The College Football Playoff is set and, with it, a certain amount of pressure will be mounting.
On Sunday, we found out that Oregon, Georgia, Boise State, and Arizona State had earned the first-round byes in the CFP and that set the stage for what the first-round would look like.
Clemson will travel to Texas, SMU to Penn State, Indiana to Notre Dame, and Tennessee to Ohio State. The winners of those game will advance to the quarterfinals with a chance to play in the semifinals on the line.
As we look ahead to the start of inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, here are the three coaches facing the most pressure to win.
There is no coach in the College Football Playoff facing more pressure coming into the CFP than Ryan Day.
Day just lost to in-state rival Michigan for a fourth-straight year. This time, the Buckeyes had the game at home and they were double-digit favorites coming into the matchup. It didn't matter, though, and Ohio State fans aren't happy.
Now, Day will have a home game against Tennessee and the fans in Ohio Stadium are already hostile enough. If this game doesn't go as hoped, they will quickly turn on the team. Ohio State feels like a team that is just waiting for the other shoe to drop, and a loss to Tennessee wouldn't just be a disappointing end to the season, but likely mean the end of Ryan Day in Columbus.
Day needs to advance in the College Football Playoff. His job might very well depend on it.
There may not be a team in the first-round that got a better path than Penn State. But, that doesn't matter if the Nittany Lions can't take advantage.
Welcoming SMU in what will likely be freezing temperatures is a best-scenario for Penn State in the first-round. Then, the Nittany Lions would play a Boise State team that they'll be favored to win by even more than their game against the Mustangs.
James Franklin simply can't afford to let this opportunity pass him by.
There is a narrative — and it's been proven true thus far — that Franklin can't coach Penn State to victories in the big games. The Nittany Lions had two chances this season — vs. Ohio State at home and vs. Oregon in the Big Ten Championship game — and they fell short in both contests.
Now, they have a more favorable path than either of those two teams. Can Franklin take advantage this time or does he falter under the pressure again?
Texas fans had national championship aspirations coming into this season. They're set up nicely to have a chance, but let's be honest here: Texas has been underwhelming.
With two losses to Georgia, the Longhorns will still be favored heavily against Clemson at home, but their offense has been inept for much of the season, and Dabo Swinney's team will be playing with nothing to lose. That's not a great spot to be in if you're Texas.
However, it goes way past that.
Assuming Texas advances to the quarterfinals, they'll be expected to beat Arizona State soundly, as well. If neither of those things happen, you're going to feel quite a bit of uneasiness from folks in Austin, even with an appearance in the semifinals.
Steve Sarkisian has faced pressure to replace Quinn Ewers with Arch Manning essentially all season. If he goes down at any point with Ewers under center, there are going to be some unhappy folks questioning Sarkisian heading into the offseason.
Texas spent as much money as anyone to build its roster in 2024, and sitting around while other teams are still playing football simply isn't going to be acceptable in Austin. Sarkisian is in no danger of losing his job, but make no mistake, he's under immense pressure heading into the College Football Playoff.