We have the 12-team field, and it’s fine.
There are issues, and it'll get a tad clunky, but it's okay for a first time run.
Someone had to be left out, and there will always be question marks in things like this, but the tournament should be a blast, the games will mean something huge, and now we get 12 schools with 12 fan bases jacked to be here.
What the first thoughts after the bracket reveal? We sort of knew what was coming, but it was still a big deal when it all kicked in. Here's the reaction after all the build up.
College Football Playoff First Thoughts
Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) throws the ball during the first quarter at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024.
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- The College Football Playoff process is messed up. I don’t entirely agree or disagree with SMU getting in, but being in at the 11 is wrong. It JUST LOST TO CLEMSON.
The committee goes spot by spot with each of these top 25 picks, and it had to choose to rank Clemson so low in the final rankings that SMU was higher.
They play the games for a reason, and the CFP screwed this up big process-wise - but not in reality. There was no totally right answer. However ...
- The CFP Committee went completely off the pattern with SMU. South Carolina is 15 and Clemson 16, so it did acknowledge the head-to-head side of things. The only piece of this whole puzzle that’s out of whack is SMU being forced in at 10 one spot ahead of Alabama.
- There’s no real advantage to being the 1 as opposed to the other top four seeds. Congratulations, Oregon. You’re the top seed. Your reward? Ohio State or Tennessee.
- The biggest sin committed by this committee was locking itself into its penultimate rankings. Everything gets thrown out, the rankings start from scratch last night, and nothing from before is set in stone. That was how this originally worked.
- Boise State at the 3 and Arizona State at the 4 doesn’t make a lot of sense. It doesn’t matter all that much - except ASU probably gets Texas and Boise State gets Penn State - but it’s the process. ASU beat nine Power Four teams,
Boise State didn’t beat any. ASU with a stronger schedule and far more impressive conference championship win. Either way, through ...
- (Shhhhhhhhh, whispering) ... Boise State, Arizona State, and ... Clemson. Those might be the free space teams in this.
- Before the quick first thoughts on the first round games (I’ll dive into predictions ad nauseam over the next several days and weeks). Ohio State vs Oregon in the Rose Bowl will be the national championship, and …
- I reserve the right to change my mind … My big first reaction call is: none of the top four seeds will get out of the Quarterfinals.
Here are really, really quick first thoughts on each first round College Football Playoff game.
11 SMU at 6 Penn State
Heaven help the College Football Playoff committee if Penn State 38-14s SMU. But that's not happening.
Like Indiana vs Notre Dame, the assumption is that the home team will roll at will. Remember last year’s Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl when the Nittany Lions couldn’t handle the Ole Miss pace in the 38-25 loss? This is dangerous.
10 Indiana at 7 Notre Dame
I guess this is fun if you actually care about the all-Indiana angle. It’s not like this is a rivalry or anything, but the house will be packed - forget about getting in the building for anything under $1500.
Get ready for everyone to underplay Indiana. We’re all giving Curt Cignetti and his staff three weeks to prepare? That might be a problem. Notre Dame should win, but this won't be the layup the world will make it out to be.
12 Clemson at 5 Texas
I need to get past how grouchy I am that 1) Clemson should’ve been ranked higher than SMU and 2) SMU at Texas would’ve been more fun.
This sounds good in theory, but this might be the worst of the first round games. I don’t believe in Texas AT ALL - it’s Texas; it’ll eventually blow it - but it’ll roll in this.
9 Tennessee at 8 Ohio State
If we were doing this for real, and we weren’t goofing around with rankings and seeds and parameters, Ohio State wouldn't be crazy at the 2 seed, Tennessee would probably be around the 5.
This is the argument. Boise State is a 3, Arizona State is a 4, SMU is in this thing, Clemson is in, and … these two have to play each other?! Other than these two, Notre Dame is the only other team from the bottom eight that can win it all.
