College Football Playoff odds, games, lines: Ohio State, Notre Dame open as favorites in semifinal bowls

The first College Football Playoff semifinal matchups of the 12-team era are set as 7-seed Notre Dame will face 6-seed Penn State in the Orange Bowl and 8-seed Ohio State will play 5-seed Texas in the Cotton Bowl with berths in the national championship game on the line. 

After a lackluster first round, it was good to see at least a couple of competitive contests in the CFP quarterfinals. Penn State beat 3-seed Boise State 31-14, but the Broncos hung around for over three quarters. Texas eked out a 39-31 win against 4-seed Arizona State after two field goal misses in the final 2 minutes of regulation and two overtime periods. 

Not every quarterfinal game was filled with intrigue, however. Ohio State continued its rampage and decimated top-seeded Oregon 41-21 in the Rose Bowl, avenging a 32-31 regular-season loss to the Ducks in the process. Notre Dame handled business against 2-seed Georgia and gradually built on a lead throughout to walk out of the Sugar Bowl with a 23-10 win, securing its first College Football Playoff semifinal appearance since 2020. 

Below are the opening lines for the 2024-25 College Football Playoff semifinal round, which begins on the evening of Thursday, Jan. 9. Times below Eastern. 

2025 Orange Bowl odds

(7) Notre Dame -1.5 vs. (6) Penn State — Thursday, Jan. 9 (7:30 p.m.): Though Notre Dame has other true rivals in the Big Ten, there’s some history between the Fighting Irish and  Nittany Lions. The two sides have met 19 times since 1926 and played annually from 1981-92. That means a pair of program legends in ex-Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz and former Penn State boss Joe Paterno had the opportunity to meet quite a few times. This upcoming showdown is, without a doubt, the biggest. 

Notre Dame’s run has been…

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Author : Will Backus

Publish date : 2025-01-03 00:47:00

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