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

The first College Football Playoff semifinal round of the 12-team era is set. The Cotton Bowl will host (8) Ohio State and (5) Texas, while (6) Penn State and (7) Notre Dame will travel to the Orange Bowl with a spot in the national championship game on the line. All four teams with a first-round bye lost in the quarterfinal.

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.

Penn State was locked in a battle — for a while, at least — when it took on Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl before pulling away late in a 31-14 win. Texas seemed like it had its Peach Bowl showdown against Arizona State in the bag with a 24-8 lead early in the fourth quarter, but it crumbled down the stretch in regulation. Sun Devils running back Cam Skattebo passed, ran, caught and willed his team to a rally as Arizona State forced overtime with the score knotted at 24-24.

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