The first two games of the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff haven't been particularly competitive. Notre Dame jumped all over Indiana on Friday night, which scored two late touchdowns to make the score a respectable-looking 27–17. That final does not do justice to just how dominant the Fighting Irish were. Nothing went right for SMU early on, as Penn State took advantage of three Kevin Jennings interceptions to jump out to a 28–0 first-half lead en route to a 38–10 win.
Indiana and SMU each made the College Football Playoff field with impressive records against relatively light schedule. Despite Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti's pregame assertion, the Hoosiers did not beat a team ranked in the CFP or AP Top 25 during the season. SMU avoided the ACC's other top teams—Clemson, Miami and Syracuse—before falling to the Tigers in a tight ACC championship game.
