Automatic bids to the College Football Playoff in 2024 equated to automatic losses.
Following the conclusion of the quarterfinal round of the initial 12-team playoff, all four of the teams that won their conference and earned a first-round bye are now officially out of contention for the national championship. While the automatic bids were out of the CFP committee’s hands, they likely deserve credit for getting it mostly right with the rest of the field.
No. 1 Oregon (Big Ten) was soundly beaten 41-21 by No. 8 Ohio State, while No. 7 Notre Dame beat No. 2 Georgia (SEC) 23-10, No. 6 Penn State beat No. 3 Boise State (Mountain West) 31-14 and No. 5 Texas beat No. 4 Arizona State (Big 12) 39-31 in an overtime thriller.
No. 12 Clemson also earned an automatic bid to the College Football Playoff for winning the ACC, but the Tigers did not get a first-round bye. They lost 38-24 to Texas in the first-round.
The semifinals features two teams that lost in a conference title game: Penn State and Texas. Notre Dame does not play in a conference, and Ohio State did not advance to the Big Ten title game after losing to rival Michigan in the final week of the regular season.
College Football Playoff quarterfinal results
Here are the final scores for the CFP quarterfinal games. In the first 12-team CFP, all four top seeds lost. Only the Texas-Arizona State matchup was a one-score game, going to overtime.
Peach Bowl: No. 5 Texas 39, No. 4 Arizona State 31 (2 OT)
Rose Bowl: No. 8 Ohio State 41, No. 1 Oregon 21
Fiesta Bowl: No. 6 Penn State 31, No. 3 Boise State 14
Sugar Bowl: No. 7 Notre Dame 23, No. 2 Georgia 10
College Football semifinal matchups
Here’s a look at the CFP semifinals matchups:
Cotton Bowl: No. 5 Texas vs. No. 8 Ohio State | 7:30 p.m., ET, Jan 10
Orange Bowl: No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 7 Notre Dame | 7:30 p.m. ET, Jan. 9