The 2024 College Football Playoffs: A New Era Begins with Thrills, Surprises, and High Stakes
College football playoffs are finally back! As always, during the holiday season, teams gear up and get ready for a tough round of CFB playoffs. This year is different though, rules have since changed. The most major rule being, the 4 team playoff bracket has been expanded to a 12 team playoff bracket.
12 Teams and Their Seeding
No. 1 Oregon
No. 2 Georgia
No. 3 Boise State
No. 4 Arizona State
No. 5 Texas
No. 6 Penn State
No. 7 Notre Dame
No. 8 The Ohio State
No. 9 Tennessee
No. 10 Indiana University
No. 11 SMU
No. 12 Clemson
The Fantastic Four
The top four seeded teams will also receive a bye through the first round. We knew the 12 team bracket would shake up some seedings, but this year might be the most shocking in recent memory. No. 3 Boise State, headed by Heisman Award winner runner-up Ashton Jeanty, and then No. 4 Arizona State, who was projected to be last in their respective conference [The Big 12].
Just an incredible and historic season put together by both programs. Seasons that nobody expected, and now they will be playing on America’s biggest stage. There still are questions though, will Arizona State and Boise State be able to compete with the boys in the SEC? Definitely will be challenging as strength of schedule is and should be a factor when considering a team’s strength and value. Some may argue that is why Alabama should have gotten in over Clemson… but at the end of the day it’s the team who wins the most, does it in dominant fashion, and gets hot at the right moment. In this case the most determined team that I see in this bracket is Arizona State. I am not saying they will go out and win the whole thing, because the odds are against them. But they were projected to be last in the Big 12… they now are the No. 4 seed in a very competitive bracket with the best teams in America playing on the biggest stages of their lives. Arizona State will not be an easy team to beat, if they happen to go down they will do it with pride, determination, and pure grit.
First Round Of College Football Playoffs
The first round of the 2024 CFB playoffs is just a day away, the action starts this Friday December 20 kicking off with No. 10 Indiana taking on No. 7 Notre Dame, who’s only loss comes from a complete upset earlier in the year against Northern Illinois University. This will definitely be a tough matchup as Notre Dame is a clear powerhouse team with ruthless aggression. As for Indiana, they are a known offensive team. They have been absolutely dominating teams, but here’s where that strength of schedule part comes into play. Indiana has played a relatively weak schedule, and every game where they have played a ranked opponent [Loss to No. 6 Ohio State 38-15] they get outscored. They seem to struggle against the ranked teams. It is definitely going to be a neck and neck game for the first half, but I think by the second half Notre Dame will take full control of the game and end up winning 31-17 over Indiana University.
Then we move onto the Big Noon kickoff between No. 10 SMU and No. 6 Penn State. This game will be an absolute thriller. A quiet but destructive offense led by SMU’s quarterback, Kevin Jennings, has been really good and in some games just pure outstanding. The way he commands the offense on Saturday will result in how they will pull off an upset over Penn State. If Jennings can command the offense and march down the field in a fast-paced fashion, there’s no simply no way Penn State’s defense will keep up. Penn State has a tough offense though, headed by QB Drew Allar. If Allar can continue to stay healthy and use his legs when needed, it is going to take a lot from a struggling SMU defense. Then again, SMU is playing on one of the biggest stages their program has seen in recent memory, so there will be a chip on their shoulders and more to play for in my opinion. After a gritty hard fought loss to Clemson, I believe SMU comes out with fire and aggression and will prevail over a star-studded Nittany Lions team. The Mustangs will go onto win 21-17 over the Nittany Lions in classic upset fashion.
Directly after the Penn State and SMU game, we’ll take it over to No. 12 Clemson and No. 5 Texas. After narrowly sneaking in over Alabama, Clemson has a lot on the line and a lot to prove to the entire country. A tough gritty game vs SMU just two weeks ago, Clemson has to build off of that momentum. Clemson has to remember to keep their foot on the pedal and to not let up and let the opposing team keep one foot in the door, because eventually that foot will end up entering the door and stealing a game away from Clemson. Then we have Texas who is full of talent, up and down the defense and offense. Not to mention an absolutely electric QB duo of Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning. This team is a problem, and in the end I think they will destroy Clemson in this game in all facets of the game, barring injury. Texas will advance with a win over Clemson 38-21.
That’ll take us into Saturday night, where we will watch No. 9 Tennessee take on No. 8 The Ohio State. In my opinion this will be the game of the opening round. A tough Tennessee squad who has proven worthy of being a contender for the National Championship title. While Ohio State has everything to lose, coach Ryan Day and OC Chip Kelly have been in the hot seat since losing in a shocking upset to rival Michigan. They need to make it past the first round if either of those coaches have plans on coaching for Ohio State next year. The end goal though obviously is a national championship, and a team led by the great Will Howard could be all the Buckeyes need. Howard needs to take control of the offense and lead with great ability. Going into this game, Ohio State will feel like they have the weight of the world on their shoulders, but a pois Will Howard can save them from that. Once Howard gets settled in, Ohio State will be a hard team to beat. May we see a breakout game from Tennessee quarterback, Nico Lamaleava? Certainly people would say he is due for his “great breakout game” but at the end of the day you can’t just turn on that will and power on and off. Even with all the pressure and stress that the Buckeyes will have going into this game, I believe they will prevail in a low scoring game over the Volunteers by a score of 21-10.
Closing
With the first round of the 2024 new 12 team bracket style, we will get to see the many flaws but also bonuses of a more “playoff” and “bracket” feel. I think it will work out well, and this could be one of the best college football playoffs of all time. So many great teams out there all competing against each other in what is essentially a test-run to see how this new bracket style works out!
Lots of good action will be played this weekend and I can’t wait! High-powered offenses taking on aggressive defenses! Who will play the best under the lights? Who will overcome adversities and preserve through the pain? We’ll find out after our first week of the 2024 college football playoffs!
Cameron Williams
DiSportsPhotoAgency
Senior Writer
