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: No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 7 Notre Dame

DATE: Jan. 9, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Penn State secured its spot in the semifinals by containing Ashton Jeanty and Boise State, and will get ready to take on Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. The Fighting Irish held on to defeat Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday to set up the matchup – the first between the two teams 2007.

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.