Rob Maaddi, FISM News
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College football teams kicked off their season over the weekend, but it was the NCAA front office that produced the biggest headlines with news the College Football Playoff is expanding to 12 teams.
The plan to increase the playoff pool was approved in a unanimous vote Friday after nearly 15 months of debate. The new multibillion-dollar tournament could be in place as soon as the 2024 season and will take effect no later than 2026.
“This was a very historic day for college football,” said Mississippi State President Mark Keenum, chairman of the College Football Playoff’s Board of Managers.
The original 12-team proposal, which was approved by the 11 university leaders who make up the board, calls for the six highest-ranked conference champions and six at-large picks — as determined by a selection committee — to make the playoff.
The top four seeds would be conference champions and receive byes into the second round. First-round games would be played on campuses and the rest at bowl sites.
“So our plans are to begin the 12-team format for sure beginning in the 2026 football season,” Keenum said. “However, we have asked our (conference) commissioners on the management committee to explore the possibility of us beginning the 12-team playoff format before the 2026 seasons, in either 2024 or 2025. We as members of the board recognize there’s some pretty substantial issues that have to be resolved.”
While the decision-makers work out all those details, college teams press ahead this season with hopes to grab one of the four spots in this season’s College Football Playoff.
FSU blocks the Tigers’ last hope
Too much happened in the last 2 minutes and 25 seconds of the Louisiana Kickoff game in New Orleans, La. to put into words, but here are the highlights: a Florida State punt, a muffed punt return by LSU recovered by FSU, a Seminole fumble on the one-yard line recovered by the Tigers, and a 99-yard drive in one minute and twenty seconds by LSU that ended in a touchdown and cut the FSU lead to just one with no time remaining. And then things got really interesting.
With no time left and LSU needing only an extra point to take their season-opening matchup with Florida State to overtime, the Tigers’ special teams woes for the night — which already included two muffed fair catches by their punt returner, a blocked field goal, and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on a kickoff — were about to become the talk of the college football world.
Florida State lined up to block the kick with seven players on the offense’s left side of the ball. That meant LSU had just one blocker, true freshman tight end Mason Taylor, tasked with preventing three Seminoles from getting around the left end and blocking the kick. Taylor hesitated, then tried to block the outside rusher, leaving the inside gap wide open. Shyheim Brown, a redshirt freshman defensive back for the Seminoles, sped into the backfield, jumped out with his hands extended, blocked the potential game-tying PAT, and sealed the victory for Florida State.
FSU coach Mike Norvell pointed out that his team shouldn’t have gotten into that situation, but he was happy it turned out the way it did.
“Obviously, there at the end, you know, we had some things that happened that we just can’t have,” Norvell, who has Florida State off to its first 2-0 start since 2016, told reporters after the game. “But the one thing that happened on the last play is what we absolutely need.”
Brian Kelly hoped to start his LSU career off with a big win. Instead, he’s already got some commentators asking why LSU agreed to a 10-year, $100 million contract for the former Notre Dame coach.
Dawgs pick up right where they left off
Defending national champion Georgia came into the season ranked No. 3 in the country behind No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Ohio State. The Bulldogs lost a whopping 15 players to the NFL draft, including nearly half their defense in the first round. It was natural to expect they would take a step back.
However, Georgia destroyed No. 11 Oregon 49-3.
The Bulldogs were dynamic on offense and the defense didn’t miss a beat. Stetson Bennett threw for 368 yards in the first three quarters with two touchdowns and ran for another score.
It was the debut for Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, who spent the last three years as the Bulldogs’ co-defensive coordinator.
“We want people who want to play in this offense,” coach Kirby Smart said. “And if you’re sitting at home watching this offense today, I think you’re saying, I want to play in this offense.”
Bama devours a cupcake
Alabama routed Utah State 55-0. Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young passed for five first-half touchdowns and ran for 100 yards and a score.
“I just try to do whatever is best for this team, whatever the defense gives us,” Young said about his running. “That’s definitely interesting. It definitely wasn’t something I was planning. For me, it’s just taking whatever the defense gives us. That was just what was available. It’s cool.”
Buckeyes win the battle of Top 10 Midwestern powerhouses
Ohio State knocked off No. 5 Notre Dame 21-10 behind two touchdown passes from C.J. Stroud threw two touchdown passes.
First-year Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman, the former Buckeyes linebacker, fell to 0-2 in his first season as Brian Kelly’s successor.
“We battled for 2 1/2 quarters, but then they scored with 17 seconds left in the third and we didn’t respond,” Freeman said.
Around the Top 10
No. 6 Texas A&M beat Sam Houston State 30-0. Haynes King threw for a career-high 364 yards and three long touchdowns to lead Texas A&M in a game that included an almost three-hour weather delay.
Florida upset No. 7 Utah 29-26 thanks to a sensational performance from Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson, who ran for three scores in his second career start.
No. 8 Michigan cruised past Colorado State 51-7, No. 9 Oklahoma trounced UTEP 45-13, and No. 10 Baylor blew away Albany 69-10 to round out the play of Top 10 teams on the weekend.
Additional reporting by Jacob Fuller, FISM News