College Football Playoff picks, schedule: Predictions against the spread, odds for Orange, Cotton Bowl games

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The first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff is down to just four schools, and only three games remain before a national champion is crowned. Though the season is winding down, there is plenty of drama left to unfold, starting with the Orange Bowl on Thursday and the Cotton Bowl on Friday serving as the semifinal games. 

The Orange Bowl pits (7) Notre Dame against (6) Penn State in a battle of historic powers seeking to snap national title droughts that date back to the 1980s. Both the Fighting Irish and Nittany Lions are run-first teams that rely heavily on stingy defenses, which should make for an evenly matched battle. The all-time series is tied at 9-9-1, but the schools last met in 2007 and haven’t played in the postseason since a 20-9 Notre Dame victory in the 1976 Sun Bowl.

Then, on Friday comes a Cotton Bowl showdown between (5) Texas and (8) Ohio State. It’s a battle between arguably the two most valuable collegiate athletic brands in the country. While the Longhorns will be playing in their home state, they’ll be forced to reckon with a resurgent Ohio State team that has steamrolled Tennessee and Oregon amid a head-turning CFP run.

CBS Sports experts have filed their picks for the semifinal round of the College Football Playoff, so let’s have a look at what to expect. 

All times Eastern

Orange Bowl: (7) Notre Dame vs. (6) Penn State

7:30 p.m. (Thursday) | ESPN, fubo (Try for free) — It seems like, at some point, all of the injuries will catch…

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Author : David Cobb

Publish date : 2025-01-08 20:46:00

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