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Happy College Football Playoff eve! The holiday spirit is just beginning.
The first 12-team College Football Playoff kicks off tomorrow in South Bend. The “Until Saturday” podcast previewed it all on today’s episode.
Here are keys, picks and forecasts for the four first-round games (including our staff predictions for the Playoff). All times are ET.
No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame (8 p.m., Friday, ABC)
No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State (noon, Saturday, TNT)
No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas (4 p.m., Saturday, TNT)
No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State (8 p.m., Saturday, ABC)
Which first-round games are the most likely to produce upsets? Do you think we’ll get any? — Greg S., Conn.
It would not be in keeping with the 2024 season for all four games to go chalk. I fully expect there to be upsets in the early rounds. But it’s tough to pinpoint which one(s).
My upset pick is SMU winning at Penn State. Mustangs quarterback Kevin Jennings is a baller who can handle that road environment, and though the Nittany Lions’ rushing attack exploded against Oregon, SMU has the nation’s third-ranked run defense. I could be dead wrong, of course. Clemson’s Cade Klubnik threw four touchdowns against the Mustangs in the ACC Championship Game, so the window is there for Drew Allar. But between those two QBs, I’d rather ride with Jennings.
Read the full mailbag here.
f you’re channel surfing for playoff games on Saturday afternoon, you’ll find that the two CFP games (SMU-Penn State, Clemson-Texas) are on TNT. That’s because the FCS playoff semifinals are taking over ABC with No. 3 South Dakota State vs. No. 2 North Dakota State at noon and No. 4 South Dakota vs. No. 1 Montana State at 3:30 p.m.
SDSU vs. NDSU should be a heated rematch. When the archrivals and dueling dynasties met in October, North Dakota State scored the game-winning touchdown with less than two minutes to play. In Montana State-South Dakota, the top-seeded Bobcats sport the top-scoring offense in the FCS while South Dakota has had to rely on some late game rallies to come out on top this season.
The winners will meet in the FCS championship on Jan. 6, 2025.
You’ve submitted your picks to win, but which teams should you be rooting against? Look no further than Joe Rexrode’s Hater’s Guide.
Top transfer QB John Mateer — formerly of Washington State — committed to Oklahoma yesterday.
How much will it cost to travel to Penn State for a first-round game? SMU fans, sorry you’ve had to open your wallets.
How did each CFP team get its nickname? Matt Baker dives into the fun origin stories today, where I finally learned what exactly a Nittany Lion is.
You can buy tickets to every college football game here.
For streaming info on Fubo, click here.
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(Photo of Marcus Freeman: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
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