Bob Asmussen | Football heaven is finally here … enjoy | Newsletter

What do you know, my dream did come true.

Not the one about winning the lottery. Or the Braves stringing together five World Series titles in a row. Maybe those will come later.

It’s the one about college football finally entering the 21st century and having more teams playing for the national title.

The powers that be — really, we’re talking about the Big Ten, SEC and ESPN/ABC — put together a 12-team tournament that on paper looks close to perfect.

Four home games in the first round, three at cold-weather campuses, is ideal. A quick check of the forecasts calls for low 30s with snow and wind (blizzard?!?!) in South Bend, Ind., upper 20s and windy in State College, Pa., low 60s and sunny in Austin, Texas and high 10s in Columbus, Ohio. Sadly, no snow in the Ohio capital.

Except for Texas, this is how championship football is meant to be played. Not in a faraway, warm site. But in the cold.

Combined, the four games will seat close to 400,000. It’s like the World Cup only with more scoring. Other than Notre Dame, where the prices are outrageously high, tickets are reasonably priced. If you want to go, you will be able to get in.

The best part is it won’t be a one-year wonder. Hopefully the home games are a fixture of future playoffs. Having the first-round games at neutral sites won’t cut it after fans get a taste of the home field.

Enough stalling, what’s going to happen? Here is my quick take. Please, don’t bet the mortgage relying on any of my guesses. As my coworkers will gleefully tell you, I am wrong all the time:

Indiana at Notre Dame (7 p.m. Friday, ABC)

So cool that this is the debut game in the new system, pitting traditional power Notre Dame against all-time shocker Indiana.

Marcus Freeman has a loaded team that somehow managed to lose at home to Northern Illinois in one of the weirdest upsets in the history of the game.

Duke transfer Riley Leonard has been solid at quarterback, but give the edge at the position to Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke.

• My heart says:
  • Indiana.
  • My head says:
    • Notre Dame.
    • The pick is … Irish, 28-21.
      • Underdog Indiana jumps out in front early, but Leonard and tailback Jeremiyah Love lead a comeback.

      SMU at Penn State (11 a.m., Saturday, TNT)

      Both teams are 11-2, but from the pregame talk, you might think the Mustangs are going to get their doors blown off. Not if the team that came back against Clemson in the ACC title game shows up.

      Rhett Lashlee (his real name, not a “Gone With the Wind” character), will have his guys ready to go.

      Give the Mustangs a small edge at quarterback with Kevin Jennings just a bit better than Drew Allar as a thrower and runner.

      Penn State’s two-headed monster at tailback, Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, earns a small check mark over SMU’s Brashard Smith, who is very good.

      Penn State tight end Tyler Warren is the best receiver in this game and is used in multiple ways by James Franklin.

      • My heart says:
        • SMU.
        • My head says:
          • Penn State.
          • The pick is … Nittany Lions, 31-29.
            • Pressure is on for Penn State’s Franklin, making his first playoff appearance. The winner of this game plays Boise State in the quarterfinals, so fans see this game as an easier road to the Final Four than playing in the other half of the bracket. Warren and the running backs put the Nittany Lions over the top.

            Clemson at Texas (3 p.m. Saturday, TNT)

            At the end of the 2023 season, I picked the Longhorns to win the 2024 national title. Then, remembered that Steve Sarkisian was in charge and that doesn’t always lead to success. The team’s best quarterback, Arch Manning, is the backup to Quinn Ewers, who is decent but not a star. Probably gets too much credit for coming back this season.

            Unless Manning starts — and he won’t — give the QB edge to Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, who has put up huge numbers this season.

            Clemson tailback Phil Mafah is better than his Texas counterpart. Clemson’s Antonio Williams is the top receiver in the game.

            Unlike the other three games, the Tigers won’t have to deal with unfamiliar weather, which helps their chances.

            • My heart says:
              • neither. Can they please both lose? Make me choose and I’ll go with Clemson.
              • My head says:
                • Texas.
                • The pick is … Longhorns, 41-14.
                  • No playoff team is a bigger favorite than Texas. The folks in Vegas seem to know what they are doing. Clemson did manage to lose three games during the regular season and were fortunate to advance.

                  Tennessee at Ohio State (7 p.m. Saturday, ABC )

                  I am fairly certain the cold will be a problem for the Volunteers. I’d advise them that if it is a problem, don’t let on. Wear short sleeves and leave the heaters back in Knoxville. Once the Buckeyes know the opponent is bothered, they will pounce.

                  Based mostly on experience, give the QB edge to Ohio State’s Will Howard over Nico Iamaleava, who is capable of a big game.

                  Vols running back Dylan Sampson is one of the best in the country and has a nose for the end zone (22 touchdowns). Ohio State sends waves of running backs at the defense, led by Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson.

                  The best receiver in the game is Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith, my pick for the 2026 Heisman Trophy.

                  • My heart says:
                    • Ohio State.
                    • My head says:
                      • Ohio State.
                      • The pick is … Buckeyes, 17-14.
                        • I had Ohio State at the top of my AP ballot until it lost a close one to Oregon in a game it really should have won. It would be my pick to win the whole thing except for that odd loss against Michigan.

Bob Asmussen is a college football reporter and columnist for The News-Gazette. He can be reached at 217-393-8248 or asmussen@news-gazette.com.

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