The first 12-team college football playoff is here! For the first time, 12 teams will have a chance to compete for a National Championship. The first round begins on December 20, and each game will take place on a college campus for the first time.
Oregon, Georgia, Boise State, and Arizona State are the top four seeds that received a bye in the first round.
Friday, December 20, 2024:
#10 Indiana at #7 Notre Dame | 8:00 p.m. ET | ABC/ESPN | ND -7.5, -290 ML | O/U: 50.5
The first matchup of the new 12-team Playoff features a game between two Indiana teams—the No. 10 Indiana Hoosiers travel from Bloomington to Notre Dame to face the No. 7 Fighting Irish. Indiana has had its best season in program history, with a 12-1 record.
These two teams have played each other 28 times, with Notre Dame winning 23. Indiana and Notre Dame last played in 1991, with the Fighting Irish winning 49-27. The Hoosiers have only beaten Notre Dame once on their home field, in their first matchup in 1898. Notre Dame is -7.5 and is -290 to win this game, while Indiana is +235 on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Saturday, December 21, 2024:
#11 SMU at #6 PSU | 12:00 p.m. ET | TNT/Max | PSU -9, -310 ML | O/U: 54
The Nittany Lions and the Mustangs lost their conference championship game on Saturday. PSU lost to the Oregon Ducks 45-37, while SMU lost to the Clemson Tigers 34-31 on a last-second field goal.
The Nittany Lions and the Mustangs have played each other twice. Their first matchup ended in a 13-13 tie in the Cotton Bowl in 1948. Penn State beat SMU in State College in 1978 26-21. The top four teams in this new playoff format were teams who won their conference championship. So, although PSU is the No. 6 seed in this bracket, they were ranked No. 4 overall. SMU was ranked No. 10 overall in the rankings.
In the 10-year history of the four-team Playoff, PSU was close to making it in the field multiple times but failed to do so. Now, with an expanded field, they have their chance. PSU Head Coach James Franklin is 3-17 against top-10 teams during his 11-year career at State College.
Penn State is -9 while being -310 on the moneyline. SMU is +250 to win this game outright, while the game’s over/under is set at 54 points.
#12 Clemson at #5 Texas | 4:00 p.m. ET | TNT/Max | Texas -11, -395 ML | O/U: 51
This is the first time the Longhorns and Tigers have played each other. Texas has won at least 11 games in back-to-back seasons since 2009. The Longhorns have returned to being an elite program in college football throughout the past two years, but now they will look to take the next step.
Last year, Texas lost to Washington in the Semifinals of the college football playoff 37-31. This year, Texas is again entering the Playoff but isn’t playing its best football. On Saturday, Texas lost to Georgia 22-19 in overtime in the SEC Championship. Texas’ strength has been its offense this season, and lately, it hasn’t been producing. Texas has scored 20 or fewer in three of the previous four games.
This is Clemson’s sixth appearance in the CFB Playoff. They have a record of 6-4 in the previous four-team format. Clemson beat Alabama to win the National Championship in 2016 and 2018. Although the Tigers made the Playoff six straight years from 2015 to 2020, they have failed to do so in the last three seasons. They will look to win their first Playoff game since 2019 against Texas. Texas is a big 11-point favorite, while the game has an over/under of 51 points.
#9 Tennessee AT #8 Ohio State | 8:00 p.m. ET | ABC/ESPN | OSU -7.5, -270 ML | O/U: 47
The Buckeyes and the Volunteers played against each other once in history. Tennessee beat Ohio State 20-14 in 1996. Although OSU is ranked No. 8 in the field, they are No. 6 in the overall rankings. They did win 10 games this season, but their regular season ended on a sour note. They lost to Michigan for the fourth straight time. Michigan beat them 13-10, ending the season 7-5.
Tennessee also finished the season 10-2 but on a two-game win streak. Both of their losses this season were by five or fewer points. Tennesse’s defense allowed the fourth fewest points per game this season in college football. Ohio State has the experience edge here, as they have made the college football playoff five times.
The Buckeyes are 3-4 in the four-team playoff format. They won the championship in 2014, their first appearance in the playoffs. The last time they made the championship game was in 2020 when they lost 52-24 to Alabama. Each season, Ohio State has had a ton of success, but they haven’t been able to have a big performance in the biggest and most important games. Ohio State is -7.5, while the over/under is 47 points on DraftKings Sportsbook.
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