The opening round of the College Football Playoff taught everyone 10 defining lessons

Miami's best chance is winning ugly

If anything was clear from Miami's win over Notre Dame, it's that the Hurricanes don't fully trust their quarterback. The path won't be getting any easier for this team as they'll face a loaded Ohio State defense in the quarterfinals. When Miami needed to go down and win the game, it was the rushing attack as Mark Fletcher Jr took over. If Miami is going to win it all, they're going to need to play ugly football, relying on the rushing attack and the defense, unless they're going to suddenly lean on Carson Beck.

True Freshmen are here to make an impact

In the two biggest games of the weekend, true freshmen delivered massive performances to help their team survive and advance. The entire game flipped for Alabama when Lotzeir Brooks delivered a touchdown on 4th and 2 to get Alabama on the board, while he finished with a team-leading 79 yards and 2 scores.

A big factor in Miami shutting down Texas A&M's offense was the play in the backend of the defense by true freshman Bryce Fitzgerald. The true freshman delivered with a pair of interceptions including the game sealing pick in the endzone.

Fitzgerald's pick was able to win Miami the game due to Malachi Toney scoring the game's only touchdown on an end around from 11 yards out.

If a team is going to win the National Championship, they need contributions from everyone, including its youngest players. True freshmen are more ready than ever to play, and they're going to play a pivotal role in the outcome of the College Football Playoff.