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Four Big Ten Teams Earn Berths into College Football Playoff
ROSEMONT, Ill. – Four Big Ten teams have been selected to participate in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff: Indiana, Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State.
The undefeated Ducks were ranked No. 1 by the College Football Playoff selection committee and clinched one of four first-round byes with their 45-37 win over Penn State in the 2024 Discover Big Ten Championship Game. Oregon will face the winner of No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 9 Tennessee on Jan. 1 at 5 p.m. ET at Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif.
Penn State was ranked No. 4 by the committee and will make its first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff when it hosts No. 10 SMU in the first round on Saturday, Dec. 21. Kickoff is slated for noon in Beaver Stadium and the game will air on TNT and Max. The first-round game will be a Penn State White Out. The winner of Penn State-SMU will take on Boise State in the quarterfinal game at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl.
The Buckeyes earned a No. 6 ranking and will host No. 9 seed Tennessee in a first-round game at Ohio Stadium. The game will kick off at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21 and will be televised by ABC and ESPN. A win would lead to an Ohio State-Oregon rematch at the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.
Indiana was tabbed No. 10 and will travel to South Bend to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in first-round action on Friday, December 20 at 8 p.m. ET. The game will air on ABC and ESPN. The meeting with Notre Dame (11-1) will be the 29th all-time meeting and first since 1991 when the two teams met in South Bend. A victory would send the Hoosiers to the Sugar Bowl against No. 2 Georgia on Jan. 1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The full Big Ten bowl lineup will be announced on Sunday evening.