While there are a variety of sports played in the United States, one of the most loved is college football. The sport is widespread across the country, with many people rooting for their favorite college. Sometimes heated, college football games are fun to attend and always guarantee a good time.
This year, the College Football Playoff (CFP) Administration changed the bracket system, expanding the 10-team bracket into a 12-team format. This change allowed for more and higher-level competition in the 2024-25 CFP series. The new rules for the bracket stated that the five highest-ranked conference champions at the end of Championship Week would get an automatic playoff berth. From there, the rest of the team seeding was determined based on records, with the four highest-ranked conference champions receiving an automatic bye in the first round. These teams were the University of Oregon, University of Georgia, Boise State University and Arizona State University. After that, things worked like a standard tournament, with eight teams playing in the first round, eight teams in the second round, and four teams in the semifinals.
With the top four spots already filled, it was up to the rest of the top 25 ranked teams to complete the bracket. The University of Texas, Pennsylvania State University, University of Notre Dame, Ohio State University, University of Tennessee and Indiana University all made it easily into the playoff spots. However, the last two spots were decided by just a field goal, with Clemson University defeating Southern Methodist University (SMU). Although SMU was almost guaranteed a spot, Clemson’s win secured the final slot, knocking the University of South Carolina out of the playoffs.
Thomas Cheek (11) thinks that a larger bracket allows for more competition but takes some focus away from the regular season.
“I think the 12-team format allows more teams to experience the playoffs, but I think the four-team format made regular season wins much more important than with the 12-team playoff,” Cheek said.
The first round of the playoffs was electric, with the higher-ranked colleges coming out swinging. Texas defeated Clemson, 38-24, while Tennessee lost to Ohio State by an astounding 25 points. Notre Dame beat Indiana by 10 points, and Penn State crushed SMU, 38-10. While the buzz of the college football playoff had begun, it would soon grow into a frenzy for the second round.
The second round of the playoffs was even crazier than the first, with the highest-ranked teams facing the first-round playoff winners. Shockingly, all of the teams that had a first-round bye lost in the second round. In the Allstate Sugar Bowl, Notre Dame defeated playoff favorite Georgia by 13 points. Texas came out with a win over Arizona State, which was undoubtedly one of the best games of the playoff series. In addition, Boise State, making its first playoff appearance in 17 years, was easily defeated by the Penn State Nittany Lions. The game that shocked the nation the most, however, was the matchup between the Oregon Ducks and the Ohio State Buckeyes. Fans had eagerly anticipated seeing the No. 1 seed play the Buckeyes, but in a stunning show of athleticism, Ohio State crushed Oregon, 41-21, leaving fans speechless as the playoff favorite was defeated.
The third round of the playoffs started with a bang when Penn State and Notre Dame met head-to-head. It resulted in the closest game of the playoff series, with Notre Dame sliding in a win by a field goal, securing its spot in the College Football Championship. The second game, Texas vs. Ohio State, was another much-anticipated matchup. Texas, a season-long powerhouse, was easily defeated by the Buckeyes, 28-14. The final two teams had been chosen, with Notre Dame taking on Ohio State in the championship.
Ryan Day, Ohio State’s head coach, called the game “one of the most iconic games in Ohio State history,” Day said.
On Jan. 20, the teams met in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta to decide who would become the best college team in the country. Notre Dame started out strong, leading 7-0 in the first quarter. But Ohio State came back hard, putting up 21 points in the second quarter, leaving the score 7-21 at halftime. After a hard-fought third quarter, both teams had gained more points and were ready for the fourth and final quarter of college football this season. Leading by 16 points, it looked like Ohio State had it in the bag, but with a fourth-quarter run, the Fighting Irish brought the score within 8. However, after a hard-fought drive, the Buckeyes scored a field goal, sealing their spot as the 2024-25 College Football Champions.
Walker Nunes (12) said that the outcome of the playoff wasn’t what he expected, but he loved it nonetheless.
“I like that the 12-team seeding allows more programs to be nationally recognized. This lets fans across the nation become more interested in the playoffs and who wins the championship. I was expecting the No. 1 seed, Oregon, to win because their highlights looked sharp and poised,” Nunes said. “The highlight of the playoffs was Cam Skattebo’s performance in the ASU vs. Texas game. Cam Skattebo is ASU’s star running back, and while sick for the second half of the game, he ended the game with a 42-yard passing touchdown, 30 carries for 143 yards, and 99 receiving yards on 8 receptions. Even though ASU lost, he received the MVP award for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl for the first time in 26 years.”
