College Football: 2024 College Football Playoff Viewer’s Guide
Your in-depth guide to everything CFP-related — all in one place.
Jake McCreven
18 December 2024
The inaugural twelve team College Football Playoff field was revealed last Sunday, expanding the tournament from four to 11 total games and adding additional eight teams. The five highest ranked conference champions automatically qualified for the tournament, with seven at-large bids being claimed by the likes of Ohio State, Texas and Penn State.
Five conferences will be represented in the tournament, with seven of the 12 bids coming from of the Southeastern and Big-10 conferences, respectively.
Only two of those seven teams have first round byes, however, as both Boise State and Arizona State will await the winners of first round games to be played in Austin and Happy Valley.
With over 35 National Championship matchups now possible due to the expanded field, I have taken the time to preview each team and matchup in the first round, which starts December 20th in South Bend.
The Field:
The Matchups:
CLEMSON:
PPG: 34.3 (17)
POPG: 23.0 (38)
SOS: 23
TEXAS:
PPG: 33.6 (24)
POPG: 12.5 (2)
SOS: 3
MATCHUP SUMMARY:
Quinn Ewers looks to rebound following a rough showing in Atlanta two weekends ago against No. 2 Georgia. Cade Klubnik looks to continue the Tigers’ magic carpet ride that already includes an ACC Championship win over No. 11 SMU. No. 5 Texas hosts No. 12 Clemson in Austin — in what will be a brisk night of Texas football.
Clemson’s young, athletic defense will be tested against a weapon-laden Longhorn offense talented at every position on the field. Quarterback Quinn Ewers will have his options — Isaiah Bond, Silas Bolden, Matthew Golden, Ryan Wingo and Gunnar Helm — to throw to, but the Longhorn offense has been at its best when Quintrevion Wisner has been able to get down hill off the tackles. The Tiger defense has struggled when tasked with stopping the perimeter run, as its strength (the interior) gets stuck on the down-blocking offensive linemen, spurring most big plays through its inexperienced secondary.
Still, the Clemson backend is talented. Avieon Terrell and Jeadyn Lukas are future NFL cornerbacks and will be asked to stick with whichever top weapons Texas has on the field at that time. Generating pressure through Peter Woods and Payton Page should be a top priority against a shuffling Texas offensive line.
If the Tiger offense cannot find the explosive play, none of the aforementioned analysis matters. An offense so centered around the big play — yet so often finds it — will meet its toughest test yet against arguably the best secondary in America in Austin. Jahdae Barron won the Thorpe Award as the best secondary defender in the country, and other headliners such as Andrew Mukuba and Michael Taaffe are names to watch on the back end.
With a struggling run game as of late, Klubnik will need to lean on his young receivers against one of the more savvy defenses in the country.
Winning formula for No. 12 Clemson: Find the big play — test the Longhorn secondary early and force them to back up. Try and get Mafah going again and don’t abandon the run game immediately.
Winning formula for No. 5 Texas: Control the tempo, establish the outside run with Wisner and Blue — don’t force downfield shots unless they’re there. Eliminate Phil Mafah from making an impact offensively. Get Klubnik in third-and-long situations.
SMU:
PPG: 36.8 (8)
POPG: 22.0 (28)
SOS: 41
PENN STATE:
PPG: 33.6 (24)
POPG: 16.4 (8)
SOS: 16
MATCHUP SUMMARY:
Atop the list of offensive goals for the Nittany Lions this Saturday is to exploit the perimeter defenders of SMU, who have struggled against most receiving corps they have matched up against this season. While Tyler Warren’s impact may be relegated by a staunch zone and bracket scheme instituted by the Mustangs, wideouts Harrison Wallace and Omari Evans will have plenty of opportunities on the outside.
The Nittany Lions will also be matching up against one of the more ferocious pass rushing attacks they’ve seen all season, as the a defensive front led by Elijah Roberts and Jahfari Harvey will present some worry for a Penn State front weary in times in pass protection. The Nittany Lion wide receivers need to step up and win on the outside in order for Allar (who rarely puts the ball in danger) to avoid the blitzing Mustang defenders. Establishing its unremitting ground game should be step one for James Franklin’s offense, and confronting the SMU defensive core with its multi-scheme attack will also help when testing the play-action game.
The SMU offense, piloted by Kevin Jennings at the helm and explosive weapons Brashard Smith and Matthew Hibner out of the backfield gives reason to believe that the Mustangs can hang around with one of the nation’s top defenses. Staying ahead of schedule against an Abdul Carter-led defensive front will be paramount, as Jennings, who has had problems with turnovers at times, cannot afford to worry about three potential NFL Draft picks breathing down his neck on third-and-20.
This is an offense predicated on getting the ball into the hands of its playmakers. Whether its Smith out of the backfield or Hibner/Maryland from the tight slot, the Mustangs know how to scheme its weapons into space. Whether or not they can do that against a stout Nittany Lion front is to be determined, but the recipe presents itself for Jennings and company.
Winning formula for No. 11 SMU: Gain positive yards on first and second down. Get the ball into Brashard Smith’s hands and let him create. Win on the defensive front and force Allar to throw the ball into tight windows. Most importantly: limit Tyler Warren.
Winning formula for No. 6 Penn State: Establish the run game early and often — get the ball downhill in the hands of Nick Singleton against SMU’s talented but undersized linebackers. Do not look for downfield shots against one of the best pass-rushing attacks in the country. Pressure Kevin Jennings into making poor decisions.
INDIANA:
PPG: 40.3 (2)
POPG: 15.7 (6)
SOS: 42
NOTRE DAME:
PPG: 39.8 (3)
POPG: 13.6 (3)
SOS: 21
MATCHUP SUMMARY:
The Irish’s potent ground game will again be the focal point of the Notre Dame offense. A backfield trio of runningbacks Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price as well as dual-threat quarterback Riley Leonard have powered the Irish to an 11-win regular season and 6.7 yard per carry mark on the ground. Questions swirl, however, about Leonard’s ability to handle playing with a deficit and managing a pass-heavy gameplan. The Duke transfer has continually struggled when asked to throw the ball downfield, and has been much worse when dealing with zone coverage than man in his 12 starts in an Irish uniform.
The Hoosiers’ defense makes its name in zone, settling in a mostly three-high shell and swarming to the ball when it is checked down underneath. Top secondary defender D’Angelo Ponds will be a headache for Leonard to deal with, especially if he follows top receiver Jordan Faison throughout the night. Indiana also ranks near the top of the nation in yards allowed before contact (0.8) per rush, meaning it will be up to the backfield of Notre Dame to force missed tackles and get into space.
Indiana’s pass protection faltered against its two toughest tests this season (being Michigan and Ohio State), and a defensive front of Howard Cross and Rylie Mills isn’t much of a downgrade, but the Hoosiers have found balance when running the ball to set up the pass — something Cross and Mills have struggled against this season.
Winning formula for No. 10 Indiana: Run the ball early and get ahead of the sticks — alleviate the pressure off an unproven offensive line. Pressure Leonard with blitzes and stay back in zone, emphasizing run gap integrity over all.
Winning formula for No. 7 Notre Dame: Stay out of obvious passing situations — run the ball on early downs. Scheme runs into space and stay away from the interior of the Hoosier defense. Keep the Hoosier offense on its heels by manufacturing pressure and taking away Lawton in the run game.
TENNESSEE:
PPG: 34.4 (15)
POPG: 14.9 (4)
SOS: 11
OHIO STATE:
PPG: 35.5 (12)
POPG: 10.9 (1)
SOS: 9
MATCHUP SUMMARY:
Ohio State’s depleted offensive line and Tennessee’s vaunted defensive front will be the matchup under the microscope on Saturday, as the Buckeye front has lost two All-American candidates in Josh Simmons and Seth McLaughlin while the Volunteer pash rush features names such as sack-artist James Pearce Jr. and Omari Thomas. Former guard Donovan Jackson will be asked to contain Pearce, notably on of the quickest edge rushers off the ball in America, as Thomas, Omarr Norman-Lott and Bryson Eason will be rushing from the interior.
Ohio State will need to rely on its two-headed monster out of the backfield to stabilize its offensive attack early. Both TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins should see plenty of touches early as quarterback Will Howard sniffs out the pesky looks given by the Volunteers defense. The Buckeyes will have the advantage on the outside, with receivers Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate all lingering outside the numbers. Whether or not Howard has enough time to distribute the ball to them is another question.
Volunteer quarterback Nico Iamaleava will look to exploit a Buckeye secondary that has been the sore-spot on an otherwise unblemished defense. Ohio State cornerbacks Denzel Burke and Davison Igbinosun have been tested all season long and have yet to stand tall, warranting some concern for how they match up against a trio of savvy Vols receivers in Squirrel White, Bru McCoy and Chris Brazzell II.
Winning formula for No. 9 Tennessee: Find the holes in the Buckeye secondary. Spread out the defense and force its cornerbacks onto islands. Get after Will Howard and make him uncomfortable all night long.
Winning formula for No. 8 Ohio State: Survive against the Volunteer front. Limit long-developing pass plays and get the ball out of Howard’s hands fast. Control Dylan Sampson with the defensive front and sit back in zone to deal with the Volunteer weapons.