College Football Playoff semifinal schedule, matchups, odds: Ohio State is now the favorite

On By Littum

The semifinals of the 12-team College Football Playoff are set, and there are no conference champions left.

All four teams still alive in the playoffs hosted games in the first round of the playoffs. And all four have been favored in their first two games. Favorites are 8-0 straight up so far this postseason and are 7-1 against the spread. The only underdog to cover points spread through the first eight games of the playoffs is No. 4 at Arizona State in its 39-31 double-overtime loss to Texas in the Peach Bowl on Wednesday.

Here’s an early look at the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl as the final four teams play for the chance to be in the national championship game on Jan. 20 in Atlanta.

Date: January 9 | Time: 7:30 PM ET | TV: ESPN | Line: Notre Dame -1.5 | Total: 48.5

Notre Dame got its biggest bowl win in 30 years over No. 2 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday. The Irish scored 17 points in less than a minute and went on the break to build a 20-3 lead over the Bulldogs. Penn State held Boise State’s star rusher Ashton Jeanty in check during the Fiesta Bowl in a 31-14 victory on New Year’s Eve.

The line for the game feels really open and we are interested to see where the plot moves it. Notre Dame opened as an underdog to Georgia before becoming a slight favorite in the days leading up to kickoff. Both teams’ defenses have been fantastic, although they are also dealing with injuries up front. Notre Dame wing Rylie Mills suffered a season-ending leg injury in the first round and Howard Cross III appeared to suffer a left ankle injury late against Georgia. Penn State star defensive end Abdul Carter missed the second half of the Fiesta Bowl with a left shoulder injury. Carter has 11 sacks and 22 tackles for loss this season.

Date: January 10 | Time: 7:30 PM ET | TV: ESPN | Line: Ohio State -6.5 | Total: 53.5

Ohio State is favored by a TD in a bowl that might as well be a road game. Texas will be playing in its home state and will have a massive crowd advantage at AT&T Stadium.

The Buckeyes are such significant favorites because of the way they have played through the first two rounds of the playoffs. Ohio State has outscored its opponents 83-38 so far and was up 31-0 on previously unbeaten Oregon midway through the second quarter of the Rose Bowl.

Texas, meanwhile, blew a 24-8 lead to Arizona State, got a favorable non-call on a possible field goal penalty late in the fourth quarter and had a game-winning field goal bounce from an upright position before finally beating the Sun Devils in double overtime. Texas’ running game was key to beating Clemson in the first round, and the Longhorns didn’t have nearly the same success against ASU. Ohio State’s defensive front was dominant against Oregon and could cause real problems for the Longhorns, who may be the team best equipped to handle Ohio State’s passing game.

  • Ohio State (+110)

  • Texas (+350)

  • Notre Dame (+350)

  • Penn State (+450)

The Buckeyes are unsurprisingly the big favorites, while Texas and Notre Dame are co-No. 2 favourites. Penn State has the worst odds of the four, but can hardly be considered a long shot at the moment. The only possible regular-season rematch in the title game is between Ohio State and Penn State. The Buckeyes beat the Nittany Lions 20-13 on Nov. 2.