Atlanta The pass appeared to linger there indefinitely. Did seven weeks seem like it? Did ten years seem like it?
What a fantastic debate that Ohio State supporters will always have.
Late in the fourth quarter on Monday, January 20, Ohio State secured a 34-23 victory over Notre Dame for its sixth national title and first in ten years when the Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard’s teardrop throw on third-and-11 finally landed, light as a feather, in the hands of receiver Jeremiah Smith.
The Buckeyes won the sport’s inaugural 12-team playoff and, ten years ago, its first four-team tournament thanks to the 56-yard gain that put an end to Notre Dame’s ferocious comeback.
“Hey, I’m going to let this loose and let him make a play on it,” Howard recalled of a play that seemed to be a hundred years removed from Ohio State’s once-defining Three Yards and a Cloud of Dust. “They were running man coverage.”
Only seven weeks ago, on November 30, after a 13–10 loss to Michigan that nearly resulted in a melee on the field and raised concerns about coach Ryan Day’s job security as the clock turned, almost no one believed this victory was conceivable.
“It’s a great story about a bunch of guys who just got through some really tough situations, and they just kept swinging and fighting when a lot of people were counting us out,” Day said.
This is the 2024–25 College Football Playoff bracket.The Associated Press
PREVIOUS GAMES
First round
December 20, Friday
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No. 7 Notre Dame 27
, No. 10 Indiana 17
December 21, Saturday
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No. 6 Penn State 38,
No. 11 SMU 10
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No. 5 Texas 38
, No. 12 Clemson 24
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No. 8 Ohio State 42
, No. 9 Tennessee 17
Quarterfinals
Tuesday, December 31st
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No. 6 Penn State 31
, No. 3 Boise State 14 in the Fiesta Bowl
January 1st, Wednesday
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No. 5 Texas 39
, No. 4 Arizona State 31 (2OT) in the Peach Bowl
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No. 8 Ohio State 41
, No. 1 Oregon 21 in the Rose Bowl |More on the Ducks from The Oregonian/OregonLive
January 2nd, Thursday
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No. 7 Notre Dame 23,
No. 2 Georgia 10 in the Sugar Bowl
Semifinals
How does the CFP work?
After assessing the teams for six weeks, a 13-member CFP selection committee determined the bracket on December 8.
Regardless of their overall CFP rankings, the top five conference winners were guaranteed berths in the field. For instance, Clemson, who is ranked No. 16 in the CFP, was assigned the 12th and lowest seed as the fifth-highest ranked league champion. The top four seeds automatically advanced to the quarterfinals and received a week off.
In January 2015, there were four teams participating in the CFP. This year, it had its first expansion. Many think it might start to grow again as early as 2026.
How much money is at stake in the CFP?
A lot: The playoffs are worth roughly $115 million.
Every club that advances to the final 12 receives $4 million from each conference, while teams that advance to the quarterfinals receive an additional $4 million. In other words, without even playing a game, teams that received byes are worth $8 million to their conferences.
For their conference, teams that make it to the semifinals get an additional $6 million, while those that make it to the final earn a further $6 million.
The money is distributed differently by each conference. Additionally, each team that qualifies for the playoffs academically receives a $300,000 compensation. Additionally, teams that qualify for the playoffs receive $3 million to cover their costs.
-This report was compiled by The Oregonian/OregonLive and The Associated Press.
