There were supposed to be three college football playoff games on Wednesday, January 1. However, an attack happened on New Year’s Day in New Orleans. At least fifteen people have been pronounced dead and 30+ are injured. Federal investigators got the situation under control and the game was played at 4:00 p.m. EST on Thursday, January 2.
Yesterday’s matchup was between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Georgia Bulldogs. Coming into the game, all three teams with a bye had lost in the quarter-finals. Georgia lost 23-10 to Notre Dame and all four teams with a bye in the CFP lost. Now, semi-final matchups are set for next week. Notre Dame will face Penn State on Thursday, January 9 in the Orange Bowl. Texas is in the Good Year Cotton Bowl against Ohio State.
What team will be crowned the national champions in 2024?
THE CFP SEMIFINALS ARE SET 😍🏆
Which two teams will meet in the Championship? pic.twitter.com/K9H71j4IM7
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) January 3, 2025
#6 Penn State vs. #7 Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl
The 12-team college football playoff was made for teams like Penn State and Notre Dame. In the past, they were teams finishing in the top 10 but would miss out in the four-team playoff. With the first year of playoff expansion, both teams have made it to the national semi-final. James Franklin and the Nittany Lions have beat SMU and Boise State to get to this point. Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish have beat Indiana and Georgia.
When Penn State and Notre Dame meet next Thursday in the Orange Bowl, it’s going to be a defensive matchup. Both teams are built similarly. They each have strong defensive units and a running back tandem with two dominant players. On Thursday, Notre Dame played in a defensive battle with the Bulldogs. Penn State hasn’t been tested yet in the playoffs and they’ll have their hands full with the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame ran for 150 yards against a tough Georgia defense. However, the Nittany Lions have their rushing attack with Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton. They combined for 221 rushing yards in the quarter-finals vs. Boise State.
#5 Texas vs. #8 Ohio State in the Good Year Cotton Bowl
Quinn Ewers and the Texas Longhorns have their toughest game of the season in the national semi-final. The Ohio State Buckeyes have been on a dominant run since their loss to Michigan. Will Howard and the offense have scored 42 and 41 points in each of their first two college playoff games in 2024. On New Year’s Day, Texas was matched up with Arizona State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Despite a 17-8 lead in the fourth, the Sun Devils fought back and the game went to OT. Texas hung on and won 39-31.
However, the Longhorns cannot feel good about their performance in the quarter-finals. If they play like that, Texas has no chance to beat Ohio State. The Buckeyes are rolling at the perfect time and momentum is on their side. Texas will need to gameplan to stop freshman WR Jeremiah Smith. He could not be stopped in the Rose Bowl vs. Oregon. Smith had seven catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns. On top of that, Ohio State ran the ball for 181 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Can Texas’ defense slow down the Buckeyes’ explosive offense?
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