Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, 4, celebrates with a rose in his mouth after the Rose Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinals against Oregon State on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo) /Kyusung Gong) )
NEW YORK (AP) — All teams seeded 5-8 won in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
In the second round, everyone won again.
The moral of the story is that not one of the top four teams with a first-round bye advantage makes it to college football’s Final Four, which makes absolutely no sense except for something.
The semifinals have been decided. Next Thursday’s Orange Bowl will be a matchup between No. 6 Penn State and No. 7 Notre Dame. And on Friday, No. 5 Texas will face No. 8 Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.
Considering how the second round played out, the Buckeyes, who are unsurprisingly the worst-seeded team, are now listed as the all-time favorites at 11-10 at BetMGM Sportsbook.
These matchups ensure that a team with a long history and big name will take home the championship trophy when the first 12-team playoffs conclude on January 20 in Atlanta.
The matchup between Penn State and Notre Dame also ensures that either James Franklin or Marcus Freeman has a chance to become the first black coach to win a title at college football’s highest level.
One thing that could still be taken advantage of in this expanded tournament is some really great, well-played soccer matches. With the exception of Wednesday’s double overtime game between Texas and Arizona State, all of these playoff games were double-digit snoozefests.
Let’s take a quick look at the four candidates.
No. 5 Texas (13-2)
Story: The Longhorns are 0-2 against Georgia and no longer have to worry about the Dawgs. They are 13-0 against the rest of the country.
Players: Receiver Matthew Golden had seven catches for 149 yards, one touchdown and a key two-point conversion in the second overtime in the win over Arizona State, and quarterback Quinn He helped clear up many of the questions raised by Ewers.
Money Matters: In the On3 NIL tracker, Peyton and Eli’s nephew Arch Manning leads the country with earnings of $6.6 million. Not bad for a backup quarterback, Manning stepped in competently in September, starting two games in place of the injured Ewers and leading the Longhorns to victory.
Mystery of history: The program with the third-most bowl appearances hasn’t won a national title since 2005.
he said: “We’re not in awe of, ‘Hey, this is where we belong.’ This is where we’re supposed to be.” – Coach Steve Sarkisian after Arizona State win.
No. 6 Penn State (13-2)
STORY: After losing to Oregon in the Big Ten title game, Franklin’s record against AP Top 10 teams fell to 3-19. Oregon is no longer playing. That’s the case with Ohio State, and Franklin’s record against the Buckeyes is 1-10.
Player: Tyler Warren may be one of the top tight ends in this season’s NFL Draft. Two of his six catches were touchdowns in the 31-14 win over Boise State.
Money matters: Quarterback Drew Allard makes about $4 million. He’s committed to returning for his senior season, but this strong run in the playoffs could change the calculus.
Historical Mystery: The Nittany Lions and Notre Dame were once two of the most famous independents in the country, so it was no surprise that they played every year from 1981 to 1992. However, their only bowl matchup was a less notable 20-9 victory over Notre Dame in the 1976 Gator Bowl.
he said: “A lot of the college coaches I met this week said, ‘This is a four-game season.’ That’s not the case. It’s a one-game season.” – Franklin spoke about the weekly nature of the First 12-team College Playoff after the first-round win over SMU.
7th place Notre Dame Cathedral (13-1)
STORY: Notre Dame’s odds to win the national title ballooned to 100-1 when the Irish lost 16-14 at home to Northern Illinois on Sept. 7. Since then, they have won 12 games, including double-digit wins in the playoffs, and moved up the standings with 7 wins and 1 loss.
Player: Give this to the coach. Marty Biagi was in charge of special teams, returning kickoffs for touchdowns, kicking three field goals, and immediately getting his entire punt team on offense in the fourth quarter to lure Georgia into a critical offsides penalty. . 1.
Money matters: QB Riley Leonard is thought to have earned about $1 million after transferring from Duke to South Bend.
Mystery of history: Until Thursday, Notre Dame hadn’t won a major bowl game since defeating Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 1, 1994. The program that has brought us everyone from The Gipper to Joe Montana is aiming for its first title since 1988.
he said: “We have been here before, it is time to fix it. We have to get back to playing football.” –Freeman after a loss to Northern Illinois on September 7th.
No. 8 Ohio State (12-2)
STORY: Coach Ryan Day after his four-game losing streak was interrupted by the University of Michigan by standing bewildered on the field while the Wolverines planted a team flag on the 50-yard line and caused a melee. There was good reason to think they had no choice but to continue working by somehow rallying together to win a national title that seemed unlikely.
Player: WR Jeremiah Smith gained 290 yards and scored four touchdowns in the playoffs. He earned the label with two one-handed catches in an early-season win over Michigan State. “Playmaker” All for this highly touted freshman.
Money matters: Smith is believed to have about $3.7 million in NIL deals.
Mystery of History: Under coach Urban Meyer, Ohio State won the CFP’s first playoff game in a four-team playoff that concluded the 2014 season. Since then, the Buckeyes are 3-4 in five playoff appearances.
he said: “At the end of the day, we wanted to win a national championship, but the road to get here was not what we expected.” –The day after the win over Oregon.
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