Bowl game schedule for New Year’s Day

On By Littum

The most important action in a historic college football bowl calendar starts today on New Year’s Day, with the quarterfinal round of the College Football Playoff underway.

A quarterfinal game is already in the books as Big Ten runner-up Penn State pulled away from Group of Five selection Boise State to become the first team in the semifinal round.

That leaves three very important games on the schedule today as the other quarterfinal teams look to sort it out and punch their tickets to the semifinals in a historic national championship.

Here’s what you need to know as the college football bowl calendar kicks off in the New Year.

More … 2024-25 college football bowl schedule

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All times are Eastern, and game lines are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Peach bowl
College Football Playoff Quarterfinals
Texas vs. Arizona State
Wed. 1 January | 13.00 | ESPN

Line: Texas -13

Texas advanced to the quarterfinal round after defeating Clemson at home in the first-round game, where they had two 100-yard rushers in a signature win as the SEC runner-up.

And the Longhorns also field one of college football’s most statistically dominant defenses this year, a critical advantage against one of the nation’s hottest offenses.

Running back Cam Skattebo is the engine behind Big 12 champion Arizona State’s confident offense that has accounted for more than 1,500 yards this season.

Texas is a heavy favorite in the game, with a greater than 80 percent chance to win outright and is projected to be 11.9 points better on the same field, according to ESPN’s College Football Power Index computer prediction model.

More… Texas vs. Arizona State Prediction

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Rose bowl
College Football Playoff Quarterfinals
Ohio State vs. Oregon
Wed. 1 January | 17.00 | ESPN

Line: Ohio State -2.5

College football’s most coveted ticket this week finds a remarkable rematch of one of the most exciting regular-season games of the past year.

Oregon edged Ohio State by 1 point in their meeting back in October, and since then the Ducks finished as the sport’s only undefeated team and as the Big Ten champion.

Ohio State dropped a stunning game to Michigan despite being heavily favored, but bounced back to crush Tennessee in the first round at home and earn a spot in the Rose Bowl.

Both teams field some of college football’s most dynamic skill players, so we could see a shootout in the sport’s most photogenic venue and its most famous field.

Ohio State has a 54 percent chance to avenge its loss to Oregon, but in a very close game, it is projected to finish just 1.3 points better in the same field, according to FPI’s prediction model.

More… Ohio State vs Oregon Prediction

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Sugar bowl
College Football Playoff Quarterfinals
Georgia vs. Notre Dame
Wed. 1 January | 20:45 | ESPN

Line: Georgia -1

SEC champion Georgia got a first-round bye, all the better considering it has to break in with a new quarterback on fairly short notice after Carson Beck suffered an injury to his throwing arm.

That clears the way for Gunner Stockton to step into the QB1 role for the Bulldogs, short on experience but high on potential and confidence from his teammates, who have spent the last week talking about their new quarterback.

Notre Dame handled Indiana in the first round game behind another solid rushing effort and dominant defensive showing, and poses a real threat when running the ball.

Jeremiah Love and quarterback Riley Leonard run an Irish ground attack that ranks 10th nationally in total production, but faces a tough test against Georgia’s front seven defenders.

Notre Dame is the narrow favorite in the game, winning in 54 percent of FPI’s computer simulations and projected to be 1.4 points better than Georgia on the same field.

More… Georgia vs Notre Dame Prediction

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The odds are updated regularly and are subject to change.

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