College Football Playoff: What's next for Tennessee, Clemson, Indiana, SMU after first-round losses

The first round of the College football There were four losing teams in the Playoff, but each of the four leaves the year on solid ground. It was almost inconceivable that SMU or Indiana could play for a national championship this year. Clemson and Tennessee have also cemented themselves as programs on the rise.

Now the hard part begins. After reaching the College Football Playoff, programs need to capitalize. For some, this means a complete rebuild and renewal of the selection. For others, this experience will take them into the future. In fact, three of the four teams will return their quarterbacks in 2025.

With that in mind, here's what's next for all the first-round losers of the College Football Playoff as they set their sights on the offseason.

Tennessee: Ask the recipient for help

While the Vols were underdogs heading into the matchup with Ohio State, no one expected them to get rolled down worse by the Buckeyes than Northwestern. For all the blame thrown around toward quarterback Nico Iamaleava or the offensive line or the defense, wide receiver was the position group that separated this game.

While Iamaleava's inexperience didn't help, Tennessee only had one player with over 500 yards receiving on the year. There are 249 players nationally with at least 50 goals this season, three of whom played at Tennessee. None ranked higher than 173rd in yards per route.

On the other hand, Ohio State destroyed a talented Tennessee defense with their receivers. Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka combined for 11 catches for 184 yards and two touchdowns in the win, as Ryan Day really only had to call basic crossing patterns to free them. Smith is No. 11 in yards per route. Egbuka is 31st. This is what a title caliber receiving corps looks like.

Benching incumbent starter Preston Stone and handing the keys to Kevin Jennings was a bold move by coach Rhett Lashlee. Stone was the prize recruit, a former top-150 player who led the program to an AAC title in his first year as a starter. But with Jennings, SMU made it all the way to the College Football Playoff.

Needless to say, his performance in a 38-10 loss to Penn State left a lot to be desired. Jennings threw two pick sixes in the first half and had another interception that later turned into a touchdown. He kept fighting, but it was clear Jennings was overwhelmed, both by Penn State's elite defense and the moment in the College Football Playoff. After the game, Lashlee took the blame for the interceptions in an effort to protect his quarterback.

Jennings is one of the most underrated players in the country despite the disappointing performance against Penn State. He racked up 3,200 yards passing, 350 yards rushing and scored 28 total touchdowns, despite not taking full time until the fourth game. If Jennings can learn from this game, these are the kind of performances that shape future stars.

Clemson: Fix the rush defense

The Tigers were perhaps the biggest winners among the losers of the first round of CFP matchups after quarterback Cade Klunbik and a handful of underclassman receivers helped lead a competitive performance. For the first time in years, the offense won't be a big question mark heading into the 2025 season.

But as much as the offense flashed, the defense looked similarly shockingly un-Clemson. The Tigers posted their worst defense in more than a decade, and the unit was at its worst against Texas. Longhorns running backs Jaydon Blue and Quintrevion Wisner each racked up 100 yards and two touchdowns as the Longhorns posted 292 yards on the ground. In fact, the only thing holding back the Texans rushing attack was that Steve Sarkisian forgot to call it.

Excitingly, Clemson has actually entered the transfer portal after landing two players. One in particular, Purdue edge Will Heldt, is tasked with fixing the exact issues that are costing Clemson a shot at the game. With linebacker Barrett Carter and defensive lineman Peter Woods moving to the N.F.LClemson needs to find their new stars.

Indiana: Build on the moment

The Hoosiers were a veteran-led team filled with transfers from Curt Cignetti's previous stop from James Madison. While the eligibility rules are confusing at best, 15 Indiana starters are listed as seniors, including quarterback Kurtis Rourke and defenseman Mikail Kamara. Simply put, a generation of Indiana football is about to disappear from the program. It's time to move on to something new.

Cignetti came to Bloomington with big plans to revamp the program, and things are off to a great start. In addition to the success on the field, Cignetti has secured a long-term extension and made serious investments on the NIL front. Ex-Maryland running back transfer Roman Hemby is off to a strong start to the transfer portal period, but Cignetti will need to get some wins quickly to get the Hoosiers back into the Big Ten conversation.