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The College Football Playoff quarterfinals got started on New Year's Eve as the Boise State football team took on Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl. The Broncos were one of the four highest-ranked power conference champions, so they earned a bye into the quarterfinals. Penn State ended up getting the six seed after losing to Oregon in the Big Ten title game, so the Nittany Lions were coming in with a playoff win already after beating SMU at home. The first round didn't provide a lot of entertainment, but this game was closer than the score indicated. Penn State got the win 31-14.
Boise State played a good game for the most part in this one, but the first quarter was a struggle. Perhaps it was because of all the time off, but the Broncos just didn't look ready to go out of the gates, and Penn State was able to take advantage.
The first quarter was dominated by Penn State as they were clicking in every aspect of the game. The Boise State football team had a solid first drive, but it ended with a missed field goal. The Nittany Lions were able to score first as Drew Allar found Tyler Warren for a touchdown, and then they made it 14-0 later in the quarter with a deep ball from Allar to Omari Evans.
Boise State was able to settle in during the second quarter and they started to play much better. The Broncos got on the board with a touchdown to make it 14-7, and they were close to getting into the locker room in a one-score game. Unfortunately, the Nittany Lions were able to drive down the field for a field goal as time expired. Penn State led 17-7 at the break.
The Broncos certainly made things interesting in the second half as they were able to cut the deficit to three after a long touchdown pass to Matt Lauter. Boise State was right there in it, but another touchdown from Tyler Warren extended to lead to two scores once again. It was 24-14 heading into the fourth quarter.
Boise State had their chances in this one, but they failed to take advantage of opportunities in big moments. In the fourth quarter, the Broncos once again had a good chance to put some pressure on the Nittany Lions as a field goal would've made it a one score game again, but they missed it, and the Nittany Lions remained in complete control. Nick Singleton busted off a long touchdown run right after that, and the game was over.
At the end of the day, Boise State did a good job of settling into this game and it was clear that they could compete with Penn State. The thing that is most to blame for the loss might just be the bye that they received in the first round.
Did the first round bye hurt Boise State?
The Boise State football team certainly looked a bit sluggish out of the gate on Tuesday in the Fiesta Bowl, and Penn State quickly took advantage to go up by two touchdowns. Even after the Broncos settled in, they still looked rusty in a lot of areas. It makes sense. The Broncos didn't play for almost a month, and Penn State played a game less than two weeks ago.
This isn't something that we saw from just Boise State. So far, every team that had a bye has come out looking a bit sluggish. Oregon was down 14-0 after the first quarter as well. Arizona State was down 14-3. In the following three quarters, the Ducks were outscored 27-21 and the Sun Devils outscored Texas 21-10. Is the bye hurting teams?
A lot of people have issues with this College Football Playoff format, but it seems like the bye is something that is here to stay. This is the first year that it is a thing, and it will be interesting to see how teams adjust to it in the future.
College Football Playoff update
The College Football Playoff semifinals are almost set, but there is still one more game to be played as the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal between Notre Dame and Georgia was pushed to Thursday evening following the tragic events in New Orleans early Wednesday morning. One spot in the semis remains up for grabs.
Boise State and Penn State got the quarterfinals started on Tuesday as we already discussed this matchup. The Nittany Lions are moving on and they will play the winner of Notre Dame-Georgia in the CFP semifinal at the Orange Bowl.
Texas and Arizona State got things going on New Year's Day, and that ended up being by far the most entraining game of the playoff so far. It looked like it was going to be a boring one early on as the Longhorns were up 14-3 before anyone could even blink, and they had a big lead for most of the game.
The Sun Devils couldn't get anything going offensively in this one, so when they trailed 24-8 with under seven minutes to go, it looked over. However, running back Cam Skattebo led an incredible comeback, and the game ended up going into OT. Arizona State was a fourth and 13 stop away from winning, but the Longhorns got it done. They are moving on to the semis and they will play in the Cotton Bowl.
Texas will be taking on Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl as the Buckeyes rolled over Oregon in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday. The Buckeyes have been the most impressive team in the playoff, and they looked like the clear favorite to win it all against the Ducks.
Ohio State jumped on Oregon early and often on Wednesday, and the game was never close. The Ducks had no answer, and the Buckeyes ended up winning the game 41-21.
Now, the semifinals are almost set, and regardless of who wins between Georgia and Notre Dame, we should have two exciting semifinal matchups.
