Buffalo Rumblings
The inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff is here
College football’s bowl season has already begun as we hurdle towards the new year. But the most important contests are soon to come in the College Football Playoff. The 12-team field will feature the eight lowest seeds facing off for the right to go on to the quarterfinals to be played on New Year’s Eve/Day.
The four contests feature seeds five through 12 with one game on Friday night and the rest throughout the day on Saturday. The Hoosiers and Irish get the sole game on Friday night.
That game is one of the more exciting contests in a battle for Indiana on Friday night features one of the more unsuspecting entrants into the CFP field based on preseason expectations — the Indiana Hoosiers. The first round offers an opportunity for each higher-seeded team to host a game at their home stadium. The home team will be Notre Dame, which has run the state of Indiana football since the beginning of the sport. The Hoosiers have been one of the darlings this season, but the Irish have really figured it out offensively in recent weeks while still continuing to lead by way of their defense despite the loss of star cornerback Benjamin Morrison.
Starting the day out on Saturday is ACC runner-up SMU traveling up north to Pennsylvania to take on the Nittany Lions of Penn State. The Mustangs were one of the teams on the bubble going into CFP Selection Sunday, but they were granted the opportunity despite losing in the ACC Championship Game. The Nittany Lions lost in the Big Ten Championship to Oregon. Penn State boasts one of the better overall defenses in the country with one of the best defenders in edge rusher Abdul Carter. Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar has already announced his intentions to return to Happy Valley in 2025, but he’s a legitimate NFL Draft prospect whenever he decides to declare. Tight end Tyler Warren is one of the best tight ends in the country and is a focal point of the Penn State offense. SMU has a high-flying passing game that’s hoisted by sophomore quarterback Kevin Jennings — a player who has burst onto the scene in 2024.
The afternoon Saturday game will be No. 12 Clemson traveling to Austin to take on No. 5-seeded Texas in a battle of two of the most storied programs in college football. The Tigers narrowly snuck into the CFP field after Miami dropped their final regular-season game. The Tigers then won on a walk-off long field goal attempt to fend off a late SMU surge to comeback in the game. Clemson now gets the honor of traveling and taking on one of the most talented overall teams in the country in Texas. The Longhorns dropped the SEC Championship Game to Georgia — a bit of a sludge bowl that featured two offenses that struggled to put the ball in the end zone. Texas is likely to be...
