The TV ratings proved views were interested. Each of the four games averaged 10.6 million viewers. That’s more than the four the non-CFP New Year’s bowls after the 2023 season averaged (8.14 million), and also topped the average for this year’s four major conference championship games (10 million).

Four of the eight teams remaining in the College Football Playoff certainly proved they belong after dominating their respective opponents in the first round, and now the race for the 2024 national championship embarks on the quarterfinal round in the coming days.

The beauty of a postseason tournament is that anyone can win -- at least in theory. The College Football Playoff embarks into its first year with an expanded, 12-team format this week following one of the more chaotic regular seasons in recent memory.