The first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff has had its fair share of scrutiny and discontent among many college football fans. However, the first two rounds of play have been nothing short of cinematic. Ohio State’s dominance, Penn State’s stellar play, Texas’ outlasting of Arizona State in a game for the ages, and Notre Dame proving they belong have set us up for a thrilling final two games.

Orange Bowl: No. 7 Notre Dame (13-1) vs No. 6 Penn State (13-2)

History is on the line in this matchup, with the winning team sending the first-ever black head coach to the National Championship.

How did we get here?

Despite being overshadowed in many people’s eyes because they tend to struggle in big games, Penn State has left no doubt as to why they deserved the 6 seed. A massive blowout win in front of their home crowd against SMU (Southern Methodist University) showed their defensive prowess, and the defense just kept rolling into round two, stifling the best running back in all of college football, and completely dominating the hopeful underdogs, Boise State. Penn State will look to carry that defensive dominance into this semifinal matchup, where they will face another run-heavy offense in Notre Dame.

After an embarrassing home loss against Northern Illinois, Notre Dame’s season was cast in a bad light. However, coach Marcus Freeman rallied the troops and cruised to an 11-1 record, with one of the most talented run games in football. Led by their star running back Jeremiyah Love, the Irish have been able to run all over both teams they’ve faced in the playoffs. 

Game Predictions

Overall, I think this game is one of the most balanced matchups of the playoffs talent-wise. Both quarterbacks have shown the ability to sling the football all over the field, and both teams have tremendous running-back duos. Both teams have stifled the run game this playoffs, holding opposing teams to less than 3 yards per rush  The question for me will be which dominant defense will crack first. I love the culture that Marcus Freeman has built at Notre Dame, and I believe he will lead the Irish to a national championship appearance. 

Lucas – Notre Dame

Nathan- Notre Dame

Mykal – Notre Dame 

Sahil – Penn State

Cotton Bowl: No. 8 Ohio State (12-2) vs No. 5 Texas (13-2)

A clash of two college football titans is in order at the infamous Cotton Bowl. This game is sure to feature some high-powered, explosive offenses and two of the best defenses in the nation.

How did we get here?

Texas has had zero problems transitioning from the Big 12 conference to the SEC. Two slip-ups against conference champion Georgia left a bitter taste in their mouths. After losing in the SEC championship game, they’ve put up two offensive explosions in the college football playoffs, dominating Clemson, and escaping with a double-overtime thriller against Arizona State. Despite being the higher-seeded team, they enter Friday’s game as the underdogs against Ohio State.

Ohio State has looked like the best playoff team by far. A crushing loss against a rebuilding Michigan team to end the regular season left the Buckeyes overlooked as championship contenders by many. Coach Ryan Day has fully embraced the underdog mentality, with Ohio State out for blood in the first two rounds of the playoffs. After breezing past Tennessee, they completely dominated the No. 1-seeded Oregon Ducks. This Ohio State team looks dangerous and is a serious threat to win the coveted national championship trophy.

Game Predictions

Given that this game contains two of the more explosive college offenses, a shootout may be in order. Both teams have some looming questions to answer. For Texas, can quarterback Quinn Ewers take care of the football late in the game? And for Ohio State, can the offense keep up with their scorching hot pace from the previous two rounds? Quinn Ewers has made too many crucial mistakes late in games, but has gotten a little bit lucky and still gets the job done. Against a team like Ohio State, however, those mistakes, if present, will come back to haunt the Longhorns. 

Lucas – Ohio State

Nathan – Ohio State

Mykal – Ohio State 

Sahil – Texas