College Football Playoff Round 1: Insider reports for Indiana vs Notre Dame and SMU vs Penn State game

The much-anticipated and often-highly debated 12-team College Football Playoff kicks off this weekend with Round 1.

Four games will be played over the course of a two-day period, with the winner of each contest moving on to face teams that received a Week 1 bye. Here’s a breakdown of the games, the players in those games and a prediction.

Indiana vs. Notre Dame

It’s an intrastate rivalry in the making as the Hoosiers defied all the odds to win 11 games this season. And after a terrible home loss to Northern Illinois in Week 2, the Irish righted the ship and also finished the season with 11 wins.

Neither team has any high-quality win to brag about. After beating Texas A&M in Week 1, Notre Dame played just three top-25 teams and never faced an opponent in the top 10.

Indiana faced just one ranked team late in the year, then-No. 2 Ohio State, and were crushed, 38-15. And despite losing by 23 points, Indiana was in the game until two special-teams blunders late in the first half.

The Hoosiers have a roster deficient of talent compared to the rest of the playoff field, yet they are quite possibly the best-coached team in the nation.

As highlighted last month in an article, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti is highly considered by athletic administrators around the nation and could write his ticket just about anywhere despite signing a lucrative extension with Indiana just a few weeks ago.

Consider this: from an NFL prospect point of view, the Indiana depth chart has just two players with draftable grades from league scouts, and both are Day 3 prospects.

Notre Dame could’ve mailed it in after the devastating loss to Northern Illinois early in the season, yet it used the game as a springboard to get better.

The Irish crushed Purdue and Miami-Ohio in the weeks after the loss then won a close contest over Louisville in late September when the Cardinals were ranked 15th in the nation. Things came easy for Notre Dame after that.

So how’s it going to shake out?

Indiana vs. Notre Dame predictions

The ability of the Indiana offensive line to slow down the Notre Dame defensive front seven for the entire game, which has been a problem at times, and give quarterback Kurtis Rourke time to spin his magic, will be key.

Rourke, who transferred from Ohio, has been magnificent this season. His ability to lead the offense, protect the football and elevate his game this year has been impressive.

Rourke best keep a close eye on Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts, who intercepted five passes this season and broke up 9 more.

Conversely, the Irish offensive line, which lost a lot of talented blockers to the NFL and transfer portal before the season, will have to slow down a fierce and determined IU defensive line.

Mikail Kamara, who followed coach Cignetti to Indiana from James Madison, has 10 sacks and 15 TFLs this season and plays with a nonstop motor.

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard has watched his game take off the past six weeks, and he’s playing outstanding football.

NFL scouts have been impressed the way Leonard bounced back from early-season adversity.

Despite Indiana being the better-coached team, the differential in talent is stark and concerning. And while the Hoosiers will be the sentimental favorites to win the game, Notre Dame should prevail in the end.

Final: Notre Dame 32 - Indiana 21

SMU vs. Penn State

It’s a battle of two-loss teams, both of whom ended up on the short end of the stick in their conference titles games, in the second game of the College Football Playoff.

SMU was one of several newcomers to the ACC after conference realignment, and along with Indiana, they were the biggest surprise in college football this season.

After losing just one game during the regular season, a three-point loss to BYU, they entered as favorites over Clemson in the ACC title game only to sustain another three-point loss, this one in overtime.

The contest was a wild affair, as SMU bounced back from a 24-7 deficit, scoring 17 unanswered points in the final quarter to tie it up.

They lost the game on a 56-yard field goal. Except for their seven-point win over Louisville, the Mustangs handled everyone else on their schedule with ease.

The Nittany Lions ran the table the first two months of the season, coming away with an overtime victory against USC in Los Angeles, a game many thought they deserved to lose.

The first blemish on their record came at the hands of nemesis Ohio State, which left State College with a seven-point victory over Penn State.

They did their best to stay close with Oregon in the Big Ten title game, yet they had no answer for the Ducks offense. In the end, they lost to the best team in the nation by eight points.

SMU vs. Penn State predictions

SMU is incredibly well-coached, and their offense is led by sophomore Kevin Jennings, an RPO quarterback adept at beating opponents with his arm and legs. The ability to make plays in or out of the pocket should give the talented Penn State defense problems.

Nittany Lions pass rusher Abdul Carter, a junior who will enter the draft and end up a top-eight pick, will have to be on his game to stop Jennings.

The SMU quarterback will also have to stay away from mistakes and errant passes, something he struggled with at times this season, as Jennings tossed 22 TDs and eight INTs.

On the other side, Drew Allar, the talented Penn State signal caller who is also expected to enter the draft, will have to be consistent against an opportunistic Mustangs defense that picked off 15 passes this season.

At the top of his game, Allar can compete with any quarterback in the nation, yet his streaky play is reason for concern. SMU must also game plan against Tyler Warren, Penn State’s do-it-all tight end, who happens to be the favorite target of Allar.

Warren’s 88 receptions not only lead all Penn State pass catchers, but it more than doubles the number of Harrison Wallace III, next on the list with 39 catches.

It’ll be up to underrated SMU safety Isaiah Nwokobia, a possible Day 2 draft pick, to shut down the Allar-to-Warren connection.