The Associated Press, by Eddie Pells
Here is a quick summary of the launch of the highly anticipated College Football Playoff for anyone who fell asleep throughout it or switched to more interesting content in the NFL.
Final score average: winners 36, losers 17.
Not one of the four games was within ten points, and even that one seemed worse. Over the course of those four games, which lasted 240 minutes, there was only one lead change.
The goal of this daring new experiment was to include more programs from more regions of the nation in a sport that had been controlled for the past ten years by roughly six teams.
Rather, it will take an additional 10 days to see whether more truly means more or if more simply means a few weeks of what we just witnessed before reaching what we had previously—a quartet of competitors fighting for a crown that only they had a serious chance of winning.
The fact that all four stadiums at Texas, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Ohio State had full stands was one aspect that did seem successful.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian declared, “I think college football got this one right,” following the Longhorns’ 38-24 victory over Clemson in front of a crowded house in what ended up being the most exciting game of the weekend. Despite our criticism of some of the current aspects of our game, the concept of a home playoff game with a 12-team structure was quite unique.
A more complete view will be presented by the TV ratings, particularly about the choice to run straight against two NFL games that both went to the fourth quarter.
Could the quarterfinals bring more of the same?
We will learn more about the quarterfinals over the New Year’s break, including who could win the title and whether the CFP as it is currently set up is as fantastic as it can be. The games (and problems in each of them):
On Saturday, December 21, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio, Ohio State offensive lineman Donovan Jackson, center, celebrates after scoring a touchdown against Tennessee in the second half of the College Football Playoff’s first round. (Photo by Jay LaPrete/AP)
Bowl of Fiesta, December 31, No. 6 Third-ranked Penn State vs. Boise State You earn this since the rules stipulated that the top four conference winners would be given first-round byes. Despite having the lowest seed, Penn State is favored by 10 1/2 points over the Mountain West Conference winners. Ashton Jeanty, the top rusher in the country, is a product of Boise State. At every other position, Penn State is most likely larger and quicker.
January 1, No. 5, Peach Bowl Texas vs No. 4 State of Arizona: For ideas on farewells, possible mismatches, and pairings that may have made more sense if they had arrived sooner, see the section above. Texas is favored by 13 1/2 points. With two highly entertaining players in quarterback Sam Leavitt and running back Cam Skattebo, the Sun Devils of the Big 12 are the closest thing this tournament has been to a Cinderella in win-or-you-re-done area since Nov. 2.
Jan. 1, No. 8, Rose Bowl No. 1 Oregon vs. Ohio State: This would have been the matchup regardless if the rulemakers had decided to reseed the bracket following the first round so that Oregon would play the top-seeded team remaining. However, is a rematch of what may be the best college football game of the season—Oregon’s 32–31 quarterfinal victory against Ohio State in October—really what we want?
No. 7 Notre Dame versus No. 2 in the Sugar Bowl on January 1. Georgia After injuring his elbow during the SEC championship game, Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck may be out for the season. Although injuries were meant to be taken into account when rating candidates, the selection committee most likely lacked the necessary data at the time to make an informed choice. In a galaxy far away, Georgia won their second national championship in the Sugar Bowl in 1981 after defeating Notre Dame.
The transfer portal chips away at rosters
As we approach football’s top eight, the continuous stream of departures from teams vying for titles won’t make the news because the transfer site will (thankfully?) close on December 28.
On Saturday, December 21, 2024, in Austin, Texas, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian celebrates with running back Quintrevion Wisner, 26, following a College Football Playoff first-round matchup with Clemson. (Photo by Eric Gay/AP)
But the whole arrangement is clumsy. After the portal launched on December 9, Arizona State lost 12 players. Tennessee suffered an 11-point defeat.Beau Pribula, the backup quarterback for Penn State, was the most well-known to leave.It almost seems irrelevant whether these players would have played much on the field—they wouldn’t, which is likely why some of them left.
It was believed for many years that the goal of every top athlete was to compete for a championship. Or so we believed. In the new world of college football endorsements, there is a lot of money available, and it is also easy to blame a player for wanting to maximize his earning potential.
According to Tennessee coach Josh Heupel, “I think everyone that follows the sport understands that it’s a unique time of year.” That is not my responsibility. Do I believe they should figure out how to go through all of their current procedures or things that are in the game but use a better calendar for it? That would definitely be the greatest option for the game, in my opinion.
Deion not in the playoffs but his stars will be playing
There are still twenty-eight bowl games left that won’t affect the national championship. The greatest one might be the Alamo Bowl matchup between Colorado and BYU on December 28, which features Heisman winner Travis Hunter.
There is a message being sent, but nothing very important is at stake.
Hunter and the coach’s son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, are Colorado’s two first-round draft selections. Ordinarily, they wouldn’t be near this game for fear that an injury might ruin their chances of becoming professionals.
They will play, though. As the spokesperson for a primarily transactional, profit-driven NIL era, Coach Deion Sanders has taken his fair share of flak. However, his ability to guide his top two players to find purpose in a low-stakes game is as antiquated as it gets and quite different from the transfer portal chaos.
On Friday, December 20, 2024, in South Bend, Indiana, Notre Dame supporters celebrate during the second half of their team’s game versus Indiana in the first round of the NCAA College Football Playoff. (Photo by Darron Cummings for AP)
The coach clarified, “It’s not just a bowl game where we’re going to go be merry and have a Merry Christmas and exchange gifts and all that.” No, we’d want to go play Buff football there.
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