The first ever 12-team college football playoff matchups have been revealed. The Oregon Ducks, Georgia Bulldogs, Boise State Broncos and Arizona State Sun Devils are the top 4 seeds. As we all know, they get first round byes and will wait to play the winners. Texas, Penn State, Notre Dame and Ohio State are five through eight and will host a playoff game. Tennessee, Indiana, SMU, and Clemson all round out the remainder of the playoff teams. The Alabama Crimson Tide and Miami Hurricanes were the last two teams remaining and will miss the playoffs. The Conference Championships produced one major upset, which was Clemson beating SMU in the ACC title game. The win by Clemson knocked Alabama out of the playoffs. My record was 2-3 and my overall record is now 78-30. My winning percentage dips from 73.8% to 72.2%.

The 5^th ranked Texas Longhorns will host the 12^th ranked Clemson Tigers in the first round. In the 6 versus 11 matchup, the Penn State Nittany Lions host the SMU Mustangs. The 7^th ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish will host the 10^th ranked Indiana Hoosiers. In the final first round game, the 8^th ranked Ohio State Buckeyes host the 9^th ranked Tennessee Volunteers. Let’s see how advances to the Elite 8 of the college football playoffs.

The Indiana Hoosiers will make the trip to Notre Dame on Friday night for the 7 versus 10 game. The Hoosiers are coming off one of the best seasons in program history. They finished with an 11-1 record with their only loss coming against Ohio State. Which team will show up in Notre Dame? The team that allowed 15 points a game while scoring over 40 points per contest. Or will it be the team that went to Ohio State and was blown out? Notre Dame also had one blemish on their record this season. They were upset in the second game of the season by Northern Illinois. The Fighting Irish averaged almost 41 points a game on offense while ranking 10^th in running. The defense was as good as it gets by giving up less than 14 per game. I’m picking the Irish to win. Notre Dame Win 34-21

The SMU Mustangs will head to Penn State to battle the Nittany Lions in the 6 versus 11 matchup. SMU finished the season with an 11-1 record. They went undefeated in the ACC to capture the regular season championship. They fell to Clemson in the ACC Championship game in a close 34-31 loss. The Mustangs finished the season in the top 5 for scoring. The defense gave up an average of 21 points per game. Can they upset the Nittany Lions on the road? Penn State finished the season with an 11-2 record. They fell to Ohio State earlier in the season and lost to Oregon in the Big Ten Championship game. Drew Allar has announced he’ll return to Penn State next season. Can the Nittany Lions use that momentum to advance to play Boise State? I’m picking the Nittany Lions to leave with a tough win. Penn State Win 38-28

The Saturday evening game will see the Texas Longhorns host the Clemson Tigers in the 5 versus 12 game. Clemson is the only team with three losses in the college football playoffs. They lost their first game to Georgia, won six in a row before losing to Louisville. In the season finale, they fell to their in-state rival South Carolina. The Tigers went on to defeat SMU in the ACC title game after Miami lost to Syracuse. Texas spent a lot of this season at the top of the rankings. They lost two games this season and both came against Georgia. In the middle of the season, they lost to the Bulldogs at home. In the SEC Championship game, they lost to Georgia in overtime. I’m expecting them to beat Clemson in a tough one. Texas Win 31-20

The finale takes place Saturday night as the Ohio State Buckeyes host the Tennessee Volunteers in the 8-9 game. Tennessee was in the top 10 throughout the season despite being overshadowed for the most part. They lost a pair of games this season with the last one coming against Georgia. The offense puts up over 37 points per game while the defense allows around 14. Can their physicality be enough to go to Ohio State and pull off the upset? Ohio State was one of the favorites to win it all at the start of the season. The transfer portal was kind to them as they built up the top scoring defense. How much will the loss to Michigan in their season finale carry over? This should be a close and low scoring game that will go to the home team. Ohio State Win 24-21

What do you think about my 1^st round college football playoffs picks? Any upsets taking place? Check out my second round matchups below. Leave some feedback about anything related to the college football playoffs in the comments section.

Quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl

Oregon Ducks vs. Ohio State Buckeyes

Quarterfinals at the Allstate Sugar Bowl

Georgia Bulldogs vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Quarterfinals at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl

Boise State Broncos vs. Penn State Nittany Lions

Quarterfinals at the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl

Arizona State Sun Devils vs. Texas Longhorns

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