The College Football Playoff quarterfinals have come and gone. We are eight games into the expanded 12-team playoff and unfortunately there has only been one truly great game. And before we move onto the semifinals, I ask that you all pull out your NCAA rulebooks, review the penalty that is known as targeting, and determine whether the refs absolutely blew a call in the Peach Bowl…sorry Sun Devils. While most of this CFP has been largely underwhelming, let’s hope that there will be a spark ignited in the semis that provides us with great football. Here is our 2024 College Football Playoff Semifinals preview and predictions.
Orange Bowl: No. 6 Penn State vs No. 7 Notre Dame
Jan. 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame have been on an absolute tear, winning games and proving they belong on this stage, especially after complete domination over Georgia. Yes, Carson Beck was out, but that felt like a game that could have easily slipped away, and it didn’t. While their offense struggled to move the ball against a proven Georgia defense, they still got the win. Penn State was granted the easiest path to this point. They got wins over Indiana and Boise State who I personally had ranked as the two worst teams in this CFP. However, credit is due as they limited Ashton Jeanty and took away Boise State’s superpower.
If the Nittany Lions are to win this game, they will need to do something similar in this spot. Take away the Irish’s running attack and force them into the same situations that Georgia did. It’s unrealistic to think that the Irish can rely on another kickoff return to put points on the board. Penn State has the better defense, and I think it’s a battle of defensive stops in this game. Prediction: Penn State 24 Notre Dame 17
Cotton Bowl: No. 5 Texas vs No. 8 Ohio State
Jan. 10, 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
I think it’s been well established by now that the seeding of this entire CFP should have been much different, so when you see the number 8 next to Ohio State, don’t put too much stock into that. The Buckeyes have fully overcome their meltdown against Michigan in the regular season, and it seems like it has only made them stronger. Not only did they run through an SEC team, which we were told by national pundits was far superior but also took down the number 1 team in the nation and winner of their conference in absolutely dominating fashion. Texas has had an easier path up to this point, getting to face a three-loss Clemson team that snuck in the backdoor and then went all the way to the end with Arizona State. Texas was lucky to escape that game with a win after a second-half collapse and getting bailed out by the officials towards the end of the game.
All of that sets up a great matchup in the Cotton Bowl, but I am leaning heavily on Ohio State. Outside of a 4th-and-13 where Quinn Ewers stepped up with a blitz coming and delivered a touchdown in overtime, I have been largely underwhelmed by him and this UT offense. While their defense was excellent in the first half against ASU, it was awful in the second. Ohio State brings a better offense into this game and should run it up just like they did against Oregon. These might be the two best teams on paper in the semis, but I think the result isn’t all that close. Prediction: Texas 25 Ohio State 35