No. 8 Ohio State University defeated No. 7 University of Notre Dame 34-23 in the College Football Playoff National Championship game on Jan. 20, capping off the first season of the new twelve-team playoff format. It was Ohio State’s first championship since 2014, the year the four-team playoff was introduced.
Notre Dame started with an early 7-0 lead, with quarterback Riley Leonard scoring after an 18-play drive that took nine minutes off the clock. The Irish looked dominant during the first quarter, but they stalled after the first quarter, leading to two straight three-and-outs. Ohio State quickly struck back with a pass to first-year phenom wide receiver Jeremiah Smith for a touchdown to tie the game. The Buckeyes scored on their next two possessions to go up 21-7 into halftime. After halftime, Ohio State kept rolling, and Notre Dame’s attempt to get back in the game faltered after a failed fake punt, leaving the score 31-7.
The Irish were down big in the third quarter, but they made a run that kept their hopes alive. For the first time since their first possession, they scored a touchdown and made a two-point conversion, narrowing the score 31-15. The Irish scored again with another two-point conversion, making it an eight-point game with four minutes remaining. However, after being relatively quiet since his first touchdown, Jeremiah Smith made a crucial first down catch to seal the game for Ohio State.
While Ohio State had been one of the favorites for the national title since the start of the season, they took a few tumbles during the season. Even though Head Coach Ryan Day has one of the best records of current head coaches in college football, in previous years he failed to win big games in the playoffs, and also saw his team drop four straight games against their biggest rival, University of Michigan, across successive seasons. Many Ohio State fans were calling for him to be fired due to his inability to beat Michigan and win in the playoffs. However, with this win, Day has solidified himself as one of the best coaches in college football.
This year was the first edition of the twelve-team college football playoff. The new playoff system automatically granted bids to the champions of the Power Four conferences — SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC — and the highest-ranked champion from the Group of Five conferences. The four top-ranked conference champions — the University of Oregon, University of Georgia, Boise State University and Arizona State University — were given the top four seeds and a first round bye. However, the seeding system was one of the biggest issues with the new playoff format. Since the four conference champions were granted the top four seeds, Boise State and Arizona State were seeded above teams in other conferences that the committee ranked better. This seeding system led to the number one seed Oregon having, on paper, the hardest road to the championship, while teams like the University of Texas and Penn State University, who lost their conference championship game, had much easier paths to the championship.
The new format makes conference championship games and big regular season games much less important. Although it gives teams like Notre Dame, who had disappointing early season losses, a chance to make playoff runs, it makes the end-of-season games less critical. In the past, two losses would likely keep a team out of the playoffs, but this year, a three-loss University of Alabama team nearly made the playoffs. The new format also makes conference championship games obsolete; while it does give whoever wins a bye, they have to play another week of football that teams like the University of Tennessee and Ohio State did not have, as they didn’t make their championship games.
Everything considered, the home playoff games were a great addition to the playoffs. The atmosphere of college football, steeped in tradition, differs from that of professional sports. While the first round matchups were lopsided, the electric atmospheres of the games did not disappoint. The new format also gave teams that otherwise would never have had the chance to make the playoffs an opportunity. While they ultimately lost, Arizona State put on a show against Texas in the Cotton Bowl in what was one of the most memorable games in recent history. The new twelve-team format was a success, but the playoff committee must address these key issues during the off-season.
