College Football Playoff grades: Texas earns ‘C+’, Penn State gets ‘B-‘ on semifinals report card

After the first two rounds of the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff delivered a handful of snoozers, the semifinals came through with a pair of bangers. Both Notre Dame’s 27-24 win over Penn State in the Orange Bowl and Ohio State’s 28-14 victory over Texas in the Cotton Bowl were dramatic and tightly contested games that came down to the wire.

This time of year, it’s about surviving and advancing and not necessarily style points. Such was the case for Ohio State, which hit the skids offensively for a sizable chunk of its Cotton Bowl victory over Texas. Ultimately, the Buckeyes didn’t resemble the offensive juggernaut that torched Tennessee and Oregon in the first two rounds, but they played well enough to win.

However, we’re not adjusting our rubric just because the stakes are getting higher. Before we turn our attention to the College Football Playoff National Championship showdown between the Buckeyes and Notre Dame, here are the grades for each CFP semifinal participant.

Ohio State

Result: 28-14 win over (5) Texas

Ohio State began the Cotton Bowl looking like it might produce another A+ performance similar to the ones it enjoyed in wins over Tennessee and Oregon to begin the College Football Playoff. But it turned out Texas had some teeth, and the Buckeyes had to withstand some self-inflicted issues on their way to a tense semifinal win. Penalties were arguably the biggest issue. A personal foul on senior running back TreVeyon Henderson zapped the life from a promising first-quarter drive, and the Buckeyes were…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-playoff-grades-texas-earns-c-penn-state-gets-b-on-semifinals-report-card/

Author : David Cobb

Publish date : 2025-01-11 14:35:00

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