The home playoff teams should have an electric crowd, but they all have questions. It’s assumed they could easily move on to the quarterfinals, but don’t underestimate the flaws all four teams have. Ohio State’s offense is questionable, Notre Dame’s offense hasn’t been tested against tough competition yet, Penn State’s team is ebb-and-flow as a whole, and Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers hasn’t won a big game in a while. While having a home playoff game is cool (literally and metaphorically), capitalizing on that opportunity is key.

8) OHIO STATE (10-2)

Fans love them and fans hate them (mostly towards coach Ryan Day), but they’re here two seasons later. Honestly, it should be a good thing because this gave the Buckeyes some time to recuperate and hopefully resolve their offensive issues to get back on track.

This is redemption time for Ohio State. They ran through most of their schedule, but some of the Big Ten conference foes tested them. The offense had issues here and there, leaving the defense to do most of the work to keep them in. The offense has weapons to get by, but the quarterback and offensive line will make or break their season. Will Howard is good at times, but also bad at times too. I’m still not sure it was the right move to let Kyle McCord go after Day said he’s not a guaranteed starter. Now they’re on pins and needles with Howard who’s about as average as any. If he steps up at the right moment, those past issues and mistakes will be put behind them.

The last time they made the playoffs; they took Georgia to the very end until they missed a field goal that could’ve won them the game. Ohio State has no shortage of talent and experience to win the whole thing, but it’s up to the offense to go the distance. In spite of the two losses to a Big Ten champion and a former National Champion, they still have a chance.

7) NOTRE DAME (11-1)

Despite suffering a major loss to Northern Illinois, Notre Dame did what they were supposed to do and now have homefield for the first-round playoff game. Their schedule projection was ebb-and-flow. Each week was projected as a cakewalk schedule or a challenging schedule. But as the season wore on, those challenges were put to bed immediately. Quarterback Riley Leonard came into a perfect situation with his ability to lead the offense to the postseason. The Irish has work cut out if they want to be the only non-conference team to come out The National Champion.

They had tough battles against Texas A&M, Northern Illinois (still don’t know how), Louisville, and USC. Other than that, they cakewalked through their schedule. Florida State was supposed to be a wall, but the Seminoles being awful. USC thought they played spoiler. Instead, they eventually got the boot of the Coliseum with no Jeweled Shillelagh Trophy. The Irish look physical, they look mean and could use those to their advantage in the postseason when the physical part of the game really tests the durability of opposing teams.

As long as Notre Dame doesn’t have any hiccups or forgets to put an 11th player on the field when the moment really matters, Notre Dame could see the second round at least. The offense must turn up to championship level football if they want to deal with the likes of Georgia if possible.

6) PENN STATE (11-2)

How can I say this politely? Penn State finally stumbled into the postseason? Does that sound right? I mean, with the number of opportunities they had over the years only to be bullied out by Michigan and Ohio State for the last few seasons, it’s safe to say that maybe they had every right to be there. Heck, they only lost to Ohio State and Oregon in the Big Ten title game while being in close range. That’s fair because they won other games that they were supposed to win.

After the 12-team playoff season started, Penn State’s playoff expectations cooked real quick. They have experience and talent mixed in to run the table. I can name names, but quarterback Drew Allar, duo backs Nic Singleton and Kaytron Allen, all worldly tight end Tyler Warren, safety Jaylen Reed, defensive end Abdul Carter, and linebacker Kobe King are just the few names that stood out for this roster. As for their schedule, they did their job despite losing to Ohio State and Oregon. They had trouble against Bowling Green, Illinois, USC, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. That’s something to keep an eye on in their matchup against SMU. Penn State must win one meaningful game to even have optimism for the future.

Penn State’s questionable. Again, they’re experienced and talented, but they may have stumbled into the playoffs with what assumed to be an easy road to the semifinals at least. However, I said “stumbled” for a reason. If anyone paid attention to their season, they’re shaky against good competition and could’ve lost more than two. All could be silenced if they achieve their postseason goals.

5) TEXAS (11-2)

Texas was one of many opportunities away from joining Army, Oregon, and Arizona State as the first-year conference newcomers to win a conference championship. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen because of Georgia. Just like me in the first three matchups against Georgia on the new College Football 25 game, this will hang over the program’s head until they find a way to score past 20 against them. Otherwise, who’s stopping Texas???

Texas arrived in the SEC already with SEC title expectations. They’re built for it, they’re experienced, and they have little to no reason to not dominate their schedule on their way to Atlanta in December. Quinn Ewers road that expectation quickly before taking a fall for three games. His backup Arch Manning handled the job pretty well, which makes his future more optimistic. The Longhorns had some hiccups in the second half after losing to Georgia the first time, but they survived to reach the postseason. Of all the players on that roster, the one person that must lead the team to a National Championship victory is Quinn Ewers and no one else (not even Arch!!!).

Just as I said, it’s Quinn Ewers or no National Championship. He must come through in the biggest games when the team needs him. He hasn’t done it since his memorable dot throw to Xavier Worthy last year against Alabama. Since then, what did he have to show for? That’s one issue I have with and that’s Ewers not winning a big game. It happened against Oklahoma, against Washington in the 4-Team playoff, and twice against Georgia. If he can’t do it against Clemson, Ewers’ career will end with disappointment in…”The Eyes of Texas…”