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ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN – NOVEMBER 25: Head Football Coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes is seen … [+] during the first half a college football game against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium on November 25, 2023 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)
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The opening round of the inaugural 12-team edition of the College Football Playoff will kick off with one Friday night matchup, followed by a Saturday tripleheader. This weekend’s winners will advance to the quarterfinal round over New Year’s where they’ll face either Oregon, Georgia, Boise State or Arizona State, whom will enjoy a first-round bye.
Before we get into a loaded football weekend, here’s a look at the top big-picture storylines for each College Football Playoff game.
All odds are via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Indiana (10) At Notre Dame (7)
Friday, Dec. 20, 2024 – 8 p.m. ET
Home-field Advantage?
Notre Dame will host the first on-campus College Football Playoff game in history. But will that matter? Indiana is the underdog story of the CFP and won its first three road games against UCLA, Northwestern and Michigan State with a 27.7 average margin of victory. The Hoosiers’ only loss came at Ohio State in a 38-15 defeat late in the season.
The Fighting Irish’s lone blemish came in a stunning 16-14 home loss to Northern Illinois in September, but they covered the spread in their last five games at Notre Dame Stadium. The Irish won their last four home contests by combined scores of 185-38.
Notre Dame is a 7-point favorite with the over/under set at 52.5. The winner will play No. 2 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1 in New Orleans.
SMU (11) At Penn State (6)
Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024 – Noon ET
Is Penn State Here To Stay?
You could make the argument that no team benefits more from an expanded College Football Playoff than the Nittany Lions. They were always on the outside looking in during the entire four-team CFP era but found themselves in the mix toward the end more often than not.
Including this year, Penn State finished inside the top 12 in the final College Football Playoff rankings in seven of the last nine seasons. That’s a whole lot of winning without a spot in the postseason, and the Nittany Lions will celebrate their first Playoff game with a Whiteout on Saturday afternoon.
Penn State is a 9-point favorite with the over/under set at 54. The winner will play No. 3 Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31 in Glendale.
Clemson (12) At Texas (5)
Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024 – 4 p.m. ET
What’s The Future Of Quinn Ewers?
The Texas quarterback position could develop into one of the biggest storylines in the country with the big names at the position. The expectation heading into the season was for Ewers to run the show in 2024 before riding off into the NFL sunset, giving way to Arch Manning in 2025.
This could still end up being the case, but Ewers’ draft stock might not be where he’d like for it to be at this point with one year of college football eligibility remaining after the 2024 season. It seems highly unlikely Ewers and Manning will share the QB room again next season, so all three parties would have a decision to make if Ewers elects to return for one more season of college football.
Texas is a 12-point favorite with the over/under set at 51.5. The winner will play No. 4 Arizona State in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 1 in Atlanta.
Tennessee (9) At Ohio State (8)
Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024 – 8 p.m. ET
How Hot Is Ryan Day’s Seat?
This is a debate with good points to be had on both sides, but nobody has more pressure on him heading into this weekend than Ryan Day. On one hand, Ohio State has a 66-10 overall record with Day in charge and will compete in the College Football Playoff for the fourth time in his six seasons.
If you’re looking for a more pessimistic point of view, Day’s Buckeyes lost four in a row against Michigan and have not competed in a Big Ten title game since the COVID year. One national title would forgive these errors, but things would get interesting if Ohio State’s season ended on Saturday night.
Ohio State is a 7.5-point favorite with the over/under set at 46.5. The winner will play No. 1 Oregon in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 in Pasadena.
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