College Football Playoff 2024: Semifinal first look - ESPN

The College Football Playoff is back to a familiar place. The semifinals are set with four teams left competing for the national title.

With its 23-10 Allstate Sugar Bowl win against Georgia on Thursday, Notre Dame will face Penn State on Jan. 9 in the Capital One Orange Bowl at 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). On New Year's Eve, Penn State advanced when it beat Boise State 31-14 in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.

Texas needed double overtime to escape a gritty Arizona State team on New Year's Day 39-31 and the Longhorns will face Ohio State, which trounced Oregon 41-21 in the Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential, at 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) on Jan. 10 in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

Here's an early look at the semifinal matchups between the four remaining teams in the 12-team field. — Heather Dinich

Jump to:
Penn State vs. Notre Dame
Texas vs. Ohio State

When: Jan. 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN

What we learned in the quarterfinals: Penn State quarterback Drew Allar is closer to reaching his full NFL draft potential. When Allar was recruited to Penn State, it was with the expectation that he was talented enough to help lead the program to the national stage. Well, the Nittany Lions are here, but not without some bumps along the way. It has been a learning curve for Allar, though some of the throws he made against Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl were NFL-caliber. But what elevated his game was his 13.8 yards per pass attempt, his highest in a start in his career. And all three of his touchdowns came on throws of at least 10 yards, tying his career high. If Allar can lead the Nittany Lions to new heights, his draft stock will rise with them.

«He possesses a lot of raw talent and plays well within their system,» one NFL GM told ESPN. «There's