compared to how an SEC team would have performed against Penn State, the criticism of SMU will be even worse. Since the Mustangs failed to mount a real challenge against the Nittany Lions, they are the biggest loser of the opening round.

Tennessee

Tennessee’s stock remains trending higher despite its early playoff exit. Looking forward, this will be a crucial offseason for Iamaleava, who will need to continue to develop as a passer to bring more balance to this offense. The worst thing about Saturday night was the rocky start and the inability to capitalize on the strong performance late in the second quarter: Ohio State gave the Volunteers a run for their money early and was clearly the better prepared team coming out of the gate.

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College Football Playoff Winners and Losers: Ohio State, Texas Thrive

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