The College Football Playoff kicked off on Friday night with an in-state battle between the Indiana Hoosiers vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish. It set the tone for the first round of the 12-team College Football Playoff that saw each of the higher-ranked teams decimate their lower-ranked opponent. As Saturday’s action draws to a close, we’re highlighting the winners and losers from the first round of the College Football Playoff.
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Loser: Curt Cignetti, Indiana Hoosiers head coach
If you’re going to talk about “beating the s—” out of ranked opponents, you need to back it up. Indiana Hoosiers coach did a lot of talking before the program’s ugly 38-15 loss to Ohio State. He seemingly didn’t learn his lesson weeks later, with the Hoosiers getting walked off the field by Notre Dame. To make matters worse, this was by far the most bland and lifeless play-calling we’ve seen from Cignetti this season, he seemingly waved the white flag early in the game. Realistically, we probably don’t have to worry about Cignetti talking trash he can’t back up before a CFP game again.
Winner: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
One of the key matchups to watch in the first round of the College Football Playoff was Notre Dame’s rushing attack versus one of the best run defenses in the nation. Facing a defense that allowed just 85.9 rushing yards per game, the Fighting Irish running back blew past that mark on his first touch with a 98-yard touchdown run. It set the tone on Friday night, with Notre Dame rushing for 193 yards and 2 touchdowns, Love also chipped in 126 scrimmage yards on 10 touches. One of the best running backs in the nation will be key to beating Georgia.
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Loser: Kevin Jennings, QB, SMU Mustangs
Kevin Jennings cost the SMU Mustangs the ACC Championship Game with his multi-turnover performance and he was even worse on Saturday against Penn State. With the Nittany Lions offense struggling to move the chains, Jennings gifted them a pick-six in the first quarter to make it a 7-0 game. Minutes later in the second quarter, on a play he should’ve given up on, Jennings threw another pick-six. He finished Saturday with 3 interceptions and an abysmal 13.6 ESPN QBR. SMU certainly loses without his interceptions, but he turned potentially a close loss into an embarrassing defeat.
Winner: Dominic DeLuca, LB, Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State Nittany Lions junior linebacker Dominic DeLuca provided the first spark. With Happy Valley looking for something to get excited about early, De Luca delivered with a 23-yard pick-six to open the scoring. He wasn’t finished either. DeLuca was credited with 0.5 sacks and then set up another Penn State touchdown with his second interception of the first half, which turned into a touchdown and a 21-0 lead on the next drive. Just a phenomenal showing from the junior.
Winner: Texas Longhorns offensive line
The return of left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. just brought it all together for the Houston Texans offensive line on Saturday. In the first half alone, Texas rushed for 148 yards with a 6.7 yards-per-carry average. Both Quintrevion Wisner and Jaydon Blue (3 first-half touchdowns) had all the open lanes they needed. One stat that highlights it is 116 yards before contact in the first half. On top of that, crisp pass protection helped Quinn Ewers complete 11 of his first 15 passes, with one of those incompletions hitting his receiver’s hands. Texas certainly made a statement in this one with nearly 300 rushing yards, but the Longhorns’ offensive line deserves the most credit.
Loser: Wes Goodwin, Clemson Tigers defensive coordinator
We’ve been quite critical of Clemson Tigers coach Dabo Swinney in the past two years for a variety of issues. However, the fact that Clemson already dipped into the transfer portal twice within the last week suggests he’s willing to make big changes. That spells big trouble for defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin. Entering Saturday’s College Football Playoff action, Clemson ranked 45th in run defense (139.1 rush ypg allowed) and 32nd in third-down defense (34.34 percent conversion rate).
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You don’t have to think very hard to figure out how the Longhorns exploited the TIgers. Texas dominated on the ground, rushing for 3 first-half touchdowns and racking up over 300 total yards. Clemson’s lone big play defensively came off a dropped catch. Goodwin just hasn’t done enough to stick around and we tend to believe Swinney will make the much-needed change this offseason.
Winner: Jaydon Blue, RB, Texas Longhorns
We seemed destined for a third consecutive blowout in the first round of the College Football Playoff with Texas leading 31-10 late in the third quarter. Suddenly, Clemson came to life to make it a 31-24 game with 11 minutes to go. The Longhorns desperately needed a spark and the junior running back came through. Jaydon Blue’s 77-yard touchdown run effectively put the nail in Clemson’s coffin and it gave the Texas native his second 100-yard game of the season. Saturday also marked Blue’s second game with multiple touchdowns this season.
Loser: The SEC
When the College Football Playoff field was announced, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin was among the loudest voices complaining about the limited number of SEC teams in it. It didn’t matter that Ole Miss lost three games this season, including at home to Kentucky. It didn’t matter that the Alabama Crimson Tide lost three times, including to unranked Vanderbilt and Oklahoma. The SEC believed its very existence meant it deserved to have massive representation in the College Football Playoff.
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What’s even more embarrassing is that Kiffin, SEC analysts and others chirped even louder after Indiana, SMU and Clemso suffered ugly first-round exits. So it’s only fitting that they all went silent when the Tennessee Volunteers, who beat Alabama, got outcoached and looked far slower versus the Ohio State Buckeyes. While this wasn’t an entertaining weekend of college football, the SEC absolutely had this coming.
Winner: Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State Buckeyes
A few freshmen made some noise during the first round of the College Football Playoff, but Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith just keeps proving why he’s different. Smith opened things up by showing it’s foolish to put one-on-one man coverage against him, leading things off with a 37-yard touchdown reception. He also nearly made an absurd touchdown grab in the end zone, on a play that should’ve been DPI. In the second half with Ohio State needing their offense re-ignited, Smith ocne again beat single coverage for a touchdown. Smith is a game-breaker and the Oregon Ducks will have big problems with him, just as they did the last time Smith (0-100-1) faced them.
Winner: Ryan Day, Ohio State Buckeyes coach
After losing to the Michigan Wolverines, Saturday felt like a must-win game for Ryan Day. The Ohio State Buckeyes came out hot, but a rough second quarter re-ignited talk about Day’s team imploding all over again. Halftime adjustments worked, with Day’s team coming out and dominating the second half just as they did in the first quarter. Now, Ohio State faces the Oregon Ducks in a quarterfinal matchup that could ultimately determine who goes on to win the national championship.