We have all the info on the College Football Playoff Semifinals, schedule, bracket, and locations. Three more games remain to crown a champion.
The College Football Playoff semifinals will showcase the resilience and brilliance of the nation’s best. Notre Dame, a No. 7 seed with a chip on its shoulder, secured its spot with a win over shorthanded No. 2 Georgia. They’ll meet Penn State in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 9, a clash of storied programs hungry for glory.
On Jan. 10, Texas and Ohio State collide in the Cotton Bowl. Texas arrives after a double-overtime thriller against Arizona State, while Ohio State’s dominance in the quarterfinals sends them to yet another playoff stage.
Four teams, two games, one ultimate prize. The chase for college football’s national championship continues.
2024 College Football Playoff Bracket
The journey to a championship begins with a framework steeped in strategy and tradition.
This bracket reflects the committee’s final Top 25 rankings, unveiled on Sunday, Dec. 8. Yet, as always, the rankings are only part of the story. Seeding in the playoff adheres to a distinct principle: the four highest-ranked conference champions claim the coveted top seeds and first-round byes, regardless of their position in the Top 25. It’s a system designed to honor excellence across the nation’s conferences.
The fifth-highest-ranked champion secures a place as well, though without the luxury of a bye. It’s a blend of merit and opportunity, creating a path for every champion to prove their worth on the sport’s biggest stage.
It’s interesting to note that if the top-25 rankings were used for the CFP and we were using the old four-team format from last year, all four teams in the final four would have most likely been left out of the CFP.
2024 College Football Playoff Semifinal Schedule
Orange Bowl Game
Penn State vs. Notre Dame
Thurs., Jan. 9 | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN | Hard Rock Stadium – Miami, FL
Penn State has defeated SMU and Boise State to reach the CFP semifinal. Notre Dame won a home game against Indiana and beat Georgia in the quarterfinals to reach the CFP semifinal. Notre Dame has opened as a -1.5-point favorite over the second-place team out of the Big Ten. Penn State enters at 13-2, with only two losses coming from two programs that also made the College Football Playoffs, Oregon and Ohio State. Notre Dame enters at 13-1, with their sole loss being a home head-scratching loss to Northern Illinois.
Cotton Bowl Game
Texas vs. Ohio State
Fri., Jan. 10 | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN | AT&T Stadium – Arlington, TX
Texas will enter as an almost touchdown underdog in their home state against the red-hot Ohio State Buckeyes. Ohio State has used blistering hot starts to overwhelm both Tennessee and Oregon, avenging a regular-season loss to the Ducks. Texas enters at 13-2 with wins over Clemson and Arizona State. Both of Texas’s losses came at the hands of the Georgia Bulldogs. Once in the regular season and once in the SEC title game.
National Championship Game
TBD vs. TBD | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN | Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia
