College Football Playoff bracket: Quarterfinals schedule and first round results

Posted by author December 22, 2024 Football

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The College Football Playoff quarterfinal games are finalized after the final three first-round games were decided on Saturday.

The home team won all four opening-round games, after building early leads in the first half of their respective games.

Penn State will meet Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve, after a convincing win over SMU. Notre Dame will play Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day, following the Fighting Irish‘s victory over Indiana. The winner of those two bowl games will meet in the Orange Bowl semifinal game the following week.

Texas is headed to the Peach Bowl to play against running back Cam Skattebo and the Arizona State Sun Devils. Ohio State will travel to the Rose Bowl for a rematch against the top-seeded Oregon Ducks. The Buckeyes (2022) and the Ducks (2020) won their last Rose Bowl Game appearances. The winner of those two games will meet in the Cotton Bowl.

College Football Playoff first round results

FRIDAY, DEC. 20

Game 1: No. 7 Notre Dame def. No. 10 Indiana, 27-17

SATURDAY, DEC. 21

Game 2: No. 6 Penn State def. No. 11 SMU, 38-10
Game 3: No. 5 Texas def. No. 12 Clemson, 38-24
Game 4: No. 8 Ohio State def. No. 9 Tennessee, 42-17

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College Football Playoff quarterfinals schedule

The four quarterfinal games will be played on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day at the site of four bowl games, with one game on Dec. 31 and three on Jan. 1.

All times Eastern

TUESDAY, DEC. 31

Fiesta Bowl: No. 3 Boise State vs. No. 6 Penn State, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 1

Peach Bowl: No. 4 Arizona State vs. No. 5 Texas, 1 p.m. (ESPN)
Rose Bowl: No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 8 Ohio State, 5 p.m. (ESPN)
Sugar Bowl: No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 7 Notre Dame, 8:45 p.m. (ESPN)

When are the College Football Playoff semifinals?

The semifinal games will be played Jan. 9 and Jan. 10 at the site of two bowl games.

THURSDAY, JAN. 9

Orange Bowl: Fiesta Bowl winner vs. Sugar Bowl winner, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)

FRIDAY, JAN. 10

Cotton Bowl: Peach Bowl winner vs. Rose Bowl winner, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)

When is College Football Playoff National Championship?

Date: Monday, Jan. 20
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta
Who?: Orange Bowl winner vs. Cotton Bowl winner, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)

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