College Football Playoff Bracket: Updated matchups, results, schedule

The first round of the College Football Playoff is done and dusted and the quarterfinal round isn’t far behind. After a game on Tuesday night, we already have an idea how the bracket is shaping up moving into the semifinals.

Penn State punched its ticket to the final four by beating Boise State on New Year’s Eve in pretty convincing fashion.

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Then New Year’s Day provided some early fireworks as Texas and Arizona State squared off and went to a thrilling double overtime.

Let’s take a look at the remaining College Football Playoff bracket below.

Quarterfinals

Fiesta Bowl: Penn State 31 – 14 Boise State

The Fiesta Bowl wasn’t all that competitive, with Penn State jumping out to an early lead and mostly cruising, despite not being as sharp as possible. The game dragged on a bit, but Boise State simply didn’t have the firepower to keep up. The Nittany Lions really won the game with their defensive front against the Broncos’ offensive line. That said, an injury to star pass-rusher Abdul Carter remains a concern heading into the rest of the College Football Playoff.

Peach Bowl: Texas 39 – 31 Arizona State (2OT)

What can you say about Texas’ win over Arizona State on Wednesday afternoon? It was so close to being a disaster for Texas, with a pair of missed field goals and a 16-0 run for the Sun Devils leveling things up and sending it to overtime. But Texas didn’t blink and answered the call in overtime very well, getting hot offensively and then picking off Sam Leavitt to seal the win. Now some rest before what figures to be a very difficult Cotton Bowl matchup with either Oregon or Ohio State.

Rose Bowl: Ohio State 41 – 21 Oregon

Ohio State wasted little time announcing its presence in a rematch of the regular season meeting between the two programs, jumping all over Oregon. By the time the Ducks could look up, they were trailing 34-0. Credit Oregon for not quitting, keeping Ohio State on its toes for much of the second half after cutting into the lead. Still, the game was never really in question and now Ohio State has secured a semifinal matchup against Texas in the Cotton Bowl.

Sugar Bowl: Notre Dame 23 – 10 Georgia

Due to the unfortunate tragedy and terrorist attack in New Orleans on New Years, the Sugar Bowl was postponed until Thursday afternoon. Both defenses were on full display, but Notre Dame managed to get the job done. The Fighting Irish used two turnovers and a 98-yard kickoff return to seal the 23-10 victory over Georgia to advance to the Orange Bowl against Penn State.

Semifinals

Orange Bowl: Notre Dame 27, Penn State 24

After a low-scoring first half, both Penn State and Notre Dame broke out in the second half of the Orange Bowl after the Fighting Irish came out of the break strong. The two teams went back-and-forth in the fourth quarter, and it came down to the final seconds. That’s when Mitch Jeter kicked the go-ahead field goal to seal Notre Dame’s 27-24 victory and secure a spot in the national championship.

Cotton Bowl: No. 5 Texas vs. No. 8 Ohio State

DATE: Jan. 10, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Courtesy of its double-overtime win on Wednesday, Texas secured a spot in the semifinal round of the College Football Playoff and will take on Ohio State, which won its matchup in the quarterfinal round much more handily. The Longhorns will have the luxury of playing close to home, which will be something to monitor in terms of crowd split.

National Championship

No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 5 Texas/No. 8 Ohio State

DATE: Jan. 20, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Notre Dame is in the national championship for the first time since 2013 after the Fighting Irish defeated Penn State in the Orange Bowl. It took a second-half comeback after a rough showing in the first two quarters, but Marcus Freeman’s group is heading to Atlanta. Notre Dame is now awaiting its opponent as Texas and Ohio State square off in the Cotton Bowl on Friday.