College Football Playoff bracket, schedule, scores, teams, dates, kickoff times for semifinal bowl games

The semifinal round of the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff kicked off on Thursday as No. 6 seed Penn State battled No. 7 seed Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. It was a thrilling back-and-forth affair, and in the end, it’s the Fighting Irish moving on to play for the national championship after a thrilling 27-24 win over the Nittany Lions.

Now, the attention turns to the second semifinal matchup as No. 8 seed Ohio State takes on No. 5 seed Texas in a clash between two of the sport’s blue blood programs.

Ohio State made the biggest statement in the quarterfinals by beating top-seeded Oregon 41-21 in the Rose Bowl. The Buckeyes avenged a 32-31 regular-season loss to the Ducks in the process, while freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith stamped his spot as arguably the top remaining player in the playoff field with seven catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns against a very good Oregon defense.

It took Texas two overtimes, and an interception on Arizona State’s last possession, to secure a 39-31 win. Notre Dame eased its way past Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, stamping its first semifinal appearance since 2020 with a 23-10 victory.

Here’s a rundown of scores from the quarterfinal of the College Football Playoff and a look at all of the future matchups. All times Eastern

2024-25 College Football Playoff bracket

First round

Friday, Dec. 20

(7) Notre Dame 27, (10) Indiana 17 | Recap
Notre Dame Stadium — South Bend, Indiana

Saturday, Dec. 21

(6) Penn State 38, (11) SMU 10 | Recap
Beaver Stadium — State College, Pennsylvania
(5) Texas 38, (12) Clemson 24 | Recap
Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium — Austin, Texas
(8) Ohio State 42, (9) Tennessee 17 | Recap
Ohio Stadium — Columbus, Ohio

Quarterfinals

Tuesday, Dec. 31

Fiesta Bowl — (6) Penn State 31, (3) Boise State 14 | Recap
State Farm Stadium — Glendale, Ariz.

Wednesday, Jan. 1

Peach Bowl — (5) Texas 39, (4) Arizona State 31 | Recap
Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Atlanta
Rose Bowl — (8) Ohio State 41, (1) Oregon 21 | Recap
Rose Bowl — Pasadena, Calif.

Thursday, Jan. 2