Emmerson Cattich | Opinion Editor
December 12, 2024
The very first 12-team College Football Playoff bracket is upon us. This football version of March Madness begins Friday, December 20, with No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame, followed by No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State, No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas, and No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State on Saturday the 21st. Below are my predictions for these four first-round games:
- Indiana (No. 10) at Notre Dame (No.7):
Arguably the most intriguing game of the first-round slate, Indiana at Notre Dame, is composed of two of the most unpredictable squads in the playoff. They both come in with one loss: Notre Dame to Northern Illinois, and Indiana to Ohio State. Although Notre Dame looks better on paper, they are notoriously disappointing in big games; however, I don’t see that trend continuing. Running back Jeremiyah Love will have to put the team on his back as he often does while QB Riley Leonard struggles, and the stout Fighting Irish defense will have to stifle the air-raid offense of the Hoosiers led by Senior QB Kurtis Rourke. The home-field advantage will play a big role as well.
- SMU (No. 11) at Penn State (No.6):
Penn State is another team with a bad reputation for choking big games, but they should be able to overcome their woes with this seemingly easy matchup. The Nittany Lions’ Quarterback Drew Allar looked inaccurate in the Big 10 championship vs. No.1 Oregon, and their defense was laughable. Of course, playing the best team in the nation was a factor, but No.11 SMU is no slouch. They will come out confident and firing, and PSU’s defense, led by future first-round pick Abdul Carter, will have to limit them and take the pressure off the offense. Once again, the overall team strength of Penn State coupled with their home-field advantage should be enough to get past this first-round test. Also, look out for SCHS Vice Principal Bailey’s son Jake Bailey, a starting wide receiver for the Mustangs.
- Clemson (No. 12) at Texas (No.5):
The battle of the orange and white is poised to be a good one. For Clemson, QB Cade Klubnik has been on fire, posting a 33:5 touchdown to interception ratio this season. However, the Longhorns, led by a QB tandem of Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning and a top receiving core headlined by Isaiah Bond, will be way too much for this Clemson team to handle. Besides their kryptonite, Georgia, Texas can beat every team in College football. I expect them to roll over Clemson and make a deep push into the Playoff.
- Tennessee (No. 9) at Ohio State (No. 8):
In this intense primetime matchup, it will come down to Quarterback play. Tennessee’s Freshman Nico Iamaleava is a freak athlete with the potential to make a name for himself in this game, whereas Will Howard has to focus on not messing up the game for his team. Howard’s supporting cast is arguably the best in college football. Yet, he continues to miss his receivers and make poor decisions that ultimately lead to losses, as seen in the Buckeyes’ losing battles against Oregon and Michigan. Dylan Sampson, the leading back for the Volunteers, is poised to take over this game on the ground after his 1,485 yards and 22 touchdowns season. Though this game will come down to the wire, look for the Tennessee Volunteers to come away with the upset.
It will be interesting to see how this new playoff format will work out, but as fans, we should all be grateful for more college football!
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