The first round of the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff was a bit underwhelming, as every favorite won by double digits at home. Now, the stage is set for neutral-site bowl games with a trip to the semifinals on the line. We’ll break down every game and predict who we think advances to the final four. Check out the fresh odds for these Quarterfinals.
Tuesday, Dec. 31 - Fiesta Bowl
(6) Penn State (-11, T-52) vs. (3) Boise State
Penn State dismantled SMU quite easily and was overmatched at Happy Valley. Drew Allar didn’t play his best, but he didn’t need to, as the defense did more than enough to get the job done. Three sacks, three interceptions, and holding the Mustangs to just 253 total yards. The Nittany Lions now take on Boise State and Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty. The Broncos took Oregon to the wire earlier in the year, so they won’t back down despite being 11-point underdogs. For any chance of an upset, Jeanty needs to be at his best against the No. 7 run stop unit that allowed just 100.2 YPG during the regular season. Penn State wins, but Boise State keeps it closer than the spread indicates.
THE PICK: Boise State +11
Wednesday, Jan. 1 - Peach Bowl
Texas (-14, T-52) vs. Arizona State
Texas and Clemson had the most entertaining game in the opening round, with the Longhorns covering the 13.5-point spread by a late goal-line stand. Now, Texas faces an underdog side that no one expected to be here. Many experts predicted Arizona State to finish dead last in the conference, yet the Sun Devils went on to win the Big 12 and put up 45 points in the championship game. While the Longhorns are dominant, ASU isn’t afraid of the big stage, especially with RB Cam Skattebo, who has three straight games with at least 147 rushing yards and 9 total touchdowns. Texas is the betting favorite to win the national title but could be in for a dogfight. Two touchdowns seem like too many points.
THE PICK: Arizona State +14
Wednesday, Jan. 1 - Rose Bowl
Ohio State (-2.5, T-55) vs. Oregon
Many experts wrote off the Buckeyes after their upset loss to Michigan, but now they find themselves in a rematch against Oregon, the other team that handed them a loss this season. Ohio State looked determined against Tennessee, jumping out to a 21-0 lead in the first and never looking back. When these teams met in October, the Ducks squeaked out a one-point victory in a game OSU had a chance to win late. This game should be another tight one that could come down to the final possession again. These teams easily could have met in the national championship game, but the draw prevents that from happening. Likely the best game of the quarterfinals, and it can really go either way. Oregon was undefeated this season and beat OSU. Let’s take the points.
THE PICK: Oregon +2.5
Wednesday, Jan. 1 - Sugar Bowl
Georgia (-1.5, T-44) vs. Notre Dame
Notre Dame crushed Indiana, but the scoreline doesn’t indicate that. The Hoosiers scored 14 points in the final 87 seconds of the game to make it look respectable, but the Fighting Irish dominated from start to finish. Don’t sleep on Notre Dame; many pundits feel they are a top-4 team in the country, and they’ll get a chance to prove it against one of the best programs in college football. Expect both teams to commit to the run game and grind it out in a low-scoring game. It really is a coin toss on who wins, but we’re betting the total here.
THE PICK: Under 44