The second round of the first 12-team College Football Playoff will be a combination of turn-back-the-clock traditional bowl games and odd matchups in strange sites. Hopefully, the games will be more competitive after the first round produced four home team victories by a combined 77 points.
No. 3 Boise State vs. No. 6 Penn State
Where: Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, Ariz.)
When: Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
History lesson
The Nittany Lions and Broncos have never played, but they both have history in Arizona. A case could be made that each program’s greatest victory occurred at the Fiesta Bowl.
For Boise State, it was on Jan. 1, 2007, when Chris Petersen’s trickster Broncos pulled out all the stops to beat Adrian Peterson and Oklahoma 43-42 in overtime. A Statue of Liberty 2-point conversion ended it and Boise State star Ian Johnson proposed to his cheerleader girlfriend on the field after the game in one of the most memorable bowl games ever played.
The Fiesta Bowl was played in Tempe, Ariz. (instead of Glendale) when Penn State won its second and most recent national title on Jan. 2, 1987. Joe Paterno’s Nittany Lions intercepted Miami’s Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Vinny Testaverde five times to win a 1 vs. 2 matchup back when both programs were independents. (That used to be a thing, folks.)
First look
With Boise State, everything starts with running back Ashton Jeanty. The Heisman runner-up and nation’s leading rusher has 2,497 yards (131 behind Barry Sanders’ official NCAA record) and 30 total touchdowns.
Penn State’s defense tormented SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings (three sacks, three interceptions), putting the Mustangs into a deep hole that forced them to abandon the run. But the best offenses Penn State faced this season — USC, Ohio State, Oregon — all ran for at least 170 yards and 4.2 yards per carry against the Nittany Lions, who are really active up front (led by edge rusher Abdul Carter, who has 21.5 tackles for loss) but don’t have the biggest bodies.
Of course, those offenses have a level of balance that Boise State doesn’t consistently. Jeanty went for 192 and three touchdowns on 25 carries against Big Ten champion Oregon, a three-point loss for the Broncos. He’ll need a similar performance for the Mountain West champions to have another memorable night in Glendale, Ariz.
Line: Penn State -9.5.
Why we should be excited: It’s the next Playoff game. Listen, I get it. The first-round games of the 12-team Playoff went very much like the semifinals of the four-team Playoff. That is to say, lots of lopsided games. But don’t give up on the Playoff. Besides, going out on New Year’s Eve is overpriced and overrated.
No. 4 Arizona State vs. No. 5 Texas
Where: Peach Bowl (Atlanta)
When: Jan. 1, 1 p.m. ET on ESPN
History lesson
Unfamiliar foes in a strange setting. The Longhorns and Sun Devils have played just once. Texas won the 2007 Holiday Bowl 52-34 in a Big 12 vs. Pac-12 matchup behind Jamaal Charles and Colt McCoy.
That Texas victory launched a run at a national title next season for the Mack Brown’s Longhorns.
The Peach Bowl is unfamiliar territory for both teams. Only Arizona State has ever played in the Atlanta-based bowl; that was back in 1970, when Frank Kush’s Sun Devils out of the WAC completed an unbeaten season 11-0 with a 48-26 victory against North Carolina at Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium.
As a new member of the SEC, Texas is growing more familiar with Atlanta. The Longhorns lost the conference title game to Georgia in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium two weeks ago. Oh, and they could make it a hat trick if they can reach the national championship, also being played at the home of the Falcons on Jan. 20.
First look
The Sun Devils roll into the Playoff on a six-game winning streak, winning the Big 12 title in their first season in the conference. You could argue second-year coach Kenny Dillingham’s turnaround was every bit as impressive as what Curt Cignetti did at Indiana. The Sun Devils don’t do any one thing great, but they’re pretty good everywhere. Cam Skattebo is the heart and soul, a bowling bowl of a running back who is second only to Jeanty in yards from scrimmage (1,568).
Texas counters with the best defense in the country, led by Thorpe Award winner Jahdae Barron at cornerback. Clemson’s Cade Klubnik had himself a day against that Longhorns’ defense, but the Tigers were in chase mode most of the time. To replicate that, Arizona State will need a healthy Jordyn Tyson. The star receiver missed the Big 12 Championship Game with a shoulder injury.
What might be more relevant to the Peach Bowl is what Texas did to Clemson on the ground. The Longhorns ran for a season-high 292 behind an offensive line with a high ceiling when it’s healthy. The Sun Devils better buckle up.
Line: Texas -13.5.
Why we should be excited: Dillingham’s team is a whirlwind of enthusiasm and positive energy right now. That might be enough against a talented Texas team. But if you like storylines, how about the current Big 12 champion trying to take down the team that almost singlehandedly killed the league multiple times?
No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 8 Ohio State
Where: Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.)
When: Jan. 1., 5 p.m. ET on ESPN
History lesson
Oregon hasn’t been in the Big Ten long enough for this not to feel like a classic Pac 12 vs. Big Ten Rose Bowl. The Buckeyes and Ducks have met under those circumstances in Pasadena, Calif., twice.
Most recently, Terrelle Pryor led Ohio State to a 26-17 victory against Oregon in the 2010 Rose Bowl game. Before that, you have to go back to the 1958 Rose Bowl. The Big Ten champion and No. 2 Buckeyes beat the Pacific Coast Conference co-champion Ducks 10-7.
Ohio State leads the series 9-2, though the Ducks have won the last two. The Buckeyes are 9-7 in 16 Rose Bowl appearances. The Ducks are 4-4.
First look
Technically, we already had that in Eugene, Ore., on Oct. 12. The Ducks won a back-and-forth thriller, 32-31.
The game had a little bit of everything, including a little trickery at the end when the Ducks left an extra man on the field defensively in an attempt to drain some precious time from the clock while Ohio State tried to make a last-minute winning drive.
Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel (341 yards, two TDs, 27-yard rush TD) and Ohio State’s Will Howard (326 yards, two TDs, rush TD) were both brilliant.
The Ducks are the only team this season to score more than 17 points against the Buckeyes. Both defenses will need to come up with some answers, but the really interesting chess match will be between Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein.
The Ducks were hyper-aggressive, taking shots down the field against the Ohio State secondary and were the only team to reach 5.0 yards per carry against the Buckeyes. What’s the counter for Knowles, who didn’t send a ton of pressure at Gabriel early in the game?
Ohio State’s offensive line, beset by injuries in the regular season to its two best players, was awesome against a good Tennessee defensive front. Whether that carries over against All-American Derrick Harmon and the Ducks’ talented line will be one of the keys to the game.
Line: Ohio State -1.5
Why we should be excited: This might be the national championship game in the quarterfinals.
No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 7 Notre Dame
Where: Sugar Bowl (New Orleans)
When: Jan. 1, 8:45 p.m. ET on ESPN
History lesson
The last time the Fighting Irish and Bulldogs played in the Sugar Bowl a freshman running back named Herschel Walker led Georgia to its first national title. Shout out to Buck Belue, the Bulldogs’ first championship quarterback.
The storied programs did not play again until 2017, when Georgia and its fans invaded South Bend and came away with a one-point victory in September. It was a sign of things to come for then-second-year coach Kirby Smart. Georgia would win the SEC and lose an overtime College Football Playoff Championship Game to Alabama.
Two years later, Notre Dame took the trip to Athens and lost, 23-17.
Coming up short against the very best teams in the country was one of the defining characteristics of Kelly’s 11 seasons with the Irish. The postseason losses have been especially lopsided.
Now Notre Dame is Marcus Freeman’s program. It’s not just chasing a national championship, it’s trying to change its standing in the sport. The last time the Irish won a game like this, a major New Year’s Day-type bowl game and against a high-level opponent, was the 1993 Cotton Bowl against Texas A&M.
First look
Georgia might have the top-to-bottom most talented roster in the country, but this has been a team that only rarely has flashed dominance — and now is likely to be playing with its No. 2 quarterback. Gunner Stockton was good enough in relief of the injured Carson Beck to help Georgia beat Texas in overtime in the SEC Championship Game.
Now he faces another talented defense, but with time to prepare. Conversely, Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden also has time to prepare for Stockton, who is far more of a threat with his legs than Beck.
Will Georgia try to morph into Notre Dame? The Irish are limited in the downfield passing game with Riley Leonard, but he’s a dangerous and rugged runner who provides a nice complement to the explosive Jeremiyah Love.
This looks like a defensive battle, but not so fast. This hasn’t been vintage Georgia D. The Bulldogs rank 31st in the country in rush defense at 3.69 yards per carry and had all kinds of issues stopping the quarterback run game against Georgia Tech.
Line: Georgia -1.5.
Why we should be excited: It’s the most competitively-balanced big postseason game Notre Dame has played since the mid-1990s.
(Photo: Ali Gradischer / Getty Images)
