By Patrick Weider
Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame
After Notre Dame lost to Northern Illinois in week 2, many questioned whether Marcus Freeman was the right man for the job. They seem to be happy with him 11 wins later and winning the 1st playoff game in Notre Dame History against Indiana. Notre Dame has not won a major bowl game since 1994 in the Cotton Bowl, this does not technically count as a bowl win, but it is a major win for the program and Freeman. Notre Dame seems like a program that is on the rise under Freeman. Next up can they beat a talented Georgia team in the Sugar Bowl?
James Franklin and Penn State
James Franklin Penn State’s teams are usually good but struggle in big games. Case in point, Franklin is 3-18 against top 10 teams, including losing to Ohio State again this season 20-13 at home. SMU, I don’t know is a great team, but it does count as a top-10 win for Franklin in the 1st playoff game in Penn State’s history. In a dominant win 38-10, Penn State took care of business. Franklin now gets another winnable game against Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl.
Steve Sarkisian and Texas
When Steve Sarkisian was hired at the University of Texas, I had my doubts about whether it would work out. He had struggled as the USC Head Coach before he resigned because of personal issues. Sarkisian has done a good job recruiting top players and using the transfer portal to improve his team.
Before Saturday’s game, Sarkisian had never won a big win for Texas. Last year he lost in the 1st round of the playoffs to Washington and then lost twice to Georgia this year, including in the SEC Championship. Going against an experienced head coach in Dabo Sweeney, Sarkisian’s team took care of business to win the 1st playoff game in Texas History 38-24. Sarkisian now gets to play against the University of Arizona State In the Peach Bowl. They are heavy favorites to win that game too.
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Ryan Day and Ohio State
In losing to Michigan for the fourth time in a row, some people started to doubt whether Ryan Day was the man for a job at Ohio State. Well, his team responded and dominated Tennessee 42-17 to win his Day’s 2nd playoff win. This win probably made Ohio State fans happy for a night, but he probably needs to win the next game to make them more confident in the Day going forward.
This win also meant Day finally beat an SEC team to improve to 1-3 against the conference as a Head Coach. The win also put everyone on notice that this Ohio State team might still be a National championship-caliber team. Up next for Day and the Buckeyes is Oregon, who they lost to by 1 point on the road in Eugene.
