2025 NFL Draft: College Football Playoff Round 1 preview & live chat

The inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff is here

College football’s bowl season has already begun as we hurdle towards the new year. But the most important contests are soon to come in the College Football Playoff. The 12-team field will feature the eight lowest seeds facing off for the right to go on to the quarterfinals to be played on New Year’s Eve/Day.

The four contests feature seeds five through 12 with one game on Friday night and the rest throughout the day on Saturday. The Hoosiers and Irish get the sole game on Friday night.

That game is one of the more exciting contests in a battle for Indiana on Friday night features one of the more unsuspecting entrants into the CFP field based on preseason expectations — the Indiana Hoosiers. The first round offers an opportunity for each higher-seeded team to host a game at their home stadium. The home team will be Notre Dame, which has run the state of Indiana football since the beginning of the sport. The Hoosiers have been one of the darlings this season, but the Irish have really figured it out offensively in recent weeks while still continuing to lead by way of their defense despite the loss of star cornerback Benjamin Morrison.

Starting the day out on Saturday is ACC runner-up SMU traveling up north to Pennsylvania to take on the Nittany Lions of Penn State. The Mustangs were one of the teams on the bubble going into CFP Selection Sunday, but they were granted the opportunity despite losing in the ACC Championship Game. The Nittany Lions lost in the Big Ten Championship to Oregon. Penn State boasts one of the better overall defenses in the country with one of the best defenders in edge rusher Abdul Carter. Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar has already announced his intentions to return to Happy Valley in 2025, but he’s a legitimate NFL Draft prospect whenever he decides to declare. Tight end Tyler Warren is one of the best tight ends in the country and is a focal point of the Penn State offense. SMU has a high-flying passing game that’s hoisted by sophomore quarterback Kevin Jennings — a player who has burst onto the scene in 2024.

The afternoon Saturday game will be No. 12 Clemson traveling to Austin to take on No. 5-seeded Texas in a battle of two of the most storied programs in college football. The Tigers narrowly snuck into the CFP field after Miami dropped their final regular-season game. The Tigers then won on a walk-off long field goal attempt to fend off a late SMU surge to comeback in the game. Clemson now gets the honor of traveling and taking on one of the most talented overall teams in the country in Texas. The Longhorns dropped the SEC Championship Game to Georgia — a bit of a sludge bowl that featured two offenses that struggled to put the ball in the end zone. Texas is likely to be without star receiver Isaiah Bond due to injury. The Longhorns have had some of their best players nurse nagging injuries throughout the year with Bond being one. Clemson would need to bring their A-plus game on defense to pull this one off, but crazier has certainly happened. Texas has a ridiculous amount of underclassmen and draft-eligible talent sprinkled on both sides of the football.

The night cap features two teams who truly have gone all-in to make a run at the national title. It certainly hasn’t been a clean year for No. 8 seed Ohio State or No. 9 seed Tennessee this season. Both have had offenses sputter at inopportune times which led to losses. Neither team played for their conference title so it has been multiple weeks off for both squads. Ohio State plays host and has an unreal amount of talent at the skill positions on offense once again. Their defensive line stacks up with any in the country as well. While talented, the secondary has been torched at separate times in 2024. Tennessee has had issues finding who their best pass catchers are on offense. In games where they’ve had success running the football, the Volunteers have managed to make the passing attack look good enough. The defensive line for the Vols is nasty as well. There’s a lot of stakes in this game for two teams that have pushed the chips in from a financial allocation standpoint to win it all this season.

With the game previews set for this weekend’s four contests, let’s talk about a few player matchups you need to know when you’re tuned in to these standalone games. Let us know who and what you’re watching in the first round of the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff!

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SMU RB Brashard Smith vs. Penn State defense

Former Miami receiver Brashard Smith is now one of the most accomplished running backs of 2024 for the Mustangs. He had transferred over to follow current SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee from Miami. He’s now enjoyed a successful season and is well on his way to being drafted. Smith is averaging 5.9 yards per carry in 2024 with 14 touchdowns. He’s added four additional receiving scores. He now gets a huge opportunity against one of the best defenses in the country in Penn State. The aforementioned Abdul Carter is just one of the important figures on the defense. We shall see how Smith performs in a huge showcase game for the receiver convert.

Tennessee EDGE James Pearce Jr. vs. Ohio State LT Donovan Jackson

Pearce is one of the best edge rushers in the country. Unfortunately for Ohio State, left guard Donovan Jackson has been forced to kick out to left tackle due to a mid-year season-ending knee injury to potential first-round selection Josh Simmons. Simmons had played excellent at that spot prior to Jackson being forced to move out there. He’s already been forced to face Abdul Carter this year. Now he gets to face the twitchy Pearce who can get after the quarterback with the best of them. If the underdog Volunteers are going to win this game, they need Pearce to dominate Jackson playing out of position. NFL scouts will like Jackson’s ability to show versatility in the face of adversity despite his up-and-down play at guard throughout his career.

Texas DBs Jahdae Barron & Andrew Mukuba vs. Clemson Pass Catchers

Barron and Mukuba are two of the best secondary playmakers in college football. Both have a nose for the football. Mukuba goes against the team he was recruited by and had multiple successful seasons with, but the truth is that Mukuba has elevated his game to a new level with the Longhorns in 2024. Barron and Mukuba have five and four interceptions respectively this season along with a combined 14 passes defensed. Meanwhile, Clemson has the best pass catchers they’ve had in years led by a fun mixture of young and old. Redshirt sophomore Antonio Williams is very talented and the most-relied-upon of the receiver room, while tight end Jake Briningtstool looks like an NFL Draft pick. Bryant Weco Jr. and T.J. Moore are true freshmen blue-chip recruits; both are incredibly explosive. They may be the most important X-factors in a game where Clemson is a heavy underdog.