College football fans have waited years to see how the 12-team College Football Playoff would look, and the arrival of the new format is now finally upon us.
This Friday and Saturday we will get our first looks at the new playoff format and will finally be able to answer some major questions. We have long-wondered how warm-weather teams, like SMU, would handle a December game in the northeast. We have long-wondered how playoff games hosted on campus would look, and how much home-field advantage would come into play.
While these questions and many others will be answered this weekend, there are some questions that will take longer to figure out.
Here are 5 burning questions that will not be answered in round 1 of this year's College Football Playoff.
1. What is Ryan Day's Future at Ohio State?
Most schools and fanbases would be more than satisfied with being a top 8 seed in the CFP and hosting a first-round playoff game, but most schools aren't Ohio State University. Off the top of my head, I cannot think of one other school that has tried to trademark one of THE most common words in the english language.
A win against Tennessee does not guarantee Day’s job is safe, depending on how the Rose Bowl versus Oregon goes. Fans are still irate about the four consecutive losses to Michigan, and this season's loss to an unranked Michigan squad at home may have planted the idea of firing Day in the mind of the new Athletic Director.
A loss against Tennessee likely starts a serious discussion about the future of the program. It is hard to imagine a roster with this much talent and experience failing to make the Elite 8, but Tennessee has the chops to make it happen. With an elite defensive line and one of the most talented running backs in the country in Dylan Sampson, Tennessee may be able to employ the same scheme Michigan used to defeat the Buckeyes last month.
With a win or with a loss this Saturday, the discussion about Ryan Day's future at Ohio State will continue.
2. Can James Franklin Win a Big Game?
Since 2016, the narrative around James Franklin has been that he wins the games he's supposed to, but fails to show up when it really matters. Losses to Ohio State and Oregon this season did nothing to change that, leaving Penn State fans wondering if this will ever change.
With the expanded playoffs, Franklin and Penn State get another chance to win a big game. But given the expanded field, the parameters for what defines a big game has changed. In my mind, a win against a very talented SMU team would be considered a big win. But the national media will likely say otherwise.
Even if the Nittany Lions are able to abruptly stop the Pony Express, the media will stay in a "wait and see" mode when it comes to Franklin. It may take a victory over Georgia or Notre Dame in the semifinals for Franklin to lay this narrative to rest upon its sweet head.
3. What Happened to Amelia Earhart?
As hard as it is to believe, it has been almost 90 years since Amelia Earhart disappeared on her voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. Although not impossible, it is highly unlikely that anything that happens during the first round of the CFP will help solve the mystery behind her disappearance. It seems as if we will once again have to wait until next college football season before learning what really happened.
4. Does Dabo Swinney need to start using the transfer portal?
Clemson fans have long wished for Dabo Swinney to adapt to the times and start aggressively recruiting the transfer portal in order to fill in team needs. Swinney, on the other hand, prefers to stay committed to the fellas he recruited out of high school, filling needs with guys already on the roster. This commitment then goes both ways, so even though he does not add via the transfer portal, he also does not lose many guys to the portal.
If Clemson loses this Saturday to a Texas team that is stocked with transfer contributors, outsiders will point to that as evidence that Dabo needs to change with the times, and that not recruiting the portal is hindering Clemson as a program.
But with the expanded playoffs, a potential return of QB Cade Klubnik, and a favorable schedule, Clemson will be in a good position next season to make a run at a first-round bye next season. The Tigers will replace their 2024 Week 1 game against Georgia with a home game against LSU while also hosting fellow ACCCG participant SMU in Death Valley.
Potentially tricky road games against the fructose-heavy Syracuse Orange, the pesky Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and the rocking Gamecocks of South Carolina will be tough, but it is not difficult to envision Clemson going 11-1 against this schedule, even without additions from the transfer portal.
A first-round exit would be a tough pill to swallow for a proud Clemson program, but next season will prove a good opportunity for Dabo Swinney to show that there is some method to his madness.
5. Do the playoff format and seeding need to change?
As we stand here today, it may look like #5 seed Texas and #6 seed Penn State have the most favorable draws and easiest paths into the semifinals. This seems especially unfair to Oregon, the #1 overall seed, who was handed a more difficult draw having to play either Ohio State or Tennessee in the quarterfinals.
Some are already calling for a radical change to the way teams are seeded, even before the first game is played. We may come to find that having the first round bye and an extra week to rest and prepare is greatly beneficial. We may also come to find that being the 5 or 6 seed, hosting a first round game, and playing a lower-tier top-4 seed is the easiest path forward.
But it will take some time to understand if the playoff format is massively flawed or not. Each college football season is different, and one season is not enough evidence to draw any conclusions.
Take last season as an example. The top-4 ranked teams of Michigan, Washington, Texas, and Alabama were all champions of their respective conferences and would have all received a first-round bye had the 12-team playoff been implemented. No one would have argued that being the 5 seed and playing Alabama in the quarterfinals was more advantageous than being a top-4 seed.
But the way this season turned out with Texas, Penn State, and Notre Dame all being ranked in the top 5 but ineligible for a top-4 seed, the less-respected Boise State and Arizona State teams were able to secure those coveted byes.
Maybe next season an ACC team like Clemson or Miami runs the table and nabs the #1 seed. Maybe a Big 12 team like Kansas State puts it all together and makes for an intimidating #4 seed. Maybe upsets in the conference championship games create a total backlog in the #5-10 seed range. Maybe she's born with it. Maybe its Maybeline.
What we do know for sure is that these answers will most assuredly not be answered by the first round of the playoffs this weekend.