College Football Playoff 2024 – First round first look

The debut of the 12-team College Football Playoff is upon us, and after the field was finalized Sunday, we are now just days away from arguably the best part of this new format: the first-round games.

If one were to hand-pick four locations for the first-ever on-campus playoff games, you’d be hard-pressed to select a more entertaining and fitting set of venues. From Happy Valley to South Bend to the Horseshoe in Columbus and DKR in Austin, fans of blue bloods, playoff stalwarts and first timers will flock to some of the best environments in the sport for four compelling matchups.

The eight teams who find themselves here, in need of not three but four wins to secure the sport’s ultimate prize, are an intriguing combination of programs. Several began the year with title aspirations; others did not. Some may have lost hope along the way, but thanks to this new playoff format, they now have a chance to prove their worth once again on the field.

Here’s a first look at those first-round matchups. — Paolo Uggetti

Jump to:
Indiana at Notre Dame
SMU at Penn State
Clemson at Texas
Tennessee at Ohio State

When: Dec. 20, 8 p.m. ET. TV: ABC/ESPN

Key player: Kurtis Rourke has been one of the top quarterbacks in the country in his first and final season with the Hoosiers. The Ohio transfer from Canada ranks third in the country with a QBR of 85.7, trailing only likely Heisman finalists Cam Ward (88.0) and Dillon Gabriel (85.6) Rourke has completed 70% of his passes and thrown 27 touchdowns with only four interceptions. He now has more than 10,000 passing yards in his career. Rourke struggled in Indiana’s lone loss at Ohio State, passing for just 68 yards with only eight completions. But he bounced right back in the regular-season finale, tossing six touchdowns in a 66-0 victory over Purdue.

X factor: After earning freshman All-America honors, D’Angelo Ponds followed coach Curt Cignetti from James Madison and became a first-team All-Big Ten cornerback in his first season for the Hoosiers. Ponds picked off two passes, including one 67 yards for a touchdown, in Indiana’s key 31-17 win over Washington in late October. Ponds also broke up a pass that was intercepted at Ohio State, which helped keep the Hoosiers in the game through halftime. Indiana needs Ponds to be opportunistic in South Bend.

How Indiana wins: The Hoosiers have been one of the best turnover teams in…