The first 12-team College Football Playoff is now in a phase more familiar from the sport’s postseason.

After three days of quarterfinal games, the expanded group has advanced to the semifinals, with the final four full of quality players still playing for a shot at the national championship on Jan. 20 in Atlanta.

Here’s a first look at the next round matchups, which will take place on January 9th and 10th in the Orange and Cotton Bowls.

Where: Cotton Bowl (Arlington, Texas)
When: January 10, 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN

History lesson

These are two of the most prestigious programs in college football history, both ranked in the top five wins of all time. However, the Longhorns and Buckeyes only met three times. The first was a home-to-home series in 2005 and 2006. Texas won the first matchup in Columbus behind Vince Young en route to a national championship that season, while Ohio State won the second in Austin and the national Championship game of this season occurred. At the end of the 2008 season they also met in the Fiesta Bowl. Texas scored the game-winning touchdown with 16 seconds left when Colt McCoy hit Quan Crosby.

First look

These two teams finished in the top four in the preseason and stayed there throughout the season – until Ohio State closed out the regular season with a shocking loss to Michigan. But this loss seems to have clearly woken up the Buckeyes. They beat Tennessee 42-17 at home in the first round and then got revenge against Oregon with a 41-21 victory in the Rose Bowl, where the score was 34-0 at one point in the first half. The Ducks finished with minus-23 rushing yards when including OSU’s eight sacks.

Quarterback Will Howard was on point on every throw and wasn’t sacked in two CFP games, and star rookie wide receiver Jeremiah Smith appears to be a player who could start in the NFL right now. Smith has 13 catches for 290 yards and four touchdowns in two CFP games.

Texas has had a bumpier ride. The Longhorns defeated Clemson at home in the first round 38-24, it was a close battle until the end. Then the Longhorns had to score a fourth-and-13 to stay alive against Arizona State before finally defeating the Sun Devils in the second overtime of a thrilling Peach Bowl quarterfinal. Texas blew a 24-8 lead in the fourth quarter and needed quarterback Quinn Ewers to save the day. Ewers completed 20 of 30 passes for 322 yards with three touchdowns – one on the big fourth-down conversion – and an interception.

The Longhorns’ running game was important but inconsistent. Texas ran for 292 yards against Clemson, with an average of 6.1 yards, but had just 53 yards against Arizona State, with 1.8 per carry.

Can Smith and Ohio State find space against Texas’ No. 1 pass defense, led by Jim Thorpe Award winner Jahdae Barron? Can Texas run the ball against Ohio State’s top-five rush defense?

Line: Ohio State -6.5

Why we should be excited

These two have been national title contenders since preseason, and the winner goes to the national championship. It’s a heavyweight fight between two national brands with plenty of star power on both sides.

Where: Orange Bowl (Miami Gardens, Florida)
When: January 9, 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN

History lesson

These are two more blue bloods. Notre Dame ranks fourth all-time in NCAA wins and Penn State ranks eighth. The programs are 9-9-1 all-time against each other, most recently playing a home game in 2006 and 2007, both won by the home team. But they played 12 straight years, from 1981 to 1992. Penn State won at South Bend in 1982 en route to a national championship, while Notre Dame won in 1988 en route to its most recent national title. The Nittany Lions upset the No. 1 Irish in South Bend in 1990.

First look

Penn State has made positive progress in the standings, taking care of business with a 38-10 home win over No. 11 seed SMU in the first round and a 31-14 win over No. 3 seed Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl quarterfinals . The Nittany Lions defense has thrown six interceptions in two playoff games. It returned two touchdowns against SMU and held Boise State’s Heisman Trophy runner-up running back Ashton Jeanty to 3.5 yards per rush, his worst mark of the season. Defense leads this team.

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar wasn’t completely out of it, but he made enough big plays. Allar has completed 26 of 47 passes (55 percent) for a total of 298 yards and three touchdowns (all against Boise State) in two CFP games. Running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen are each averaging just under 7.0 yards per carry, and Mackey Award-winning tight end Tyler Warren has 10 catches and two touchdowns in two CFP games against Boise State. Star edge rusher Abdul Carter is one of the best defensive players in the country, but an injury against Boise State kept him out of the game and his availability for the Orange Bowl is uncertain.

Notre Dame beat Indiana 27-17 in its first-round home opener, a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score suggested, and then the Fighting Irish beat Georgia 23-10 in the Sugar Bowl quarterfinals, the the program’s first major bowl win since 1994. The Irish completely shut down Georgia’s running game, forcing a crucial fumble before halftime that led to a touchdown and stopping Georgia multiple times on fourth down. Quarterback Riley Leonard was efficient as usual, but not explosive. He threw for just 88 yards but ran for 65 yards, including a jump shot to convert a crucial third down late in the fourth quarter.

Notre Dame’s offense is built around this elite running game, led by Leonard, running back Jeremiyah Love (who appeared to be dealing with a leg injury in the Sugar Bowl) and running back Jadarian Price. The passing offense wasn’t particularly productive. Notre Dame was the FBS’s worst field goal kicking team during the regular season, making less than 50 percent of its kicks, in part due to injuries to placekicker, but kicker Mitch Jeter is 5 for 6 on field goals in the CFP, including a 4-for-4 mark from more than 40 yards. The defense was among the best in the country despite losing some key secondary players earlier in the year and sack leader Rylie Mills to Indiana this season.

Line: Notre Dame -1.5

Why we should be excited

These are two historic programs that want to regain the glory of the old days. They were expected to be among the biggest beneficiaries of the move to the 12-team playoffs, and they have reaped the benefits. The two head coaches, Penn State’s James Franklin and Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman, were under some pressure early this season, which came after their only regular-season losses (Penn State to Ohio State in November, Notre Dame to Northern Illinois in September) increased even further. . No Black head coach has won an FBS national championship, and one of those coaches will have a chance to be the first. And one of those teams will have a chance to win its first national title in at least three decades.

(Top photo illustration: Chris Graythen, Chris Coduto / Getty Images)