ESPN College GameDay: College Football Playoff quarterfinal picks, Ohio State vs. Oregon

ESPN brought College GameDay to Pasadena New Year’s Day, in front of the legendary Rose Bowl playing field to College football playoff Quarter-final match between the Ohio State Buckeyes and that Oregon ducks.

It is one of three quarter-final matches on New Year’s Day. Penn State kicked things off with a win New Year’s Eve over Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl to advance to the semifinals, and now Texas and Arizona State will follow in the Bomuldskålen, med Notre Dame and Georgia capping off the night with a highly anticipated clash in the Sugar Bowl.

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Three teams will join the Nittany Lions in having a chance to win a national title, but who will it be? ESPN’s College GameDay crew, consisting of Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, Pat McAfeeLee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit, made their picks for Wednesday’s games. See how they think New Year’s Day will play out in college football.

ESPN College GameDay picks for the CFP quarterfinals:

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl – Texas vs. Arizona State: Steve Sarkisian leads the Longhorns in battle against Cam Tax House and the Sun Devils inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Everything is on the line for Texas, while Arizona State is playing with house money. Still, they’ve proven to be as dangerous as any team that made it to the dance.

Regardless, the entire crew of the Longhorns like it College GameDay crew doesn’t believe the nearly two-touchdown underdog Sun Devils can pull off.

Rose Bowl presented by Prudential — Ohio State vs. Oregon: Herbstreit does not choose the matchup as he is at the behest of ESPN. However, the rest of the crew had to put their record on the line and choose between the Buckeyes and the Ducks. It’s a rematch of one of the best games of the regular season, when Ohio State fell by one point to Oregon in Eugene.

The College GameDay the cohort was split — Howard and McAfee are running with the Ducks, while Saban and Corso believe the Buckeyes can get the job done in Pasadena.

Allstate Sugar Bowl — Notre Dame vs. Georgia: Caesars Superdome is the place where Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish can take the next step on their journey, with Kirby Smart, Gunner Stockton and Bulldogs standing in the way. Will the Irish buck the trend of the SEC dominating them in the CFP, or will Georgia continue the success of their conference? That’s the million dollar question.

Howard and Corso believe in Notre Dame, while Saban, McAfee and Herbstreit are on the Bulldogs pulling through and winning.

Full CGD Analyst Picks for the CFP Quarterfinals:

Desmond Howard: Oregon, Notre Dame, Texas

Nick Saban: Ohio State, Georgia, Texas

Pat McAfee: Oregon, Georgia, Texas

Lee Corso: Ohio State, Notre Dame, Texas

Kirk Herbstreit: No pick for Ohio State vs. Oregon, Georgia, Texas