College Football Playoff games, predictions: Ohio State-Oregon rematch in focus, potential Cinderellas arrive

This is when the College Football Playoff gets serious. The quarterfinals feature some of the most powerful brand names in the sport — well, mostly. 

Georgia and Ohio State have accounted for three of the previous 10 national champions to emerge from the College Football Playoff. Oregon played in the first CFP title game and have won three conference titles in the last six years in two leagues. 

Notre Dame, with its eight national championships in tow, is once again in the playoff spotlight after having made two semifinal appearances during the four-team era. 

That’s a subtle warning for Boise State and Arizona State, newcomers to this sort of big time. In case you haven’t noticed, chalk has ruled so far. All four first-round favorites were victorious at their home stadiums. Will form hold in the quarterfinals as the games move to traditional New Year’s Six bowl sites?

Let’s have a look as we dive into some of the biggest storylines around the CFP quarterfinals and make some game predictions as we move closer toward crowning a national champion. 

College Football Playoff quarterfinals storylines

Big brands, big favorites: Both Texas (14.5 points) and Penn State (10.5) are double-digit favorites in the Peach and Fiesta Bowls, respectively. In the 11-year history of the CFP, all nine teams favored by double digits have won. Seven of those winners have covered. If the line stays at double digits, Penn State would be favored by the most points in a bowl game in program history. 

Dawgs dominance: Georgia comes into the quarterfinals having won its last two bowl/playoff games by a combined 118 points. The 60-point win in last year’s Orange Bowl vs. Florida State and 58-point win vs. TCU in the 2023 CFP National Championship Game are the…

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Author : Dennis Dodd

Publish date : 2024-12-29 18:25:00

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