Playoffs Round 1
First, I want to apologize for the lack of content recently. I’ve been swamped, and it’s been hard to get new content out! I’m going to try and fix that over the next little bit!
That being said, today is the inaugural game for the twelve-team College Football Playoffs, and we’ve got an all-Indiana showdown. We are going to talk about all the games in Round 1 during this article, but we are going to take a very close look at Indiana and Notre Dame. I think we should see some of the best atmospheres we’ve ever seen in college football, with some of the most intimidating weather on top of it. Let’s take a deeper look at all the games in Round 1.
Indiana @ Notre Dame (-6.5)
I may be more excited about this game than any other in Round 1. I think this has the best potential to be an upset, as I’m not that high on Notre Dame. I know they are at home, but it’s too close to Bloomington for Indiana students, alumni, and fans not to make their presence known. Weather, I don’t think, is going to play a huge factor. It’s going to be in the mid to low 20s with a chance of snow in the forecast and snow already on the ground in South Bend, but with both teams being from Indiana, they’ll both be used to it. Head Coach Kurt Cignetti has had the Hoosiers ready to play all season. I know they lost in the Horseshoe against Ohio State, but they’ve stomped every other opponent they’ve played. Notre Dame has too, but with more glaring issues, including their loss to Northern Illinois in South Bend. This is going to be the best team that Notre Dame has seen all year, and it won’t necessarily be a contest. I feel the same way about them that I do about Boise State, honestly. Notre Dame will lose this game by at least a touchdown. I think Kurtis Rourke outplays Riley Leonard. I believe Kurt Cignetti once again flexes his muscles as Coach of the Year and has this team ready to go in a tough environment. I do not believe in Riley Leonard the way others do, and while Notre Dame has a very good offensive line and a solid running game to try and complement their QB play, I think Indiana’s defense swarms them and closes those gaps in the run game too much for Jeremiyah Love to have the impact on this game that he wants. The Hoosiers will need to get some push up front and have production from their defensive interior, but I believe they get it, and I believe that Indiana will win this game 24-17.
SMU @ Penn State (-8.5)
This game is going to be too much Penn State from the jump. Going to Happy Valley in a whiteout game, in general, is tough, and adding that it’s a win-or-go-home scenario in the snow and a whiteout on top of it… I feel really bad for the Mustangs tomorrow. SMU may have gotten the worst matchup possible for Round 1. When they played in the SEC Championship game, Cade Klubnik passed for 4 TDs against them and almost 300 yards. While the QB comparisons are honestly really similar, Drew Allar is a slightly more accurate passer who, while prone to throwing some interceptions, passed for almost 3,000 yards this season and threw for 21 touchdowns. Nicholas Singleton was almost an 850-yard rusher, Tyler Warren had over 1,000 yards receiving, and the Nittany Lions have a fantastic offensive line to complement them. This is a balanced team instead of needing to rely solely on their quarterback play. Kevin Jennings is a phenomenal player and deserves his flowers, and so does Brashard Smith. That’s where it ends for this offense, though, and they are going to need to score a lot of points to beat the Nittany Lions on Saturday. I like Penn State’s path, at least to the semifinals right now. I think they will take care of SMU pretty easily tomorrow and then stomp Boise State in their bowl game, setting up a match with the winner of a couple of games we’re going to get to!
Clemson @ Texas (-12)
I respect Cade Klubnik. I do. However, I think this game favors Texas in a pretty big way. I think that regardless of who plays between Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning, Texas is going to be ready. The big question mark is Isaiah Bond. If he can’t play, that is a massive loss for the Longhorns due to his speed on the outside and his ability to open up the Longhorns’ offense for the rest of their playmakers. With Bond on the field, you can send him in motion, send him on a jet sweep, have him run a tunnel screen, or send him deep; there are a plethora of ways to make sure he gets the ball and can make a play happen. Without Bond, the field shrinks in a big way, and this puts a target on guys like Matthew Golden, DeAndre Moore Jr., and Quintrevion Wisner, as Clemson knows that they’ll be forced to get more touches. However, I think the style of play that Clemson plays with can benefit Texas if they can get off the field. Clemson will try to establish the run with Phil Mafah early, and if they can get off the field and hold Mafah to a slow start while jumping out to an early lead, I think Texas will run away with this game. I think this happens. However, if Clemson’s offensive line is physical and can push the Texas defensive line around like they can in some games, this will be a lot closer than people think, and Clemson will have a shot to win. This is a very interesting game.
Tennessee @ Ohio State (-7)
I don’t see Buckeyes +7 here at all. I think Ohio State is taking this game very lightly (at least their fanbase is), and I think the Volunteers go into Columbus and punch them in the mouth early. While Ohio State may be a more balanced team, with Jeremiah Smith and Quinshon Judkins both finishing the season with respectable numbers, they’re not world-beating. If you have an offensive line and running back that are top talent in your league, you will go far, and that’s exactly what Tennessee has. Dylan Sampson almost rushed for 1,500 yards this season, while his quarterback threw a decently efficient 2,500 yards. While you know where this Vols offense is looking, they have a quarterback in Nico Iamaleava who can make tough throws under pressure, and I think the ability to keep Ohio State off balance, as well as the offensive line for the Vols, is too much for Ohio State. The Buckeyes end the season with two straight losses in The Horseshoe.
This would set up:
Indiana @ Georgia
Texas @ Arizona State
Penn State @ Boise State
Tennessee @ Oregon in the Round 2 games.
The grammar and spelling have been corrected, but the tone and structure remain the same. Let me know if you need any further revisions!
