College Football Playoff First-Round Matchup History & Game Notes

The first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff bracket was unveiled Sunday. What do you need to know about each first-round matchup?

Nov 23, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. (0) celebrates after a stop against the Kentucky Wildcats on fourth down in the third quarter at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ricardo B. Brazziell/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images / Ricardo B. Brazziell/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Love it or hate it, the 12-team College Football Playoff is here. A move meant to quell controversy in the selections caused plenty of it anyway, likely paving the road for further expansion of the tournament in the not-so distant future. But we're here to look at this bracket and these teams. What do you need to know about the 2024 College Football Playoff opening round games?

This exciting first round kicks off Friday, Dec. 20, in South Bend, Ind., and concludes Saturday, Dec. 21, in Columbus, Ohio. Winners advance to four bowl games–Fiesta, Peach, Rose, and Sugar–in the CFP quarterfinals on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

College Football Playoff Opening Round Notes

Teams are listed according to SEED, not CFP rank, and all kick times are listed in EST. Projections pulled and converted from odds across U.S. sportsbooks.

No. 10 Indiana (11-1) at No. 7 Notre Dame (11-1)

Oct 12, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Fans react after Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) ran for a touchdown in the third quarter against the Stanford Cardinal at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images / Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

Of the first-round matchups, Indiana and Notre Dame have the most total number of meetings: 29. The Fighting Irish won 23 of those matchups, but just one occurred since 1958 (a 49-27 home win by Notre Dame in 1991). Both universities reside in the state of Indiana and hold a fierce rivalry in men's soccer. Given the two's polar opposite successes on the football field, this game could be a spark for future heat in this sport.

After a major fumble by Notre Dame early on–losing outright to Northern Illinois as 28.5-point favorites, 16-14–the Irish tore through the remainder of their schedule. By season's end, nobody finished with a bigger average margin of victory (26.3 points) than Notre Dame. It also secured blowout wins over previously-unbeaten Navy (51-14) and Army (49-14).

Perhaps the biggest surprise in all of college football, Indiana secured its first-ever 10-win season... in its 10th game. Cold water was poured on the excitement with a lopsided 38-15 loss at Ohio State in Week 13. The Hoosiers finished seventh in ESPN's game control metric (a.k.a., how firm was your lead wire-to-wire per game?) and third in margin of victory (24.5 points).

• Projection: Notre Dame 73.7% win expectancy
• Venue: Notre Dame Stadium (seats 77,622)
• TV: Dec. 20, 8 p.m., ABC/ESPN

No. 11 SMU (11-2) at No. 6 Penn State (11-2)

Nov 30, 2024; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; (Editors Notes: Caption Correction) Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter (11) reacts after sacking Maryland Terrapins quarterback MJ Morris (not pictured) during the first quarter at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

The last time these two teams played, Jimmy Carter held office in the U.S. Penn State nudged out SMU in that 1978 matchup at home, 26-21. The two also played to a 1948 draw in Dallas and that's the extent of their history. These schools also both received among the harshest NCAA penalties of all time, with SMU getting the infamous "Death Penalty" that curbed its competitiveness until just recently.

Penn State made its first Big Ten Championship since 2016 and second ever. The Nittany Lions fell to Oregon in a high-scoring affair, 45-37, behind nearly 300 rushing yards. The only other contest Penn State dropped this year was a 20-13 decision at home to Ohio State, marking its eighth straight loss to the Buckeyes.

SMU found itself in the ACC Championship game in its first year in the league thanks to an unbeaten ACC record of 8-0. The only game the Ponies lost this season came early on, a 18-15 loss to BYU–a game that nearly the entirely of the college football world wrote SMU off before BYU went on a run and finished the year 10-2–but they changed quarterbacks and went on a 8-0 run. SMU lost the title on a 56-yard miracle kick by Clemson.

Notably, Penn State is sponsoring another White Out for this game. Also watch for cold weather and how it might impact southern SMU here!

• Projection: Penn State 75.6% win expectancy
• Venue: Beaver Stadium (seats 106,572)
• TV: Dec. 21, 12 p.m., TNT

No. 12 Clemson (10-3) at No. 5 Texas (11-2)

Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) looks over at the student section after the Longhorns' game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Nov. 23, 2024. / Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Despite 246 combined football seasons between these two programs, Clemson and Texas astoundingly meet for the very first time on the football field in this game. Those years accounted for seven combined National Championships and 55 New Year's Six Bowls, though the ACC and Big 12 don't have a long-standing major bowl tie-in.

Clemson played one of the country's most difficult non-conference schedules, dropping games to Georgia (Week 1) and South Carolina (Week 14) to finish the regular season 9-3. Thanks to an 8-1 ACC record and a second loss from Miami, Clemson caught the invite to the ACC Championship Game, beating SMU with a walk-off 56-yard field goal.

Texas also found itself in its conference championship game, the SEC Championship Game, nearly taking the league down in its first year. The Longhorns fell to Georgia, 22-19, in overtime. Earlier in the season, Texas also lost to Georgia, 30-15, at home to account for its only two losses.

• Projection: Texas 79.8% win expectancy
• Venue: DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium (seats 100,119)
• TV: Dec. 21, 4 p.m., TNT

No. 9 Tennessee (10-2) at No. 8 Ohio State (10-2)

Nov 9, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) dances into the end zone untouched by Purdue Boilermakers defensive back Nyland Green (2) during the first half at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barbara Perenic/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images / Barbara Perenic/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Tennessee took the only previous matchup with Ohio State, a 20-14 Citrus Bowl decision in 1996. The Buckeyes carry a 5-14-1 record against SEC foes, including just 2-13 in the postseason. Conversely, the Volunteers hold a 13-5 record against Big Ten teams, but in different context. The majority of Tennessee wins over Big Ten foes came in mid-level bowls like the Music City and Citrus. The majority of Ohio State's SEC losses came in New Year's Six bowls.

Ohio State dropped games at Oregon (32-31 in Week 7) and, infamously, against unranked Michigan (13-10 in Week 14). Heading into that final week, the Buckeyes were favored by 20.5 points and a win put them in the Big Ten Championship Game – an outcome that had nearly a 90% chance of validating. Ohio State notched its biggest win of the season on the road, upending Penn State.

Tennessee also has an unranked loss to a near-.500 team, losing to Arkansas, 19-14, in Week 6. Later on, the Vols dropped a tough game at Georgia, losing 31-17. Though recency cuts deep, these team's resumes stack up almost perfectly even. Tennessee pulled off a massive win at home against rival Alabama–just its second win since 2007 (but second in three years!)–and won a defensive battle against a banged-up Oklahoma team early on.

Watch for cold weather and how it might affect the southern Tennessee Volunteers in this game!

• Projection: Ohio State 71.8% win expectancy
• Venue: Ohio Stadium (seats 102,780)
• TV: Dec. 21, 8 p.m., ABC/ESPN

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