The Ohio State Buckeyes reigned supreme at the end of the first 12 team college football playoff. My thoughts on the matter are simple. The 12 team playoff was great, but the seeding system was terrible.
Teams like Oregon and Georgia had borderline impossible paths to the championship, while Penn State and Notre Dame ran into teams that weren’t meant to share a field with them.
There’s nothing wrong with giving teams that wouldn’t have a prayer of making a four team field a chance, but seeding Boise State and Arizona State above the eventual national champions as well as the runner-ups because OSU didn’t win its conference, and Notre Dame played an independent schedule is ridiculous.
I love rooting for the underdog, but in the world of name, image, likeness and the transfer portal, the Big 10 and Southeastern Conference will dominate the field every year regardless of where they’re seeded.
If fans truly want to see the underdog win, then the underdog teams should still make the playoffs, but they should be seeded as underdogs, not as top teams.
Not a single top seed was a betting favorite entering the quarterfinals. That’s not normal. If anything, it’s proof of how badly the first 12 team playoff was seeded.
So how did we get where we are now? Let’s take a look.
Notre Dame vs Indiana, Penn State vs SMU, Clemson vs Texas and Ohio State vs Tennessee kicked off the playoffs. Not a single one of those games was within one score. Penn State smoked SMU 38-10, Notre Dame routed Indiana 27-17, Ohio State rolled over Tennessee 42-17 and Texas stood tall over Clemson 38-24.
Surely the second round will be different. All the lower seeded teams are gone. Right?
Well, not exactly. The top four seeds were awarded to the top four ranked conference champions. Those teams were the undefeated Big 10 Champion Oregon, 12-1 SEC Champion Georgia, 11-2 Big 12 Champion Arizona State and 12-1 Mountain West Champion Boise State. Not a single one of those teams was favored in their quarterfinal matchup. Rightfully so, as all four top seeds were knocked off.
Penn State started off the second round by crushing Boise State 31-14. Texas and Arizona State gave us an all-time classic that Texas won 39-31 amid major controversy surrounding a no-call on what many fans would consider targeting. Ohio State avenged its early season loss by obliterating the top seeded Oregon Ducks 41-21. Finally, Notre Dame wrapped up the quarterfinal round by outlasting a Georgia team that limped into the game, without starting quarterback Carson Beck, 23-10.
The semifinals gave us two incredible games. Notre Dame and Penn State started the game slow before exploding in the fourth quarter for a combined 31 points. The luck of the Irish would prevail as Notre Dame would win that game 27-24 on a walk off field goal by previously struggling kicker, Mitch Jeter.
Texas and Ohio State would not disappoint either. Following a buzzer beating 75 yard touchdown by Tre’veon Henderson heading into halftime, Ohio State’s defense would hold strong on the goal line against a Texas offense that was primed to tie the ballgame. On fourth and goal, Ohio State edge rusher, Jack Sawyer, would run a Quinn Ewers fumble 93 yards to send Ohio State to the championship game.
So the stage was set, Notre Dame versus Ohio State to win the big one. The game would start off in favor of the Irish as quarterback Riley Leonard would run in from the 1 yard line to give Notre Dame the lead.
That’s when the Buckeyes exploded. Freshman phenom wide receiver, Jeremiah Smith, would score on a short pass before running back Quinshon Judkins would take over. Judkins scored three times, followed by a Jayden Fielding field goal to give the Buckeyes a commanding 31-7 lead.
Notre Dame would not go down without a fight though. Two touchdowns from Riley Leonard to Jaden Greathouse would bring the Irish within one score before the Buckeyes slammed the door to clinch the 2025 National Championship.
All in all, the 12 team playoff was a necessary change and a resounding success in its first year.
However, the format isn’t perfect and could use some tweaks entering next season.