Nearly seven years in the making, the 12-team College Football Playoff made its debut Sunday with the announcement of the final rankings.
Much was expected. For example, the four highest-ranked conference champions are in the field with first-round byes, something we all knew Saturday night: No. 1 Oregon (Big Ten), No. 2 Georgia (SEC), No. 3 Boise State (Mountain West) and No. 4 Arizona State (Big 12).
And then there’s the next group hosting first-round games: No. 5 Texas, No. 6 Penn State, No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 8 Ohio State. It turns out that No. 9 Tennessee missed the host by one spot and will travel to play the Buckeyes in a game scheduled for Saturday evening in prime time on December 21.
Finally, there is the final group in the field: No. 10 Indiana, No. 11 SMU and No. 12 Clemson.
What’s missing, of course, is Alabama, whose bubble burst when Clemson won the bid over SMU.
Now we know the 12 teams. Let’s talk about the twelve things you need to know when the play-off kicks off with the first round matches from December 20 to 21.
B1G time
We’re often used to glorifying the SEC for its highly ranked powerhouse teams, but this year the Big Ten is putting up quite a fight. No competition is in better shape to win it all. The Big Ten champion gets the No. 1 seed and a bye (Oregon), it has two teams with home games (Penn State and Ohio State) and the fourth team is in the field as the No. 10 seed (Indiana). Can the conference win back-to-back national championships? The league has the current favorite, Oregon, and the preseason favorite, Ohio State, all with somewhat advantageous routes to the title.
Pac-12 revival
Former Pac-12 teams Arizona State and Oregon won their conferences in the very first year of their membership. Maybe the Pac-12 wasn’t so bad after all? The Sun Devils and Ducks claimed the Big 12 and Big Ten titles, respectively, and each will get a bye in the first round of the playoffs. One of the teams on the outside looking in, Army, also won its competition in its first year, the American. The Black Knights finished 11-1 with their lone loss coming against top-five Notre Dame. AAC commissioner Tim Pernetti said Saturday they should be rewarded with a playoff trip. The committee disagreed.
Ground and pound
Two of the nation’s top running backs will be in the playoff field: national rusher Ashton Jeanty of Boise State and Cam Skattebo of Arizona State, ranked sixth nationally in rushing. They combined for 4,065 rushing yards. That’s more than any other team’s total rushing stats this year. They also have 48 combined touchdowns.
Hot streak
Perhaps no team in the playoffs is on a hotter streak than Arizona State. The Sun Devils finished the season on a six-game winning streak, defeating Iowa State in the Big 12 championship game. Led by quarterback Sam Leavitt and RB Cam Skattebo, they are averaging 37 points per game in the last six games. They’ve gone from being an afterthought mid-season to being a bye in the first round of the playoffs. Want another playoff team in tears? What about Notre Dame? The Irish finished the season with 10 wins right after the blowout loss to Northern Illinois in Week 3.
Cold period
Has any late-season playoff team suffered a more deflating loss than the Buckeyes? Ohio State lost at home to a 7-5 Michigan team in an ugly mess of a game that ended in an on-field fight sparked by a flag-planting attempt. Although the loss kept them out of the Big Ten title game, Ryan Day’s team received a nice consolation prize: a weekend of rest and a home game in the first round. After a fourth straight loss to Michigan, the pressure is now on Day to beat an SEC team at Ohio Stadium and advance to a rematch with Oregon.
Big brands
One of the stated missions of the playoff expansion was to get more teams involved in an event dominated by the big brands, like Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and Notre Dame. Well, three of those four are in this year’s expanded field. In fact, seven of the twelve teams in the field rank in the top 20 nationally in sports budgets: Ohio State (No. 1), Texas (2), Penn State (5), Tennessee (11), Georgia ( 13), Clemson (16) and Notre Dame (as a private school, the numbers are not publicly available). But the newcomers like Indiana, SMU and Boise State are there too!
Rifle shooters
You might be surprised to know that the most productive quarterback in the playoff field is 10th nationally. That’s right: The top nine QBs in college football are statistically not in the playoffs. Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel is No. 10 at 273 yards per game. Carson Beck, whose status is very uncertain, is No. 13. No other playoff-bound QB is in the top 20.
Bottle them up
Defense wins championships, right? Well, seven of the top 11 teams nationally in total defense are in the playoff field, including the top four: Ohio State (1), Indiana (2), Texas (3), Tennessee (4), Penn State (6), Notre Dame (9) and Oregon (11). The Buckeyes and coordinator Jim Knowles did the best job. They are giving up 10.9 points per game and only 241 yards.
No place like home
One of the great things about the new expanded playoff is the four first-round home games on campus sites. Imagine a White Out in Happy Valley for a play-off game? Or how about Touchdown Jesus, postseason style? We don’t have to imagine them. We’ll get them. Also add Ohio Stadium and Austin, Texas to that mix. Penn State, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Texas all get home court for the first round.
Ring the bell
The Crimson Tide were the last major team left out of the playoff field. Bama’s bubble popped as Clemson claimed the ACC championship game over SMU. However, there is more to it. SMU, trailing by 17 points at halftime, roared back to tie the game but lost on a 56-yard field goal as time expired. Would Alabama be in the field if Clemson had extended its lead and defeated SMU by multiple scores? CFP chairman Warde Manuel hinted at this during a press conference after the rankings were announced. He said the committee had “quite a discussion” about SMU and Alabama and that, given the way SMU played in the game, the members ultimately chose the Mustangs.
Shall we meet again?
Whether on purpose or not, the committee avoided first-round rematches and intra-conference matchups. It’s a wise move. In fact, there is only one possible quarterfinal rematch: No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 1 Oregon in the Rose Bowl, if the Buckeyes beat Tennessee at home. In October, Oregon defeated Ohio State in Eugene after a dramatic finish.
Best matchup
How can we not root for the matchup between the Fighting Irish and the Hoosiers? Curt Cignetti looks to continue one of the best stories in college football in South Bend. Kickoff for that game is Friday evening, December 20 – it is the first on-campus playoff game in college football history. Buckle up!
