Dennis Dodd shares thoughts on Mike Elko's first year, playoff matchups

On Friday, CBS Sports national college football writer Dennis Dodd joined TexAgs Live to discuss some of the most popular storylines in college football. Dodd offers his opinion on the future of bowl games, the second round of the College Football Playoff and more.

Key notes from Dennis Dodd interview

• For A&M, if you have a quarterback, you have the pound of gold. Marcel Reed is something to build on.
   
• It's the fact you have a guy who is "proven" in Reed. I love his athleticism. You see very few teams who are good who don't have a plus one, as in a plus one at quarterback who creates things for himself. Reed is a refined thrower. That can be worked on. In those bigger games, he looked Lamar Jackson-like. That is the upside you build on.
   
• I think Mike Elko's first season was good. Despite the results with Texas and South Carolina, I think it is something to build on. It wasn't a home run. It was tough. In between, they showed signs. After one year, you have to give them a chance. I think Elko is a hell of a coach. Anyone who can get Riley Leonard to where he is and win nine games at Duke is a good coach. There has been progress in the first year.
   
• I think that Kansas State and Rutgers was a great bowl game. There is a lot to take from them. They are trying to reimagine things in the bowl game to make these more attractive. Whether that is taking the payouts and giving them to the players or what you saw, Deion Sanders do with insurance for his players. There will be ways to make these games more attractive. If they don't, they will fall by the wayside.
   
• When Steve Sarkisian was presented with this question about the future of college football, he said, “It's like dinosaurs. You either adapt or die." The transfer portal isn't going away. Even if the NCAA gets help, the players will still be able to transfer in a year or two. Diego Pavia will get another year of eligibility because his lawyer argued why his junior college years count. I think you will now have seven years to play — two in junior college and five in Division I. This is college sports right now.
   
• Last year, I wrote a story and quoted committee members who didn't put Florida State in at 13-0 because they didn't believe they could win the national championship. None of that is in the protocol. When did SMU, at 11-1 in the ACC in a Power 4 conference, become Conference USA? They deserved to be in.
   
• Texas is bigger and faster than Arizona State. Unless they turn it over, I don't see it. This is a bad matchup for Arizona State. Texas is peaking right now. I don't know if Quinn Ewers is the guy to win a national championship. I want to see Arch Manning. At some point, they will need him. Quinn Ewers doesn't have the "it" to me. Texas will handle Arizona State.
   
• I am picking Ohio State over Oregon. They have the No. 1. or No. 2 defense. If Will Howard does not turn it over and uses his legs... They have one of the best receiver and running back rooms in the country. I have them beating Notre Dame in the championship game.
   
• Notre Dame is a great matchup for Georgia. They are asking a backup quarterback to make plays. Notre Dame has settled in with Leonard. Ohio State is my team right now.
   
• It's a good matchup between Penn State because you have to do one thing: Stop Ashton Jeanty from going nuts. When teams have concentrated on him, Maddux Madsen has shown an ability to bail them out downfield. I think that is different against Penn State.
   
• Nobody is talking about Notre Dame. What they did to Indiana, while not unexpected, but it was the way they did it. This Jeremiyah Love kid... If Riley isn't made to be a passer, then the defense can carry him a long way.