MOVING THE CHAINS: Takeaways from College Football Playoffs 2024 – First Round Games

By Scott Ludwig, [email protected]

Last year, there were arguments that either Georgia and FSU should have been included in the four-team playoff to determine the National Champion. Instead, the two teams faced off in the Orange Bowl, resulting in the most lopsided bowl game of the year, with the Bulldogs coming out on top, 63 – 3. The 60-point win set a bowl game record for the largest margin of victory, surpassing the previous record of 58 points – also held by Georgia – that was set in their National Championship win over TCU the year before.

This year, there were arguments that either Alabama and Miami should have been included in the 12-team playoff. So why not pit them against one another in a bowl game? Maybe because the bowl organizers learned their lesson after last year’s Orange Bowl Massacre. Instead, Miami is pitted against Iowa State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando on 12/28 and Alabama will take on Michigan in the Reliaquest Bowl in Tampa on 12/31.

As Archie Bunker used to say: whoop dee doo.

Poor Army. After beating Tulane, 35 – 14 to win the American Conference and improving their record to 11 – 1, the Cadets left their big guns at home in their regular season finale against the only game on their schedule that really matters. Navy – 31, Army – 13. Their consolation prize was an invitation to the Independence Bowl to play Marshall – which promptly backed out of the game, citing the losses of their head coach, 36 players to the transfer portal (including all three of their quarterbacks), and the Sun Belt Player of the Year, defensive end Mike Green to the NFL draft.

Instead, Army will now face Louisiana Tech, winners of five games; losers of seven.

If the NCAA is looking for someone to blame for this fiasco, they should look in the mirror. More on that next week.

Here’s something else. In the first round of the playoffs, the 5th through 8th ranked teams will play in their home stadiums. As such, they will enjoy the monetary rewards – generated by lodging, dining, entertainment, concessions and merchandise sales – that come with any other home game during the season. After the first round, all playoff games will be contested in traditional ‘bowls’ (Fiesta, Peach, Rose, Sugar, Orange, Cotton, with the Championship Game in Atlanta (a second Peach Bowl, if you will).

So, there’s an additional financial incentive to host cities in the first round – not for the teams ranked in the top four at the end of the season, but rather for the four ranked teams after that. Somehow that doesn’t seem fair.

You can thank the NCAA for that fiasco as well.

I used to think that Dick Butkus was the most football-appropriate football name ever. Is there a more suitable name for a vicious tackle than the former Chicago Bears’ linebacker’s last name? However, step aside, Mr. Butkus: there’s a new king in town: Florida kicker Trey Smack. Think about it: he boots the ball through the uprights for extra points and field goals. If there’s a better nickname for a three-point kick than a ‘trey smack,’ I’d like to hear it. Now let’s get to the action.

Game One: #10 Indiana vs.#7 Notre Dame in South Bend. In a game of little interest outside of the Hoosier State, with the excitement of an episode of Wheel of Fortune (Is there a ‘W?’), the Fighting Irish barely broke a sweat (virtually impossible with temperatures in the mid-20’s) in their 27 – 17 win. (The game wasn’t as close as it sounds; 14 of Indiana’s points came in the final two minutes). Indiana led the nation in rushing defense during the regular season, allowing 76 yards a game – which Notre Dame surpassed in the first five minutes of the game on a 98-yard touchdown run by Jeremiah Love. For the record, I remain firm on my contention that Notre Dame doesn’t deserve to be in the playoffs because (a) they didn’t win their conference championship, since they intentionally don’t belong to one, and (b) THEY LOST TO NORTHERN ILLINOIS – who lost to BALL STATE (who was shut out by Miami 62 – 0). Next up for the Irish: Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on January 1.

Game Two: #11 SMU vs. #6 Penn State in University Park. In a game of little interest to anyone by halftime (with the Nittany Lions ahead by four touchdowns), the final score – a 38 – 10 win for Penn State – proves that ASS (Alphabet School Syndrome) is alive and well. Following the footsteps of their predecessor, TCU (remember that 65 – 7 pummeling by Georgia a couple years ago?), SMU proved that, just because they were the right pick at the time, that didn’t make them the right pick for the playoffs. (Did I hear an Amen from Tuscaloosa and Miami?) Don’t blame the playoff committee, however; blame the senseless polls and the convoluted formula they use for ranking the potential combatants, which they followed to the letter in selecting SMU. Next up for the Nittany Lions: Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on December 31.

Game Three: #12 Clemson vs. #5 Texas in Austin. Led by the running back tandem of Jaydon Blue and Quintrevion Wisner (a combined 29 carries for 256 yards and 4 TD’s), the Longhorns held a commanding 28 – 10 lead at halftime and appeared to coast the final 30 minutes, allowing the Tigers to make the final score respectable. Texas – 38, Clemson – 24. Tiger quarterback Cade Klubnik (26 of 43, 336 yards, and 3 TD’s – which was only one less than the four the Longhorn defense surrendered in their preceding 13 games – pulled his team to within 7 points in the closing quarter. Then, on the Longhorn’s subsequent possession, Blue took a handoff and sprinted 77-yards to the end zone to secure the victory. Next up for the Longhorns: Arizona State in the Peach Bowl on January 1.

Game Four: #9 Tennessee vs. #8 Ohio State in Columbus. This was not the same Buckeye team that lost to Michigan. Nor was this the same Tennessee team that played in any of their other dozen games this season. Ohio State – 42, Tennessee – 17. Buckeye quarterback Will Howard put on a clinic: 24 of 29 for 311 yards, two TD’s and an interception. The game, for all intents and purposes, was over after the first quarter (21 – 0). Next up for the Buckeyes: a rematch with Oregon in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day … giving it the feel of the old Rose Bowl format that matched the Big Ten and Pac-8/10/12 champions (Oregon was in the Pac-12 last season).

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A quick comment about the 12-team playoff: while I was hopeful this new format would work, my gut feeling was that it would come nowhere close to providing the thrills and excitement of basketball’s March Madness.

Thus far, that’s been the case. Four games; four blowouts (yes, that includes Notre Dame): the average margin of victory was 19 points. And once any points scored by the losing teams once the game was out of reach were factored in, the margin of victory jumps to 26.

Maybe the quarterfinals will provide, at the very least, a modicum of competitive games. For example, it would be nice to have at least one game decided by a walk-off trey smack.

That way, a month from now when the National Champion is crowned, maybe my gut feeling will be proven wrong.

In closing, I already have a few suggestions to the playoff committee for next season:

Don’t give automatic bids to conference champions (Clemson clearly wasn’t worthy).

The top four seeds do not necessarily have to be conference champions; just select the TOP FOUR TEAMS for the top four seeds. (Iowa State does not merit a first round bye.)

Since the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th seeded teams lost, it’s a good reason to trim the field to 8 teams (thereby eliminating the highly debatable first round ‘home games’ and equally debatable first round byes).

Sorry to be the one to break the news, NCAA, but the first round of the 12-team playoff laid a big fat egg.

Scott Ludwig lives, runs, and walks in Senoia.  His latest compilation of 101 columns, ‘Southern Accent’, complements ‘Southern Charm,’ ‘Southern Comfort,’ and ‘Southern Hospitality,’ his first three compilations.  Other books in his Southern Exposure series include ‘Finding the Words,’ ‘Portraits of the South,’ and ‘let me tell you a funny story.’  All of his books can be found on his author page on Amazon.