This weekend, we got our first look at what the 12 Team College Football Playoff would be as the four first round games took place. Overall, the weekend was a flop, 3 of the 4 games were blowouts a result of putting too many teams into the Playoff. While the weekend wasn't great, we still got some major takeaways as we now move one weekend closer to crowning a National Champion.
1. Winners - Ryan Day and James Franklin
Coming into Saturday, it was a massive day for both Ryan Day and James Franklin as they try to escape the narrative that they can't win the big game. James Franklin was the first to hunt for the Playoff win and he got it done while he didn't exaclty have that tough of a game. The Penn State defense harrased Kevin Jennings and got a pair of pick sixes which put the game away pretty early.
Ryan Day on the other hand had to get his team off of the mat after getting embarrassed against Michigan. The Buckeyes quickly asserted their dominance over Tennessee jumping out to a 21-0 lead taking a 21-10 lead into the half. The Buckeyes then scored the next 21 points and the rout was on. Ryan Day now has that big game win on his resume and gets a chance to add another when he faces unbeaten Oregon. All the talk the past few weeks has been about firing Day, after a dominant win on Saturday, he's taken a ton of heat off of himself.
1. Loser - The College Football Playoff format
While everyone begged for expansion to the College Football Playoff format to include more teams, they quickly saw what happens what happens when you choose to include teams that have proven on the field they aren't College Football Playoff worthy. Penn State blew SMU out, Notre Dame blew Indiana out until the game was out of hand, Ohio State blew Tennessee out, and Texas vs Clemson was the lone entertaining game of the Weekend. The idea of including more teams is great but, when you don't have 12 Playoff worthy teams, there aren't going to be a ton of great games.
2. Winner - Marcus Freeman
When Notre Dame lost at home to Northern Illinois, it looked like this Notre Dame team had some serious flaws. Then Notre Dame turned everything around and rolled over every team on their schedule making their way into the College Football Playoff. The Irish now get to face a Georgia team that may be without Carson Beck with a chance to advance to the Semifinal. Marcus Freeman is starting to chip away at that glass ceiling we always said Notre Dame had and may have the easiest path to the National Championship.
2. Loser - The ACC
While everyone was pushing for more Big Ten teams and more SEC schools in the College Football Playoff field, the ACC got SMU in over Alabama, Ole Miss, and South Carolina. Then SMU did everything it could to show the committee that they didn't belong on the field with Penn State after the committee rewarded the Mustangs. Clemson was a team that we all didn't think was very good the entire season yet, they still hung with a shaky Texas team. The ACC got two teams into the Playoff and now they're out of the Playoff in the opening weekend which doesn't fare well for future selections.
3. Winner - Jeremiah Smith
Very rarely does a recruit live up to the billing of being the top ranked player in their class especially as a True Freshman. On3, 24/7 Sports, and Rivals all ranked Jeremiah Smith as the top overall player in his class and in year one, he may be the best wide receiver in College Football. On Saturday Night, Smith caught 6 passes for 103 yards and a pair of touchdowns while matched up with a solid cornerback in Jermod McCoy. If the NFL didn't have age rules for the NFL Draft, Smith would be the first receiver taken this Spring after one year in college he's that physically gifted.
3. Loser - Nico Iamaleava
In the same game where Jeremiah Smith a top recruit was shining, Nico Iamaleava a fellow top overall recruit struggled mightily. Iamaleava finished the game 14 for 31 passing for 104 yards while rushing for 47 yards and two touchdowns. While he faced a tough defense and was under pressure all night, the expectations on Nico was that he was a quarterback that could elevate a team to that next level. He was a recruit that changed the rules around NIL as he received a reported $8 million to attend Tennessee and yet, the most he's passed for against a Top 25 opponent is 194 yards a touchdown and an interception in an explosive system.
4. Winner - Jeremiyah Love Stock
If you're looking for an early dark horse Heisman candidate for 2025, look no further than Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. On Friday, casual fans were introduced to Jeremiyah Love as he ran for a 98 yard touchdown. Love did get injured early on in the game but, was able to play sparingly likely as the Irish were able to win without him. The Irish have one of the best players in the Playoff in Love and if they can lean on their run game like they have most of the season, they're one of the toughest outs in the Playoff.
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— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) December 21, 2024
9️⃣8️⃣ yards
Jeremiyah Love is a BAD MAN#GoIrish
pic.twitter.com/gvqCzg66p3
4. Loser - Cinderella Stories going forward
If Saturday showed us anything, it's that the expanded College Football Playoff field won't give us Cinderella Stories this season and for what feels like the foreseeable future. Indiana kicked off the 12 Team Playoff era losing 27-17 but, the game wasn't ever that close because Indiana scored twice with less than 2 minutes left in the game. SMU kicked things off on Saturday and after a promising drive resulted in turnover on downs, the Mustangs got absolutely dominated.
The way the bracket is set up really didn't do any of the lowest seeds any chance as teams like Notre Dame and Penn State who are likely Top 4 teams this season get seeded behind Boise State and Arizona State for winning their conferences. We'll have to wait to see how Boise State and Arizona State fare but, if this weekend told us anything it's that the Non-SEC or Big Ten teams are in trouble.
5. Winner - Penn State
On Saturday, Penn State played the perfect game for how they'll want to play the rest of the way to try and win a National Championship. The Nittany Lions dominated the line of scrimmage and didn't need much on offense as their defense outscored SMU. Now Penn State has arguably the easiest second round matchup as they'll face Boise State with a massive advantage on both lines of scrimmage.
5. Losers - Lane Kiffin, Alabama, and South Carolina
After Indiana and SMU lost while Texas beat Clemson, the three schools that felt they were snubbed were pounding their chest. Lane Kiffin, Alabama, and South Carolina fans were expressing their outrage and then they quickly got shut up as Tennessee got smashed by Ohio State. Lane Kiffin was tweeting the entire day, getting demolished by Joel Klatt and then stopped tweeting as soon as Ohio State started to roll. The argument all three teams make is that they would've crushed SMU and Indiana, you can't make that argument as Ole Miss when you lose to Kentucky, Alabama can't make that argument losing to Vanderbilt and losing 24-3 to Oklahoma, and South Carolina can't when they lost to both.