The College Football Playoff semifinals should be a lot of fun.
The seeds will be weeded out, and the good teams will have chances to play better than their rankings. Then, on January 9th and 10th, in the Capital One Orange Bowl and the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, we will have some huge games to see who wins the national title.
Here are the picks and predictions that were made on the spot, without any research, before all the fun starts.
College Football Playoff Semifinal Capital One Orange Bowl
3 Boise State, 6 Penn State, or 11 SMU vs 2 Georgia, 7 Notre Dame, 10 Indiana
Thursday, January 9, 2025
7:30, ESPN
Early Call: 2 Georgia vs 6 Penn State
No Research, Just a Quick Look: Georgia got the better of the two teams, while Penn State worked its way through the field. It is not Penn State, it is Boise State, and if it is not Boise State, it is SMU. You will be shocked if it is not the Georgia Invitational or Notre Dame, if it beats the Bulldogs.
It will not matter that Carson Beck is still not going to be around. The Bulldog defense will step up and shut down Penn State’s offense. In the second half, the ground game will be just enough to get them to the national championship for the third time in four years.
First Thought Bowl Prediction
Georgia 27, Penn State 20
College Football Playoff Semifinal Goodyear Cotton Bowl
4 Arizona State, 5 Texas, 12 Clemson vs 1 Oregon, 8 Ohio State, 9 Tennessee
Friday, January 10, 2025
7:30, ESPN
Early Call: 5 Texas vs 8 Ohio State
As soon as the game starts, Texas’ speed beats Ohio State, but then things settle down.
Quinn Ewers, a former Ohio State Buckeye, will be very good on the first two drives, but the Buckeye defense will get tougher and let them score two field goals.
Ohio State’s offense can not do anything because Will Howard is not running early on, and the running game does not get going. That will change with a drive near the end of the first half. In the second half, the offense will really heat up.
Defense will be a lot tougher than anyone wants, but Ohio State will get the big pass play they need to win and go to the national championship.
First Thought Bowl Prediction
Ohio State 23, Texas 16
