I was glued to my big screen the past few days. I am not the biggest college football fan, but the 2024-25 playoffs have been grand. Yes. I am rooting for the Penn State Nittany Lions. Teach is a proud alum. We have been to many games. Johnny Goodtimes is retired. He was that guy. My man never got invited back to the same tailgate. Oh, those were the days.
The first 12-team tournament is progressing nicely. The quarterfinals are now in the books, and only four teams remain. We are getting closer to crowning the 2025 National Champion. I am super excited for the semis. Let’s take a quick look at how we got to this point.
Notre Dame picked up a win over Indiana 27-17. Penn State dominated SMU 38-10. Texas came back to win against Clemson 38-24. Ohio State cruised past Tennessee 42-17. These four blue bloods were victorious in their games this past week. They continued to roll. The top four seeds were bounced. The automatic byes didn’t help.
Penn State kicked things off with a 31-14 win over Boise State. The Nittany Lions got off to a quick start and held off the Broncos’ charge. Our defense was outstanding against the nation’s top rusher, Ashton Jeanty. He tallied over 100, but he had to work for every yard. PSU’s two-headed running attack was stupendous. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen were dogs. I was very impressed with Boise’s young coach. Spencer Danielson was great with his answers. He was so humble. A breath of fresh air.
Texas and Arizona State provided some fireworks. Man. It was an unbelievable game. Texas prevailed 39-31 in double OT. The Sun Devils trailed by 16 in the 4th. They found a way. Texas missed a few field goals and had to go to some extra frames. Arizona State’s Cameron Skattebo was outstanding. He was all over the field. The stud running back finished with 141 yards and 2 TDs on the ground. He had 7 grabs for 86 receiving yards. Skattebo also threw a 42-yard TD pass and converted a crucial 2-point conversion to force OT. It was incredible.
Ohio State dominated Oregon. They crushed the Ducks in a blowout. The Buckeyes were unstoppable and came home with a 41-21 win. Oregon was the heavy favorite to win it all. No dice for the top-ranked squad. Ohio State’s D gave Oregon all kinds of troubles. They tallied 8 sacks and held the Ducks to -23 yards rushing. Cody Simon led the Buckeyes with 12 tackles, 2 sacks, and 3 tackles for loss. He was named the Rose Bowl Defensive MVP.
The final game of the quarterfinals- the Sugar Bowl showdown between Georgia and Notre Dame- was postponed to Thursday after a terrorist attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans in the early hours of Jan. 1. Much more on than that later. My thoughts and heart go out to those. Notre Dame beat Georgia 23-10 in the afternoon matinee. This one wasn’t as entertaining as some of the other games.
Props to the Irish. They will be PSU’s next foe. They are heading to Miami. I won’t go. Penn State and Notre Dame lace them up Thursday. Texas and Ohio State will play in the other semifinal Friday. Great stuff. I will be tuning in. Hopefully, the Nittany Lions will continue to roar. Cheers.
