2024-25 College Football Playoff: Joel Klatt's five first-round takeaways
This weekend was awesome for college football.
The first round of the inaugural edition of the 12-team playoff was phenomenal. I understand the games weren't as competitive as we hoped for, but it was amazing to see these high-stakes matchups played at on-campus sites.
We've been waiting for this weekend all season long. No one can argue that the expanded College Football Playoff didn't make the regular season better. We finally got to watch playoff games unfold at some of the most iconic venues after watching teams fight tooth and nail this fall to position themselves as a host.
So, if you love this sport like I do, you enjoyed this weekend even if there wasn't an exciting finish. Here are my five takeaways from the first round of the CFP.
Ohio State gave the performance we've been waiting for.
That was such an impressive showing from Ohio State. It also looked so much different than the last time we saw it take the field. Ahead of Saturday's tilt, I mentioned Ryan Day's track record of fixing issues following losses, especially ahead of CFP games. Day and Chip Kelly understood that their game plan for the Michigan game was a poor one, opting not to play in space and along the perimeter in that game.
So, Day and Kelly did exactly what I thought they'd do. They went up-tempo and played more in space against Tennessee. Ohio State's offense was like an avalanche with how aggressive it was in the first quarter, and Tennessee didn't stand a chance. The Volunteers didn't have the requisite talent in the secondary to match up with the Buckeyes' wide receivers, and the aggressive play-calling didn't allow them to ever really settle in.
That game plan is how Ohio State should live moving forward. It doesn't have to prove