On Dec. 8, 2024, college football fans worldwide stared at the screen with one big question; “Who is in?” The 2024-25 College Football Playoffs was the first ever in college football history to include 12 teams. Teams were seeded with numbers 1-12, and the four teams granted a seed 1-4 received a first-round “Bye,” meaning they would not have to play games the other teams did. 

The teams that got in are as follows:

First seed: Oregon Ducks

Second seed: Georgia Bulldogs

Third seed: Boise State Broncos

Fourth seed: Arizona State Sun Devils

Fifth seed: Texas Longhorns

Sixth seed: Penn State Nittany Lions

Seventh seed: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Eighth seed: Ohio State Buckeyes

Ninth seed: Tennesse Volunteers

Tenth seed: Indiana Hoosiers

Eleventh seed: Southern Methodist University (SMU) Mustangs

Twelfth Seed: Clemson Tigers

 In this first round of the playoffs, the Buckeyes faced the Volunteers, and after what quickly became a blowout, the Buckeyes took a 42-17 win. After this, the Longhorns played the Tigers and took home a 38-24 win. On the opposite side of the bracket, after a hard-fought battle the Hoosiers fell to the Fighting Irish, losing 17-27. Following this would be another blowout, with the Mustangs losing to the Nittany Lions 10-38.

In the second round, the Buckeyes crushed the Ducks with a 42-21 blowout, this game was a major surprise because the Ducks were the “best team” and got completely embarrassed on national television when it mattered. The Sun Devils then proceeded to play against the Longhorns, and after a hard effort carried largely by Sun Devils Running Back Cam Skattebo, the Sun Devils eventually crumbled and lost 31-39 against the Longhorns. On the opposite side of the bracket, the Bulldogs faced the Fighting Irish, the Fighting Irish would take this win with a 23-10 score. A hyped-up Broncos team would then face the Nittany Lions and get utterly embarrassed, with a 31-14 win by the Nittany Lions.

In the third round, the Buckeyes once again crushed their opponent, now the Longhorns, with a score of 28-14. On the other side, a hard-fought battle between the Nittany Lions and the Fighting Irish ultimately ended with a Fighting Irish 27-24 victory

By far the largest shock of the playoffs was the final, where the Buckeyes crushed the Fighting Irish 34-23. At first, this game may not appear as a blowout or a dominant performance by the Buckeyes, but one look at the first couple minutes at the game make it evident, the Buckeyes were toying with the Fighting Irish.

In what ultimately became an extremely memorable playoff year for College Football fans, with several blowouts as well as several well-fought games, by far the largest surprise was the Oregon Ducks. A team that looked extremely powerful after going undefeated in the regular season and was projected to go all the way and win it all, fell in their first game to the Buckeyes, who had suffered an embarrassing loss to the Michigan Wolverines during the regular season.