College Football Playoff picks, schedule: Predictions against the spread, odds for quarterfinal bowl games
The College Football Playoff field has been whittled down to eight teams as we continue moving through the first-ever 12-team bracket. Across New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, those teams remaining will do battle at traditional New Year's Six bowl sites for the right to move on to the semifinals as we inch closer toward crowning a national champion for the 2024 season. The first-round games left plenty to be desired in the form of excitement, but the hope is the quarterfinals will deliver.
The three-game slate on Wednesday kicks off with 5-seed Texas battling 4-seed Arizona State in the Peach Bowl before we move to a monumental rematch in the Rose Bowl featuring 8-seed Ohio State clashes with 1-seed Oregon. Finally, the quarterfinal action wraps up with 7-seed Notre Dame battling 2-seed Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
The action started Tuesday when 6-seed Penn State ran away from 3-seed Boise State to secure a Fiesta Bowl victory and semifinal berth.
CBS Sports experts have filed their picks for the quarterfinal round of the College Football Playoff, so let's have a look at what to expect this weekend.
All times Eastern
1 p.m. | ESPN, fubo (Try for free) -- Arizona State's ability to win at the margins has been a key to their success this season, and I think it will be the path to keeping things close against a Texas team that has a tendency to leave points on the table in the red zone. Thanks to key playmaking from Cam Skattebo and timely stops from a defense that has put together a good stat profile against the pass, the Sun Devils should be able to keep the game tight. Pick: Arizona State +13.5 -- Chip Patterson
5 p.m. | ESPN, fubo (Try for free) -- The style of play in the first meeting wasn't a fluke. In fact, it could be argued both offenses left a few points on the board. We've seen a lot of high-scoring games in recent years when elite teams meet. Given all the stars on the offensive side of the ball for both teams, it makes sense. The Granddaddy of Them All promises to be another high-scoring affair. Pick: Over 55 -- Tom Fornelli
4 p.m. (Thursday) | ESPN, fubo (Try for free) -- Georgia is the slight favorite, according to the SportsLine consensus, which gives me pause. The Bulldogs enter the playoff 1-9 against the spread as the favorite this season. There's no doubt Georgia played a more difficult schedule than Notre Dame, and the grind was noticeable with two overtime wins to end the season, but one does wonder if the Bulldogs are allowing opponents to better dictate the tempo of those games, resulting in closer-than-expected results. Gunner Stockton appears to be a gamer at quarterback, even if he's not the most talented passer, but that plays into Notre Dame's hands with one of the nation's best pass defenses. Everything points to a Notre Dame win, even with Kirby Smart's knack in preparing his teams for playoff runs. Pick: Notre Dame +1.5 -- Brandon Marcello
7:30 p.m. (Tuesday) | ESPN, fubo (Try for free) -- Penn State was able to take advantage of miscues from SMU in the first round, but the Broncos rarely make mistakes. In fact, Boise State is tied for No. 2 nationally in turnovers lost with only four fumbles and four interceptions. Even the steady Nittany Lions had 13 turnovers. Ultimately, it means the game will stay closer than expected for four quarters. Pick: Boise State +11 -- Shehan Jeyarajah
Oregon puts it all together in rivalry rout of Oregon State
CORVALLIS, Ore. -- After a week during which Oregon State helped revive the Pac-12 from the ashes of conference realignment, the energy at Reser Stadium on Saturday in the 128th installment of the Oregon-Oregon State rivalry -- the first since the Ducks bolted for the Big Ten -- was high.
But over the course of 60 minutes, the Ducks deflated the orange-tinted stands to the point of emptying them with a 49-14 win that more accurately corresponded with the high expectations they had coming into the season.
"I love the fact that we got to go in a hostile environment and perform this way, but that's our standard, that's our expectation," Oregon coach Dan Lanning said.
Despite beating Idaho and Boise State, nothing about the Ducks' first two wins felt dominant or representative of the talent they have on both sides of the ball. Even though Lanning continued to reiterate they didn't care what the outside noise said about them, everyone wearing green and gold knew something was off.
"The first two games, obviously we didn't play to our standard, whether it's getting our feet wet, new team, whatever you want to call it," linebacker Bryce Boettcher said. "But I told the guys, I'm a firm believer in the rule of threes and this third game, this is the game where we're going to take off. I think everyone bought into that and showed out on the field today."
While Oregon kept preaching a combination of patience and trust over the last two weeks, quarterback Dillon Gabriel was keen on his team not panicking despite what was happening and the fact the Ducks dropped from third to ninth in the latest AP Top 25 poll.
"We live in a world where if it doesn't look a certain way, there's opinions, but there's also panic, right?," Gabriel said. "And I just love how everyone in the building has continued to just focus on the process and getting better every single day, and I think that allowed us to just play confident, play and let loose."
Maybe it was the rivalry setting. Maybe it was the adjustments on the offensive line -- Oregon started Iapani Laloulu at center and did not rotate as much as it had in the first two games --or maybe it was simply that Gabriel and the Ducks' offense needed time to jell. Whatever the case, the Ducks -- who had lost their two previous games in Corvallis -- let loose.
"I think we answered some [questions]," edge rusher Teitum Tuioti said. "That's how we expect to play, so I think that's a good thing. This game was good for us."
Gabriel completed his first 15 passes and totaled 291 yards as he had ample time to throw and dissect the Beavers' defense. He was helped by a running game that awoke from its slumber with 240 yards, including four runs of 20 yards or more after having none against Idaho and Boise State.
"We weren't battling negative plays," Lanning said, crediting a different approach in practice this past week. "We were able to have more attention to detail. The focus of execution was probably a little bit different this week, and I think our guys realize it's not just going to happen on accident."
The defense stepped up, too, holding Oregon State (2-1) scoreless in the second half to turn what was a one-possession game at halftime into a 35-point rout that showcased the sheer talent gap between the two programs.
"I think we have more talent right now than they do," Lanning said. "That being said, I know how much that game means to them and how much it means to us, but I'm really focused on our team and what we have to do to continue to get better."
The meaningfulness of this rivalry wasn't lost on those taking a part in it Saturday. Whether it was a player such as Gabriel (who will play in the game only once and recalled a young version of himself watching fellow Hawaiian Marcus Mariota take part in it), or Tuioti (whose dad Troy has been part of it since 2021 as a coach), or Lanning himself, no one seemed to want the changing landscape of college football to eliminate the matchup.
"I'd love to keep this rivalry alive," Lanning said. "Personally, I think it's great for the state of Oregon. I think it's great for both schools. That's not something we want to see go away."
Before the game, Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes spoke at length about being able to bolster the two-team Pac-12 with the announced additions this week of four Mountain West Conference teams. When asked whether maintaining a game with Oregon was a priority for Barnes and OSU, he was emphatic.
"We'd like to try to play Oregon in as many sports as we can," Barnes said. "Why? Because it makes good, common sense."
Though these two teams are scheduled to play next year in Eugene, there are no official plans beyond that in a rivalry that has 128 installments.
"I think any way we can keep rivalry games, I think it's important not only for the fans but the players as well," Gabriel said. "Sometimes it's fun to hear the fans chirp at you."
