The College Football Playoff is back in a familiar place. The semi-finals are set as only four teams remain fighting for the national title.

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

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

Here’s a first look at the semifinal matchups between the four remaining teams in the 12-team field.–Heather Dinich

Jump to: Penn State vs. Notre Damebr/>Texas vs. Ohio State

When:January 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 would be talented enough to lead the program to the national stage. Well, here they are, not without some bumps along the way. It was a learning curve for Allar, but some of the throws he made against Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl were NFL-caliber. What elevated his game, however, was his 13.8 yards per pass attempt, his highest in a career start. And all three of his touchdowns came on throws of at least 10 yards, setting a career high. If Allar can lead the Nittany Lions to new heights, his draft stock will rise with them.

“He has a ton of raw talent and plays well in their system,” one NFL GM told ESPN. “However, something is still wrong. Nonetheless, he is finally making big throws and showing some of the aforementioned potential. I’m cautiously optimistic about his future.”

X factor: ENAbdul Carter. The Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year was injured in the first half against Boise State and posted on Thursday. A school spokesman said Thursday the school had no further news. Penn State’s defense was still elite without Carter against Boise State, but the return of the Nittany Lions’ best edge rusher and likely first-round NFL draft pick would be a huge boost in the biggest game yet. Penn State coach James Franklin did not provide an update beyond his comments after the Fiesta Bowl. “Obviously … the safety, health and well-being of our guys is our top priority,” Franklin said. “But I know Abdul wants to play next week and he will do everything in his power to play next week if he is able.”

Here’s how Penn State wins:Make Notre Dame one-dimensional by taking away their running game and forcing the Irish into third-and-long situations. Scoring points wasn’t easy against a stingy Georgia defense, as Notre Dame’s best offense included a kickoff return for a touchdown early in the second half and a short field resulting from a turnover to end the first half. was. If Penn State can do what it did against Boise State – when it limited Ashton Jeanty to his lowest rushing mark of the entire season – Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard will have a long day creating explosive plays in the passing game.

What we learned in the quarterfinals:The Notre Dame defense was as good as advertised in the Sugar Bowl against Georgia. The Fighting Irish entered the game ranked second in the FBS in scoring defense with 13.8 points per game. They only conceded one field goal in the first half. The Bulldogs appeared to be headed for a touchdown late in the first quarter, but Irish safety Adon Shuler ripped the ball away from running back Trevor Etienne. Jaiden Ausberry recovered at the Notre Dame 10. After the Irish took a 6-3 lead with a 48-yard field goal with 38 seconds left in the first half, their defense made the biggest play of the game. On first-and-10 at the Georgia 25, defensive end RJ Oben sacked quarterback Gunner Stockton and threw the ball free. Tackle Junior Tuihalamaka recovered the fumble at the Georgia 13. Quarterback Riley Leonard threw a 13-yard touchdown to Beaux Collins on the next play, giving the Irish a 13-3 lead. The Irish did a good job against the run, limiting the Bulldogs to 101 yards before sacks, and they sacked Stockton four times.

X factor:QB Riley Leonard. The Notre Dame offense was just enough against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, and the one-time Duke transfer was a big reason why. He had 90 yards on 15-for-29 passing and ran 13 times for 77 yards. Since the Bulldogs consisted largely of tailbacks Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price (they combined for 56 yards on 16 carries), Leonard had to carry much of the offense himself. He made a few big runs for first downs and threw the touchdown to Collins. Notre Dame’s receivers struggled to create big gaps against Georgia’s secondary, and it probably won’t get much easier against the Nittany Lions. Penn State is ranked No. 8 in the FBS in run defense, allowing 100.9 yards per game. Leonard may have to do more if the Irish want to win the Orange Bowl.

How Notre Dame wins:Given Notre Dame’s limitations on offense (at least against very good defenses), its defense will continue to force turnovers and have to get off the field on third down, which is exactly what it did against Georgia. Putting pressure on Nittany Lions QB Allar will be a priority. Another big play on special teams, like Jayden Harrison’s 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open the second half against the Bulldogs, wouldn’t hurt either. Irish kicker Mitch Jeter was more than solid against Georgia, hitting three field goals of more than 40 yards. Notre Dame also has to clean up its 10 penalties. — Mark Schlabach

When: January 10, 7:30 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN

What we learned in the quarterfinals: Texas has gone through quite the identity crisis on offense over the last six weeks. The Longhorns dominated their final two games of the regular season so quickly that they were unable to compete in the SEC Championship, dominating in the first round against Clemson and struggling on the floor against Arizona State. So which Texas rushing attack will take place against Ohio State? There is no doubt that Texas will need a greater rushing performance to beat the Buckeyes. Maybe offensive lineman Cameron Williams will be healthy enough to play and will help make a difference. Either way, we learned that Texas still has a lot of work to do to put together a complete offensive performance.

X factor: TEGunnar helmet. Texas likes to use its tight ends on offense. Steve Sarkisian runs, and Helm was big in the win over Arizona State with three catches for 56 yards – and the game-winning touchdown in overtime. Helm was also strong in the opening win against Clemson with six catches for 77 yards and a score. Sarkisian praised him before the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, saying, “The variety of things the tight end has to do in our systems make him extremely valuable. If you have a good one, I think our lives are a lot easier from a playcaller perspective.”

How Texas Wins: Texas has been ranked as the best defense in the country for most of the season for a reason, and we saw that in large portions of the win over Arizona State. The Longhorns need to continue to set the tone up front and keep Will Howard comfortable. Michigan set the stage for victory in November when it dominated the Buckeyes on both offensive lines. Texas certainly has the potential to do that with its defensive and offensive fronts. But the Longhorns absolutely need to be better on offense to even have a shot at victory. They were overwhelmed at times by a smaller Arizona State defense.–Andrea Adelson

What we learned in the quarterfinals: No one can stop Jeremiah Smith and, by extension, the Ohio State offense. Facing an Oregon team that had beaten them in October, the Buckeyes came out of the gates at the Rose Bowl Presented by Prudential ready to prove that the Ducks didn’t have their number. Thanks to Smith, who caught five balls for 161 yards and had two touchdown receptions for 40 yards in the first half alone (he finished the game with 187 yards), Ohio State seemed to be playing at a different pace while Oregon seemed helpless on both sides of the ball. The freshman wide receiver was like lightning, racing past the Ducks’ secondary with ease while making his case for being not only the best freshman in the country – or the best wide receiver – but also one of the to be the best player in the sport. It helped that almost every Ohio State skill player who touched the ball struck gold – running back TreVeyon Henderson averaged double-digit yards per carry and added two touchdowns, and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka added his own big play on a 42-yard Added a touchdown grab in the first half. It was all a reminder that the best version of this Buckeyes team might just be unstoppable.

X factor: RB TreVeyon Henderson. The Texas defense may have no choice but to sell out to stop Smith, and while Smith could still get his chance, this will certainly open the door for other wideouts in the Buckeyes’ offense in addition to Henderson. The senior hasn’t been particularly lively this season, but he has been consistent. However, in Pasadena, he looked as good as ever and recorded his first 100-yard game of the season. There’s no question that Ohio State’s aerial game is its strength, but if it can combine that with a more consistent running game from Henderson, the Longhorns will have a tough time on defense.