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Not a single team that won its conference championship game advanced to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff as teams seed Nos. 5-8 each kept their postseason runs alive after failing to earn first-round byes. Theories will abound about how Texas, Ohio State, Penn State and Notre Dame benefitted from hosting first-round games while their quarterfinal opponents sat at home for another week without playing.
But each situation must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Texas was nearly a two-touchdown favorite in its win over Arizona State, and Penn State was playing a Group of Five opponent in Boise State. As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes simply seem to have caught fire at the right time.
While you could certainly argue that Georgia looked rusty in its 23-14 loss to Notre Dame, that excuse rings hollow for the Bulldogs, who had similarly sloppy moments at times during the regular season. In the end, the quarterfinal round left us with two Big Ten teams, one SEC representative and independent Notre Dame.
Before we turn our attention to the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl, here are the grades for each CFP quarterfinal participant.
Ohio State
Result: 41-21 win over (1) Oregon
Ohio State looked like one of the best college football teams of the 21st century during the first half of its 41-21 Rose Bowl evisceration of Oregon. The Buckeyes jumped out to a 34-0 lead while dominating all facets of the game on their way to avenging a regular-season loss to the Ducks. Will Howard was spectacular throwing the football…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-playoff-grades-ohio-state-earns-a-georgia-gets-c-in-quarterfinals-report-card/
Author : David Cobb
Publish date : 2025-01-03 15:55:00
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