With all due respect to the four teams that were outclassed — by plenty — in the first round of the College Football Playoff, it’s neither bad nor sad to see them go. The expanded playoff only can get better from here.
And it will. Why? One example: There is no earthly possibility Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love will take a handoff in his own end zone, get around the left corner and race up the sideline for a 98-yard touchdown against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day. Against Indiana, Love was able to do just that, a breathtaking sprint in the early minutes of the opening game of the playoff that instantly turned some minds — such as those in a particular text group of old college football writers — to the quarterfinal round.
‘‘Game over,’’ one text read as soon as Love was in the end zone.
‘‘O-V-E-R,’’ the first reply read.
All four games were pretty much like that. Physical mismatches became an obvious theme. Notre Dame-Georgia and Oregon-Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, also on New Year’s Day, won’t be like that whatsoever. The battles up front and in the open field will be tremendous.
The other two quarterfinals — Penn State against Boise State in the Fiesta and Texas against Arizona State in the Peach — might not be any more dramatic than the first-round games were. Upsets? Come on, not happening. Surprisingly close games? If we’re lucky.
The Rose grows: In a 42-17 blowout of Tennessee, eighth-seeded Ohio State was the very team many of us believed it was supposed to be. In other words, the best team in the country. The Buckeyes excelled in every way, from the dime-dropping by quarterback Will Howard to the amazing skill of freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith to the dominance of a star-laden defense. How did these guys lose to Michigan again?
Now the Buckeyes get unbeaten, No. 1 Oregon. A team they lost to earlier in the season. A team that has owned the top spot in the polls since October. A team with stars galore itself and zero discernible weaknesses. Despite all that, it’s the Buckeyes, not the Ducks, who are favored by 2½ points.
How is this a quarterfinal matchup and not a championship game or, hell, a Super Bowl?
Fighting words: As Irish coach Marcus Freeman said after beating the Hoosiers, ‘‘I believe in playing this game with a physicality that hopefully is unmatched.’’
Yes, that’s exactly what will be required to beat Georgia, which more often than not has set the standard for physical play since Kirby Smart took over as coach for the 2016 season. This is far from Smart’s best team, but the second-seeded Bulldogs won the SEC and are 1½-point favorites against the seventh-seeded Irish. There’s no question the Irish are playing better, but clearly there is doubt they can impose their will on the Dawgs. Can’t wait to find out.
Aww, aren’t they cute? Boise State and Arizona State earned their Nos. 3 and 4 seeds under this playoff format, but there’s not really any doubt they’re the weakest teams left in the playoff. The Broncos are 10½-point underdogs against sixth-seeded Penn State. The Sun Devils are 13½-point underdogs against fifth-seeded Texas. Easy street for the Nittany Lions and the Longhorns. Must be mighty nice this time of year.
Spotlight on Northern Illinois
OK, so the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl didn’t quite make it into the playoff structure. But the game Monday will feature 6-6 Fresno State against 7-5 NIU and will be the only bowl being played once it begins.
Coach Thomas Hammock is psyched to have another shot on national TV. The one in September at Notre Dame went fairly well. The national narrative surrounding that 16-14 upset is that it fueled the Irish’s rise. It misses the point in Huskieland.
‘‘That’s a moment we’ll always have, and they can’t take it away from us,’’ Hammock said by phone before the long trip to Boise, Idaho.
‘‘But people should look at that game and draw their own conclusions. You should go back and watch it. I watched it over Thanksgiving. It was a competitive battle. If you took ‘Notre Dame’ and ‘Northern Illinois’ off the jerseys, it was a great game, and the better team won.’’
But Hammock is pulling for the Irish now.
‘‘I hope they win the national championship,’’ he said. ‘‘I am rooting hard for them. I think that would go a long way for that university and a long way for coach Freeman.’’