College Football Playoff First Round Picks:

Tomorrow starts the 12-Team CFP tournament with the #10 Indiana Hoosiers going to South Bend, Indiana to play against the #7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Then following that game is the #11 SMU Mustangs out of the ACC and they travel to State College, PA to play against #6 Penn State, then arguably the most anticipated game of the weekend is the #12 Clemson Tigers going into Austin, Texas to take on the favorite to win the whole thing in the #5 Texas Longhorns. Ending the weekend with the night game when the #9 Tennessee Volunteers travels up north to play against the #8 Ohio State Buckeyes.

College Football:

• #10 Indiana Hoosiers vs. #7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Both of these teams are set to meet in their first meeting since 1991. Historically, the two teams first played each other in 1898, with the Hoosiers winning that match in South Bend by a score of 11-5. The last encounter saw the Fighting Irish come out on top with a 49-27 victory. Notre Dame currently holds a commanding all-time record against Indiana, with 23 wins and only 5 losses. Both teams enter this game with an impressive 11-1 record, but according to ESPN analytics, Notre Dame has a 70% chance of winning.
  • Winner: Notre Dame.
    • If you had told me at the beginning of the season that Indiana's biggest win would be against the defending champions, Michigan, I would have likely disagreed. I expected Notre Dame to be more unpredictable at times. However, Michigan had a less than stellar season while trying to defend their championship title.
• #11 SMU Mustangs vs. #6 Penn State Nittany Lions: If I were to rank the first-round games from least exciting to most exciting, this matchup would be at the bottom of the list. This is the third all-time meeting between the schools, with Penn State holding a 1-0-1 advantage over SMU. The Nittany Lions won the last meeting in 1978 in State College, following an earlier tie at 13-13 in the 1947 Cotton Bowl in Dallas. While SMU enters this game with a high-scoring offense, one has to question the strength of their schedule. They played in the ACC and experienced some struggles: they lost to an unranked BYU team in their third game, nearly fell to an unranked Duke team in overtime, and ultimately lost to the #17 ranked Clemson team in the conference championship. In contrast, Penn State's only two losses came against formidable opponents—the #4 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes and the #1 ranked Oregon Ducks in their conference championship.
  • Winner: Penn State
    • State has a strong defense, which I believe will pose a significant challenge to SMU's offensive strategy. Additionally, I wasn't impressed by SMU's schedule, and as someone who doesn't follow the ACC, I don't see this matchup as much of a contest. If State manages to take an early lead in the game, I expect them to maintain control.
• #12 Clemson Tigers vs. #5 Texas Longhorns: This matchup is likely to be one of the most exciting and highly watched games this weekend, possibly even for the entire season. Clemson started their season with a disappointing performance against the Georgia Bulldogs, who were ranked #1 at the time. As a result, they were not heavily favored to win, and only scoring 3 points to kick off their season raised concerns about a potential coaching change in the future. In contrast, the Longhorns boast two of the top quarterbacks from the last two recruiting classes: Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning. Ewers, a highly-rated recruit from high school and a former Ohio State commit, is poised for a season that many believe could make him a contender for the Heisman Trophy.
  • Winner: Texas.
    • Texas has had some impressive wins, but they have also suffered some disappointing losses against top-tier teams. However, Texas’s defense is relentless, and I believe it will make a significant impact in their upcoming game against Clemson this Saturday in Texas. As I mentioned earlier regarding SMU, Clemson is part of the ACC, which has a maximum of four teams that can be considered for championship contention. The rest of the teams in that conference are mediocre. Therefore, this matchup is likely to be either a tough defensive battle or an unattractive game overall.
• #9 Tennessee Volunteers vs. #8 Ohio State Buckeyes: This matchup is expected to be one of the most exciting and highly anticipated games of the season and the weekend. Both teams finished the regular season with a 10-2 record and narrowly missed their respective conference championships. Tennessee's quarterback, Nico Iamaleava, leads a strong offense that will face a solid Ohio State defense. Tennessee suffered losses to a struggling Arkansas team and a Georgia team that was defeated by Ole Miss. On the other side, the Ohio State Buckeyes, playing at home, have been one of the most talented teams in the country and consistently produce strong defensive players. ESPN analytics gives Ohio State a 65% chance of winning. However, I believe that the key factor in this game won't come from the action on the field but rather from an external influence: Mother Nature.
  • Winner: Ohio State
    • I believe the Buckeyes will win this game because they will have the advantage of favorable weather conditions, and Tennessee won’t be able to match the pressure and speed of Ohio State. This playoff run is crucial for Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day. If the team fails to make a deep playoff push, there will be considerable discussion about the head coaching position during the offseason.

The Final 12-Team CFP Tournament Bracket