The first round of the 12 team College Football Playoff begins Friday. There are a number of schools that could march through the brackets and capture a national title.
Here are my thoughts on this week’s games. Remember, the winners will move on to meet the top four seeds who got a first round bye this week.
Indiana will travel to Notre Dame to meet the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame is favored by seven points but I feel the Hoosiers will make this a close game. What makes this a compelling matchup is that Indiana has the most efficient passing offense in college football while Notre Dame has the best pass defense in the nation. The difference is that the Irish can run the ball. Notre Dame has won 10 consecutive games and done so largely in convincing fashion. A fast start in this one will lead to an Irish victory. The winner will face Georgia.
Penn State is hosting SMU and the Nittany Lions are favored by nine points at home. It may snow in Happy Valley and this will likely bother the Mustangs who rely on speed and big plays. Penn State likes to run the ball and will welcome a slower track. Something to keep in mind here though. Nittany Lions coach James Franklin never seems to win big games. I see a potential upset here. The winner will square off against Boise State.
Texas hosts Clemson. The Longhorns are heavy favorites over the three-loss Tigers. Clemson may keep it close early before Texas’ talent takes over, especially on defense. The Longhorns have the best defense in college football. That will pose a problem for a Clemson team that can struggle to move the ball. The Tigers were lucky to get here after Syracuse upset Miami, leading to the Tigers’ ACC Championship win over SMU and auto-bid. But the run ends here for Dabo Swinney’s team. The winner meets Arizona State.
That leaves Tennessee at Ohio State. The Buckeyes are favored by seven points but I see the Volunteers pulling off the upset. Tennessee has one of the best defenses in college football. Meanwhile, Ohio State had to lose some confidence on offense while falling to Michigan yet again. There’s going to be some real heat on Ryan Day if the Buckeyes lose this one. Look for it to happen. The winner gets top-rated Oregon.
