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The time has arrived for the first semifinal round of the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff to take center stage. The begins on Thursday as (6) Penn State and (7) Notre Dame will travel to the Orange Bowl, while on Friday, (5) Texas clashes with (8) Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.
Ohio State made the biggest statement in the quarterfinals by beating top-seeded Oregon 41-21 in the Rose Bowl. The Buckeyes avenged a 32-31 regular-season loss to the Ducks in the process, while freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith stamped his spot as arguably the top remaining player in the playoff field with seven catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns against a very good Oregon defense.
Penn State was locked in a battle — for a while, at least — when it took on Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl before pulling away late in a 31-14 win. Texas seemed like it had its Peach Bowl showdown against Arizona State in the bag with a 24-8 lead early in the fourth quarter, but it crumbled down the stretch in regulation. Sun Devils running back Cam Skattebo passed, ran, caught and willed his team to a rally as Arizona State forced overtime with the score knotted at 24-24.
It took Texas two overtimes, and an interception on Arizona State’s last possession, to secure a 39-31 win. Notre Dame eased its way past Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, stamping its first semifinal appearance since 2020 with a 23-10 victory.
Here’s a rundown of scores from the quarterfinal of the College Football Playoff and a look at all of the future matchups. All times Eastern
