SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Jeremiyah Love tied the Notre Dame record with a 98-yard touchdown run, Riley Leonard added two more scores and the Fighting Irish shut down the highest-scoring team in the College Football Playoff, overwhelming Indiana 27-17 on Friday night. The seventh-seeded Fighting Irish (12-1) won their 11th straight — and their first playoff victory. They’ll face second-seeded Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1. Tenth-seeded Indiana (11-2) completed a magical season by finishing with its second fewest points this season on a cold, brisk night in the first CFP game ever played on a campus site. Both of the Hoosiers’ losses came to top-five opponents. Indiana hasn’t won at Notre Dame since 1898.
UNDATED (AP) — Penn State and SMU head into the College Football Playoff with the weight of history on their shoulders. This is the Nittany Lions’ best shot at making a run at a national title since the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal tarnished the program 13 years ago. SMU is still perhaps best known for being given the death penalty by the NCAA in the 1980s for illegally paying players. Former Nittany Lions give coach James Franklin credit for bringing the program back to prominence. Mustangs coach Rhett Lashlee says the work to restore SMU’s reputation began long before he arrived in 2022.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — No. 13 Clemson got into the College Football Playoff on a thunderous kick in the final seconds of the ACC championsip. No. 4 Texas limped in after a great regular season was deflated by a frustrating overtime loss to Georgia in the SEC title game. Now these two heavyweights meet for the first time with even higher stakes: Their first round showdown in the newly expanded College Football Playoff on Saturday is the first step toward what both hope is a national championship. Clemson (10-3) was all but forgotten after a season-opening humiliation at the hands of Georgia, and now has some swagger and a puncher’s chance of winning the whole thing. Clemson won national titles in 2016 and 2018 but missed the playoff the last four seasons. Texas (11-2) is the only one of last year’s four playoff teams to make it into the expanded field this season. The Longhorns peaked at No. 1 at midseason and their only two losses were to Georgia, the No. 2 seed in the playoff.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — No. 7 Tennessee will play sixth-ranked Ohio State in a first-round College Football Playoff game under the lights in the Horseshoe on Saturday night. Tennessee emerged from the tough SEC to earn this game. The Buckeyes are playing for respect and redemption after an embarrassing loss to Michigan to wrap up the regular season. The best matchup might be in the trenches. Ohio State’s injury-ravaged offensive line will try to contain Vols pass rusher James Pearce Jr. and one of the best defensive lines in the nation. This will be the first December game in the 102-year history of Ohio Stadium.