Five College Football Playoff Spots Secured In Hectic Weekend
Dec 7, 2024, 10:51 PM | Updated: Dec 9, 2024, 7:35 pm
SALT LAKE CITY- Tickets to the first edition of the 12-team College Football Playoff were punched around the country on Friday and Saturday as conference top dogs participated in their respective championship games.
Some conference championship games went as many expected, but others ended with surprising results that will put a wrinkle in many teams’ playoff hopes as their fate will be in the selection committee’s hands on Sunday.
Mountain West – Boise State 21 – 7 UNLV
The No. 10 Boise State Broncos took on the No. 20 UNLV Rebels at a below-freezing Albertsons Stadium with kickoff temperature landing at 25 degrees. With a spot in the College Football Playoff on the line, the Broncos did what they’ve done all year, put the ball in Ashton Jeanty’s hands and let him wear down the opposing defense. When Boise State and UNLV met in the regular season, the Rebels stacked the box and were able to hold Jeanty to his second-lowest rushing total on the year with 128 yards and a touchdown. This time around, Ashton was able to find holes in the UNLV defense, breaking out for 209 yards at 6.5 yards per carry, more than 2.5 yards better than the previous matchup. His one touchdown of the night was a show-stopper just before halftime when he went 75 yards to the house to put the Broncos up 21-0.
THERE GOES THAT MAN @AshtonJeanty2
75 yards to the HOUSE!
📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/mCdogytL6B
— Mountain West (@MountainWest) December 7, 2024
For the Rebels, it came down to their inability to score. Other than earning six fewer first downs than Boise State, the offensive numbers between the two teams were not that different. However, the Rebels were unable to convert on two separate 4th and goals in the second half, meaning UNLV was only two plays away from making this a very different game.
With a ranked win in their conference championship game, Boise State will more than likely earn a first-round bye, much to the dismay of Big 12 fans.
Big 12 – Arizona State 45 – 19 Iowa State
The No. 15 Arizona State Sun Devils continued their scorching hot streak as they blew out the No. 16 Iowa State Cyclones at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Arizona State has now won six games in a row, including three over ranked teams (Kansas State, BYU, Iowa State). It was a tight game early as both teams had a touchdown and field goal each through the first four possessions to be tied at 10 at the beginning of the second quarter, however, the Sun Devils capitalized on every mistake that the Cyclones made, scoring 35 unanswered points over nearly two full quarters. During Arizona State’s touchdown rampage, Iowa State had a missed field goal, an interception, and two fumbles. Even though the two teams almost split time of possession down the middle, Arizona State ended the game with 123 more offensive yards thanks to the three Iowa State turnovers.
The Sun Devils decided to control this game on the ground. Cam Skattebo was the catalyst on offense with 16 carries for 170 yards and two touchdowns with his longest carry of the day being a 53-yard dogfight as he broke multiple tackles on his way to the red zone. Sam Leavitt only threw the ball 17 times but ended the day with 219 yards and three touchdowns.
Arizona State has an impressive resume with several wins over ranked teams, but losses to Texas Tech and Cincinnati are going to make it difficult for the Sun Devils to jump six spots in order to overtake Boise State for the final first-round bye. However, their performance in the Big 12 Championship Game may persuade the selection committee to give the four seed to Arizona State.
Cam Skattebo AGAIN 😱 pic.twitter.com/Q1TcSYhncr
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) December 7, 2024
SEC – Georgia 22 – 19 Texas
Despite both No. 2 Texas and No. 5 Georgia being in the top five in scoring in the SEC, the two teams only put up 41 total points in an overtime victory for the Bulldogs. The first half ended with Texas up 6-3 as the first two quarters featured four punts, an interception, a fumble, and a missed field goal. Not only did the Bulldogs only score three points through the first two quarters, they would also lose their starting quarterback Carson Beck on the final play before halftime. With no time left on the clock, Beck dropped back at around midfield, loading up for a heave toward the end zone. Before he could let the ball go, a Texas defender hit Beck’s arm, not only knocking the ball loose but also injuring his throwing arm.
Carson Beck’s backup Gunner Stockton stepped up in the second half, leading the Bulldogs on a touchdown drive to open the third quarter. Stockton did just enough to help Georgia stay neck and neck with Texas until overtime with two additional field goal drives before the end of regulation. In overtime, Georgia’s defense came up huge as they held Texas to a field goal on their opening possession. Trevor Etienne then carried the ball into the end zone from four yards out to end the game and make Georgia SEC Champions.
GEORGIA BEATS TEXAS IN SEC CHAMPIONSHIP WITH WALKOFF TD 😱 pic.twitter.com/VxpEqVQVsq
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 8, 2024
Texas fans were in awe as they watched Quinn Ewers throw the ball an astounding 46 times for 358 yards. Despite the monstrous numbers, Ewers also threw two interceptions and Texas was only able to score one touchdown through all four quarters and overtime. Despite 11 victories in the SEC, the Longhorns have no wins over teams currently in the top 25.
Both Texas and Georgia will be in the College Football Playoff regardless of the results on Saturday, it will just be a matter of where Texas will rank to determine who and where they will play.
AAC – Clemson 34 – 31 SMU
It was a thriller in the ACC as the No. 17 Clemson Tigers handed the No. 8 SMU Mustangs only their second loss of the season in a game that came down to the wire and ended with an improbable game-winning field goal.
Things seemed doomed from the start as SMU fumbled and turned the ball over just three plays into the game’s first possession. Clemson scored a subsequent touchdown thanks to the favorable field position. The Tigers then forced the Mustangs to punt and took control early with another touchdown to take a 14-0 lead less than five minutes into the game. The two teams traded touchdowns to make it a 21-7 game before a sloppy mess of possessions to close out the half. Between the fourth touchdown and the end of the second quarter, Clemson and SMU combined for two missed field goals, an interception, a fumble, and four punts. In the middle of the madness, the Tigers put another field goal on the board to lead SMU 24-7 at halftime.
The gap was large but not large enough for SMU. Each team scored a touchdown in the third quarter, but the push came in the fourth when SMU scored 17 unanswered points, including a masterful 16-play touchdown drive to tie the game with only 16 seconds left.
The ACC Championship Game seemed destined for overtime, but a sizable kickoff return put Clemson on their own 45-yard line, and with all three timeouts in their pocket, the Tigers had just enough time to run one more play to try to get into field goal range. Cade Klubnik hit Antonio Williams for a 17-yard completion to give the freshman kicker Nolan Hauser the chance to attempt a career-long 56-yard field goal to win the ACC and punch Clemson’s ticket to the College Football Playoff. It seemed Hauser didn’t feel the pressure as he hit the kick with room to spare.
WALK-OFF FG FOR CLEMSON!@ClemsonFB WINS THE ACC CHAMPIONSHIP 🏆 pic.twitter.com/mtfjxbn5Z4
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 8, 2024
The results of the ACC Championship Game present the committee with perhaps their toughest decision. SMU is now 11-2 with their only losses being to BYU and Clemson, both top-20 teams. The Mustang’s resume is undoubtedly one of a playoff team, but the inevitability of Alabama at No. 12 will have SMU fans holding their breath tomorrow night to see who will sneak into the final spot.
It will also be interesting to see where Clemson falls. Two first-round byes have been locked up by Oregon and Georgia, leaving only two more spots for No. 15 Arizona State, No. 10 Boise State, and No. 17 Clemson. Now with the ACC champion being ranked No. 17 instead of No. 8, Clemson could end up getting the 12th seed, giving Arizona State the upper hand and forcing the Tigers to play on the road in the first round. All three of these teams will most likely move up in the rankings, but there is a possibility that Clemson could jump Arizona State since they beat a higher-ranked opponent in their conference championship game.
Big Ten – Oregon 45 -37 Penn State
The nation’s only remaining undefeated team kept a spotless record as the No. 1 Oregon Ducks finished off the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions in a shootout in the Big Ten Championship Game. Both Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel and Penn State’s Drew Allar surpassed 30 passing attempts and combined for seven touchdowns through the air, but Allar put the ball in harm’s way a few too many times resulting in two interceptions, including the game sealer for the Ducks with 1:54 remaining.
Oregon was forced to score beyond their season average as the Duck’s defense allowed Penn State to score the most points for an Oregon opponent all season. The winning attack was led by Dillon Gabriel who ended the night with 283 yards and four touchdowns. He connected with Tez Johnson, Kenyon Sadiq, and Terrance Ferguson for the scores. Jordan James also punched in two on the ground for the Ducks.
Dillon Gabriel ➡️ Tez Johnson = Touchdown@Oregonfootball's offense just keeps on scoring ⚡️
📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/OdzvW8Fk0Q
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 8, 2024
If you hate defense, then you loved this Big Ten Championship Game that featured Penn State and Oregon combining for nearly 1,000 yards of total offense. The Nittany Lions finished with 52 more yards than the Ducks, but it was the two turnovers that were ultimately the difference in this game.
In all likelihood, the Big Ten will get four teams into the College Football Playoff including the two championship game participants along with Ohio State and Indiana. Oregon will be the No. 1 overall seed and will begin their quest to become college football’s 65th undefeated national champion and third undefeated national champion in a row
College Football Playoff Selection Show
You can tune into the College Football Playoff Selection Show tomorrow starting at 10:00 a.m. MT on ESPN to see how the final 12-team bracket will shape up.
Get some rest, college football fans. A new era starts tomorrow.#CFBPlayoff 🏈🏆 pic.twitter.com/A8gNr6xIyi
— College Football Playoff (@CFBPlayoff) December 8, 2024
