The College Football Playoff this year will be great and there will be four games starting on December 31. In the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Texas will face Arizona State. Ohio State and Oregon will play in the Rose Bowl Pres. by Prudential, a rematch of a game this season.
The Fiesta Bowl will be between Penn State and Boise State and the final quarterfinal game will be the Allstate Sugar Bowl between Notre Dame and Georgia. This article will preview each game in the second round of the college football playoff, though an in-depth preview of each will be published.
College Football Playoff: Texas-Arizona State
The University of Texas will face an upstart Arizona State program in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on New Year’s Day. Arizona State is 11-2 and earned a bye by winning the Big 12 title. Texas is 12-2 and won the SEC regular season title. Arizona State has had a great year with RB Cam Skattebo, but their run ends in the Peach Bowl as Texas is the superior team. This fact is represented by the betting line on December 23, which has the University of Texas as a 14-point favorite.
Ohio State-Oregon
Ohio State, 11-1, and Oregon will play in the second round of the College Football Playoff in the Rose Bowl on January 1. Oregon is the undefeated No.1 seed in the CFP and was the Big Ten champion.
This game is a rematch of Oregon’s 32-31 home win against Ohio State. Ohio State looked great in round one against the University of Tennessee. If they play like that, the Buckeyes will win the National Championship. The momentum Ohio State earned in its first-round game win should be enough to get revenge over Oregon in the neutral site of the Rose Bowl. Ohio State is also a 2-point favorite. Oregon is good, but if Ohio State plays that well they will win.
Penn State-Boise State
Penn State takes on Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. Boise State received a bye after winning the Mountain West Conference Championship. Boise State has drawn the ire of some commentators because they are seeded so high. Penn State is 12-2 and Boise State is 11-1. Despite their record and conference championship, the Broncos get no respect. Penn State is a 10.5-point favorite and even though Boise State is the conference champion, Penn State will win but not cover the spread.
Notre Dame-Georgia
Notre Dame looked great in its first College Football Playoff game and University of Georgia starting Quarterback Carson Beck is hurt and will miss the game against Notre Dame. Despite this injury, Georgia is skilled at nearly every position and is likely to win this quarterfinal game. This game may be the most interesting one, except for the Rose Bowl. Georgia is favored as of December 23, but only by two points. This point spread is a reflection of the injury to Beck.
Conclusion
The quarterfinal games of the College Football Playoff will draw a ton of interest. More than a week before they occur they are already being advertised. What we are most likely to see is two interesting games between Ohio State and Oregon in the Rose Bowl, “The Granddaddy of Them All” and between Notre Dame and Georgia because of the injury to Beck. The games between Penn State and Boise State and Texas and Arizona State will both likely be blowouts.
