After the College Football Playoff began on Friday with No. 7 Notre Dame taking on No. 10 Indiana, we’re in for a full day of action on Saturday with three games to conclude the first round of the 12-team format.
Time: Noon ET | TV: TNT | Line: Penn State -8.5 | Overall: 54.5
SMU was the last complete team in the playoffs and the reward is a road trip to State College. This game features two exciting dual-threat quarterbacks in SMU’s Kevin Jennings and Penn State’s Drew Allar. For SMU to make a splash, it will likely need to avoid turnovers. The Mustangs have turned the ball over 21 times this season.
Time: 4pm ET | TV: TNT | Line: Texas -12 | Overall: 51.5
Clemson sneaked into the playoffs by pulling out a last-second victory in the ACC title game. Texas, on the other hand, enters the tournament without many winning records, having lost twice to its best opponent, Georgia. If Clemson wants to pull off an upset, it needs to get RB Phil Mafah going; Texas allows just over three yards per carry and is also very stingy with the pass. The Longhorns will count on the steady hand of QB Quinn Ewers, but there’s a chance backup Arch Manning plays a few situational snaps.
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET | TV: ABC/ESPN | Line: Ohio State -7.5 | Overall: 46.5
Ohio State enters the playoffs with a mission while also suffering a painful loss to hated rival Michigan. Can coach Ryan Day get his team back on track? As the over/under ratio shows, it probably won’t be the offensive shootout that many would have predicted before the season started. Both of these teams have offenses that can lead to a big play at any time, but both teams have relied on great defense.
Live16 updates
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
College Football Playoff Picks, Predictions: Who will win the first 12-team playoffs?
Click on the photo to see all our predictions. (Taylar Sievert/Yahoo Sports) -
CFP players to watch, key game: Tennessee at Ohio State
Click on the photo above to read the story. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images) -
CFP players to watch, key game: Clemson at Texas
Click on the photo above to read the story. (Grant Halverson/Getty Images) -
CFP players to watch, key game: SMU at Penn State
Click on the photo above to read the story. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images) -
Ranking potential surprises in the first round
Click on the photo above to read the story. (Ben Jackson/Getty Images) -
Notre Dame’s frenetic home win proves what college football leadership doesn’t want to hear: The postseason belongs on campus
Click on the photo above to read the story. (Steve Limentani/ISI Photos/Getty Images) -
Notre Dame dominates Indiana in the opening game of the College Football Playoff, setting up the Sugar Bowl matchup with Georgia
Click on the photo above to read the story. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings) -
