After much anticipation to etch another milestone in college football history, the first ever 12-team playoff had its fair share of lopsided blowouts and all-time classics. From the hostile homefield environments to the iconic New Year’s Six venues, the fans from every team brought the energy to each matchup with their desire to win a national championship. Following a month of postseason play, one program stands atop the college football world.
First Round: The action got underway with an in-state rivalry between #10 Indiana and #7 Notre Dame. The Irish defense forced the Hoosiers to be one-dimensional and an explosive 98-yard rushing touchdown by Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love highlighted a dominant run game that carried the Irish to a 27-17 victory. The following day, #11 SMU entered the whiteout in Happy Valley to challenge #6 Penn State. From the opening kick, SMU’s quarterback Kevin Jennings was rattled by Penn State’s stout defense with three first half interceptions and two of them being returned for touchdowns. From there the Nittany Lions controlled the ball on offense and cruised to win 38-10.
The showdown between #12 Clemson and #5 Texas proved to be the most competitive, as the ACC champions wanted to show the SEC runner-ups they belonged with an opening touchdown drive. However, the Longhorns outscored the Tigers 28-3 for the remainder of the first half and reclaimed control. Clemson managed to bring it within a touchdown in the fourth quarter, but Texas’s running back Jaydon Blue put it away with a 77-yard touchdown, advancing to the quarterfinal with a 38-24 victory. To wrap up the first round, #8 Ohio State took out their anger against #9 Tennessee after falling to rival Michigan for the fourth year in a row. The Buckeyes started with three straight touchdowns, then put up another three touchdowns in the second half to cruise to a 42-17 win. The first round of games were rather uncompetitive and the home field environments proved to be a huge advantage.
Quarterfinals
The quarterfinals kicked off on New Year’s Eve out west with #6 Penn State bringing its strong defense to #3 Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. Penn State quarterback Drew Allar took advantage of his offensive lineman’s protection with two early passing touchdowns. The Nittany Lion defense only had one goal going into this matchup, stopping running back and Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty. They set every edge and remained gap sound to force the Broncos to beat them through the air. Although Boise State made it a three point game in the third quarter, Penn State’s Tyler Warren and Nicholas Singleton claimed a touchdown each to seal the victory, 31-14. The Peach Bowl between #5 Texas and #4 Arizona State turned out to be the most exciting game in the entire playoff, kicking off the New Year in thrilling fashion. It seemed all but over when the Longhorns were up 16 in the fourth quarter, but the Sun Devils, led by stud running back Cam Skattebo, rallied all the way back to force overtime. ASU struck first in OT, but a clutch throw by Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers on 4th & 13 brought the game back to a 31-31 deadlock. Texas quickly scored a touchdown and two-point conversion in the second overtime, then an interception by defensive back Andrew Mukuba sealed the deal for the Longhorns in an all-time classic.
The most shocking result of this playoff was Ohio State showing no mercy towards #1 Oregon in the Rose Bowl, the only undefeated team in the nation up to that point. The Ducks were already down 34-0 before they could throw a single punch. Oregon couldn’t stop Buckeye receiver Jeremiah Smith who caught seven passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns. Despite a few late touchdowns by the Ducks, it was too little too late as OSU strolled to a 41-21 win, punching their ticket to the semifinal. And as Notre Dame started the playoff, they finished the quarterfinal round in the Sugar Bowl against #2 Georgia, who were without their starting quarterback. Defensively, the Irish rattled the Bulldogs backup quarterback Gunner Stockton, blitzing him all night. Although a slugfest to begin with, Notre Dame had one of the most unique three-play sequences you’ll ever see- a strip sack which they recovered in the red zone, a touchdown pass, then a 98-yard kickoff return to open the second half. After scoring 17 points in 54 seconds, the Bulldogs couldn’t find the endzone for the rest of the night and fell to the Irish, 20-3.
A key takeaway from the quarterfinals is that seeds one through four all lost. Even though three of those teams were underdogs, it seems the extended rest was a disadvantage, especially going against a team that had played a week before. In all fairness, the expansion was never about seeds #9-12 at face value, it was about seeds #5-8, and those were the four remaining teams we got for the semifinals.
Semifinals
#7 Notre Dame and #6 Penn State were both carrying significant momentum going into their clash in the Orange Bowl. Although the game was slow through three quarters, the last 15 minutes of play consisted of two ties and three lead changes. Then when it seemed the game was headed to overtime, Penn State quarterback Drew Allar threw a costly interception with 33 seconds left. And like they’ve done all year, the Irish capitalized on their opponents’ mistake as kicker Mitch Jeter nailed a 41-yard field goal at the buzzer to defeat the Nittany Lions, 27-24 and punch their ticket to the National Championship. Following this classic, #5 Texas found themselves in familiar territory at the Cotton Bowl, welcoming #8 Ohio State to Jerry World. For most of the night, the Longhorn defense was able to contain the Buckeyes’ offensive weapons. However, Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson took a 75-yard screen pass to the house just before the half to reclaim momentum. Then down 21-14, the Longhorns ran a pitch to the left side on 2nd & goal on the one-yard line that resulted in a seven yard loss. Then the following play, Ohio State linebacker Jack Sawyer stripped Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, found the ball in his hands and took it all the way back for an 83-yard scoop and score to ice the game. Although a hard fought battle, the Buckeyes prevailed 28-14 and set their sights on Atlanta.
National Championship
After much adversity in the regular season and these playoffs, two teams remained for the right to be named national champion: #8 Ohio State and #7 Notre Dame. Although a heavy underdog, Notre Dame imposed their will early with a championship record 18-play touchdown drive to open the game. Unfortunately, that was the only luck the Irish could muster, as Ohio State’s offense had an answer for every coverage and quarterback Will Howard was wildly accurate going 17-21 passing (81%), setting a new championship record in conversion rate. Despite a desperate comeback, a missed field goal by the Irish in the fourth quarter left them little time for a miracle. Finally, the 3rd & 11 deep shot to Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith was a microcosm of the entire night- Notre Dame could not get off the field when it mattered, allowing the Buckeyes to go 9-12 on third down conversions. The Buckeyes bled out the rest of the clock and in a year where fans of the program were calling for Head Coach Ryan Day’s job after his fourth consecutive loss to Michigan, they played to their ceiling in the playoff, finished the job with a 34-23 victory against Notre Dame and are your 2024-25 National Champions.